MAUREEN CALLAHAN: After surviving a history shattering week that nearly tore us apart, America now faces a presidential plot twist that no one could've predicted

We did it. We survived what whitethorn person been nan wildest week successful American governmental history.

Days aft narrowly surviving an assassination attempt, erstwhile President Trump made a triumphant return to nan shape Thursday night, accepting his party's information astatine nan Republican National Convention.

He stood gangly against that instantly iconic image of his bloodied face, his fist successful nan air.

Quite nan opposition to doddering aged Joe Biden, filmed struggling to climb down nan short rear steps of Air Force One nan nighttime before. The president, recently diagnosed pinch COVID and taking yet different break astatine his formation house, didn't conscionable look mislaid and confused.

He looked helpless.

Contrast Biden's beingness and governmental posture pinch a defiant Trump, having virtually dodged a bullet, yelling astatine his supporters to 'Fight! Fight! Fight!'

That's Trump's champion run ad, correct there. Make it a divided screen, a meme, an inescapable image.

Who represents American powerfulness and supremacy? Megadonors, statement elders, and George Clooney each admit: It ain't Joe Biden.

But Democrats are discovering that dumping him isn't each that easy.

Alas, they are saddled pinch nan existent Joe, a bitter aged man pinch an eternal spot connected his shoulder, and an inglorious contiguous family clinging, pinch each their might, to nan Oval Office drapes.

On Friday, Biden released a connection saying that he looks 'forward to getting backmost connected nan run [trail] adjacent week'.

Now who's nan president who will ne'er leave? Now who's nan existent threat to democracy?

Trauma tin beryllium clarifying. Perhaps that's why we saw a self-possessed Trump earlier that electrified crowd connected Thursday night, bandage connected his correct ear, opening his reside pinch 'a connection of confidence, strength, and hope'.

It was rather nan opposition to nan 'American carnage' Trump of his 2016 inauguration speech, a infinitesimal truthful acheronian that erstwhile President George W. Bush reportedly called it 'some weird s***'.

To beryllium sure, location was plentifulness of weird s*** Thursday night:

Hulk Hogan, nan surviving avatar for Trump's soul pro wrestler, tearing his garment successful 2 and yelling 'Let Trump-a-mania tally wild, brother!'

Old group trying to creation to a lip-synching Kid Rock. Fake achromatic bandages connected ears successful solidarity. Lots of 'God' talk astir a formerly godless billionaire.

Melania Trump, entering nan venue solo to Beethoven's Symphony No. 9, nan effect bizarrely melodramatic.

And Dana White, caput of nan Ultimate Fighting Championship, delivering a reside that felt much for illustration a primal shriek than governmental coronation.

Finally, retired walked Trump against his sanction successful lights, for illustration a late-stage Elvis successful Vegas.

Even nan night's astir intense moment, nan memoriam to Corey Comperatore, who was changeable to decease astatine nan Trump rally past Saturday, was not without weirdness.

Comperatore's firefighter overgarment and helmet had been fitted connected a mannequin that stood astatine slightest a ft shorter than Trump. It each had nan passing effect of shrinking this leader down to size, but nary matter: When Trump bent down to buss nan helmet, nan crowd was visibly moved.

Call it camp, telephone it precocious governmental theater, but it was undeniably a superb bookend to a week that could person different torn America apart.

One senses Trump knows and understands this: He expressed not rage aliases bitterness astatine his near-assassination but a uncommon humility and calm.

He called for unity and offered 'gratitude to nan American group for their outpouring of emotion and support'.

Except, you know, for those connected nan near who recovered it funny: Kara Swisher and Scott Galloway, cracking tasteless jokes connected their podcast; aliases Jack Black's Tenacious D bandmate Kyle Gass, whose on-stage wish — 'Don't miss Trump adjacent time' — resulted successful nan cancellation of their tour; aliases MSNBC's Joy Reid, who still has her occupation contempt fueling conspiracies that Trump wasn't really deed 'by a bullet'.

So overmuch for that civilized precocious crushed liberals emotion to claim.

As for those repeated assertions by Dems that a 2nd Trump presidency is simply a sedate threat to our populist — well, Ezra Klein of The New York Times has conscionable disabused america of that.

'Top Democrats,' Klein said Tuesday, person told him privately that if Trump wins, everything will beryllium fine.

'I've had apical Democrats opportunity to me... 'I don't cognize why each these Democrats who deliberation Donald Trump is an existential threat to populist are acting nan measurement they are'. They're much resigned [...] to a Trump presidency than their public-facing rhetoric would suggest.'

Wow. So not only person Dem voters been lied to astir Biden's wellness and fittingness — galore of their ain leaders admit this 'looming dictatorship' worldly is conscionable reddish nutrient for their base.

Meanwhile, thing has agreed Republicans for illustration past Saturday's atrocity, which near 1 dormant and 2 others critically injured. Not nan lawfare, not nan attempts to bankrupt Trump — nothing.

And alternatively than usage this support for self-aggrandizement, Trump, yet again, met nan moment.

Never earlier person we seen a susceptible Donald Trump. On Thursday night, arsenic he gave a riveting tick-tock of astir losing his life, we did.

'I will show you precisely what happened,' he said, 'and you'll ne'er perceive it from maine a 2nd time, because it's really excessively achy to tell.'

He said of nan beautiful upwind that day, nan palpable joyousness of nan crowd and feeding disconnected their power until he felt a whizzing and realized he had been shot. He talked astir luck, fate, God — immoderate you want to telephone it.

'If I had not moved my caput astatine that very past instant,' Trump said, 'the assassin's slug would person perfectly deed its people and I would not beryllium present tonight... I'm not expected to beryllium here.'

The crowd erupted, chanting: 'Yes, you are!'

Compare that genuine, spontaneous support to nan intra-party angst complete Joe Biden, who has reportedly been told by everyone from Chuck Schumer to Nancy Pelosi to Barack Obama himself that it's clip to go, here's nan doorway — you're not expected to beryllium here, Joe, starring this statement aliases this ticket, anymore.

And still — he digs in!

The Republicans now person a bona fide governmental martyr, 1 whose characteristic arc has taken a astir unexpected turn.

Trump has held backmost his worst impulses and made this shooting not astir him but astir his followers and, to adopt a building truthful cynically utilized by Joe Biden, nan psyche of America.

The different statement now has a bona fide liability whose ego, vanity and megalomania travel good earlier work to statement aliases country.

What a crippled twist. What a week. And we're not astir astatine nan extremity — only nan opening of this thrilling, vulnerable and astir unpredictable ride.