A Threat to Democracy: Why the GOP Convention Should Go Forward as Planned

In the wake of the attempted assassination of President Trump, some Democrats are demanding that the GOP Convention be toned down. But this would be a mistake. Instead, the convention should go forward exactly as planned, just as Margaret Thatcher did after the IRA bombing at the Conservative Party conference in 1984.

The horrific attempted assassination of former President Trump on Saturday was a chilling reminder of the fragility of our democracy. But instead of uniting in condemnation of this act of violence, some Democrats are using it as an excuse to demand that the upcoming GOP Convention be toned down.

This is a dangerous and irresponsible demand. It is a threat to our democracy.

A Threat to Democracy: Why the GOP Convention Should Go Forward as Planned

The GOP Convention is a time for the Republican Party to come together and discuss their vision for the future of our country. It is a time to celebrate our accomplishments and to rally behind our candidates.

To cancel or tone down the convention would be to give in to the terrorists who tried to silence President Trump. It would be to send the message that violence and intimidation can be used to disrupt our political process.

A Threat to Democracy: Why the GOP Convention Should Go Forward as Planned

We cannot allow this to happen.

We must stand up to the forces of violence and intimidation, and we must show them that we will not be silenced.

A Threat to Democracy: Why the GOP Convention Should Go Forward as Planned

The GOP Convention must go forward exactly as planned. It is a time for the Republican Party to come together and show the world that we are stronger than ever before.

It is a time for us to celebrate our accomplishments and to rally behind our candidates.

A Threat to Democracy: Why the GOP Convention Should Go Forward as Planned

It is a time for us to show the world that we will not be intimidated by violence or threats.

We will not be silenced.

We are the Republican Party, and we are the party of the future.

On October 12th, 1984, a terror organization, the Irish Republican Army, tried to assassinate British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. It happened during the Conservative Party convention (called the Party Conference) being held that year in Brighton, England. The terrorists planted a bomb in the Grand Hotel where Mrs. Thatcher, along with top Conservative Party officials, was staying.

The bomb ripped through the hotel, killing five and injuring more than thirty. It obliterated the bathroom in Margaret Thatcher’s suite. She had been in that room just two minutes before the bomb went off. She had been working on her speech to the conference, took a bathroom break and then returned to her desk.

It was a miraculous escape. But that’s not the only parallel between Brighton 1984 and Butler 2024.

Soon after the attack, with many of her closest colleagues still buried in the rubble of the destroyed hotel, Margaret Thatcher appeared on camera to insist that the conference would go ahead exactly as planned.

She even insisted that a local store be opened an hour early so that conference attendees could make sure they had fresh clothes.

Later that morning, just a few hours after the assassination attempt that so nearly took her life, the prime minister addressed the conference in the resolute style that was her hallmark:

The attack "was an attempt not only to disrupt and terminate our conference; it was an attempt to cripple Her Majesty’s democratically elected Government. That is the scale of the outrage in which we have all shared, and the fact that we are gathered here now, shocked but composed and determined, is a sign not only that this attack has failed, but that all attempts to destroy democracy by terrorism will fail."

The ‘Brighton Bomb’, as it became known, happened 40 years ago. But I remember it as if it was last week.

Perhaps that’s because Brighton is my hometown. It’s a seaside resort on the south coast of England, where party conventions were held regularly.

That year, I remember hearing the news of the bomb when I woke up. I remember walking down to the seafront, before school, seeing the destruction for myself. It felt utterly apocalyptic. I was 15-years-old and the scene made a huge impression.

But the other thing that made such a huge impression was Mrs. Thatcher’s courage and leadership. Years later, I had the great honor of meeting her on a number of occasions when I worked for the Conservative Party.

All this came to mind as I watched President Trump’s extraordinary reaction to the attempt to take his life on Saturday.

Of course, Donald Trump and Margaret Thatcher are completely different in many ways.

But as I have said before, including on my Fox News Channel show, "The Next Revolution," Trump resembles Thatcher -- as well as President Reagan (also, of course, the victim of a dramatic assassination attempt) -- in one crucial way.

These are leaders who truly changed the course of their country -- and history. They are giants among political pygmies.

As we saw President Trump rise up to rally his supporters moments after being hit by an assassin’s bullet, in an image that will be one of the most iconic in American history, we can see why.

And as we prepare for the GOP Convention in Milwaukee, and the election campaign ahead, let’s take our lead not from Jen Psaki but from Margaret Thatcher.

She insisted that things must go forward exactly as planned.

That is the best response to anyone, anywhere, who tries to disrupt our lives with terror and violence.

That is the strong leadership we need.

That is the strong leadership President Trump showed us all.