Monday marks 50 days until the 2024 presidential election in a campaign that was already among the most turbulent in American history even before Donald Trump faced an apparent assassination attempt for the second time.
The potential attempt on Trump's life came nine weeks after the Republican former president was grazed by a bullet at a rally in Pennsylvania. It cast a pall over a presidential race that was already marked by upheaval. And it comes as early voting begins in some states.
Rice University historian Douglas Brinkley said the "deeply troublesome" event coming on top of an already dramatic year with an election looming has created "a kind of uncertainty across the land."
Said Brinkley, "2024 has just unspooled in a chaotic and frightful fashion. It's impossible for anybody to get footing in their daily lives with a news cycle that is so constantly grim and absurd."
Trump had already been scheduled to spend Monday at his Mar-a-Lago home in Florida, according to a person familiar with his schedule. That now includes a briefing in person from Ronald Rowe, acting director of the Secret Service, according to the person who was not authorized to speak publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. Rowe arrived in West Palm Beach on Monday morning.
