Trump’s ‘luck’ and American ‘violence’ are the talk of China’s internet

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As dramatic images of the failed assassination attempt on former US President Donald Trump spread around the world Saturday, news of the attack also sparked immerse online interest – as well as pointed criticism of the US – on China’s heavily censored internet.

Discussion of the assassination attempt, in which a gunman opened fire at a Trump campaign rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday evening, dominated Chinese social media in the hours after the attack.

Related hashtags garnered hundreds of millions of views on China’s X-like social media platform Weibo, where Trump – who as president played an outsized role reframing the US-China relationship into the more contentious one that exists today – has for years been a frequent subject of discussion, fascination and often ridicule.

Some social media users were quick to hail former president and presumptive Republican US presidential nominee as “lucky” that he didn’t sustain more serious injury and praised Trump’s “quick reflexes,” while many others made quips about how the situation would boost his re-election bid.

Trump, who said he was shot in the ear, was declared safe following the incident.

As shots rang out during his speech at the rally, the former president ducked to the ground and was covered by Secret Service agents. He then raised his fist in a defiant pose with blood visible on his face before agents took him off the stage – a gesture captured in an image widely shared worldwide and in China.

“Just judging by his quick reaction and agility to duck, I’d vote for Trump. I bet (US President