Trump’s promotion of an image of strength after assassination attempt borrows from authoritarian playbook

(The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.)

Ruth Ben-Ghiat, New York University

(THE CONVERSATION) In the days since the attempted assassination of Donald Trump, supporters of the former president have used the incident to project an image of power.

T-shirts of a bloodied Trump with his fist clenched were on sale at the Republican National Convention, where Trump – his ear bandaged – recounted his ordeal.

Of course, Trump is far from the first political leader to survive an attempt on their life. And many of those targeted have been populist leaders – on both the left and the right.

The Conversation spoke with Ruth Ben-Ghiat, author of “Strongmen: Mussolini to the Present,” to explore how authoritarian leaders have in the past used assassination attempts to burnish a strongman image and whether the actions of Trump since the shooting fit that pattern.

What does history tell us about assassination attempts on populist leaders?

The history of strongmen is also the...