On Saturday night, a bullet whisked past the ear of Donald TrumpAn American television personality who became US president from 2016 to 2020, and will become president again in January 2025.. The former president of the USAThe United States of America is a country in North America. It has a population of 329 million. was just centimetres away from death. America is still in shock.

Some experts say this moment could be a turning point after years of growing political violence. But it all depends on how Trump, who is running to be president again, reacts. This week, he is due to give a speech at a big Republican PartyAlso known as the Grand Old Party or GOP, it is one of the USA's two major political parties. Its first president was Abraham Lincoln. It sits on the right of the political spectrum. meeting.

Surveys show 26 million Americans believe in using violence against Trump and 18 million say they would use violence to support him. It is more than enough people to lead to serious violence.

That gives Trump a choice. He could use this moment to call for more violence against his rivals. Or he can turn to a message of peace.

Here are a few things he could say to bring peace back to America and the world.

Ending the cycle. Martin Luther KingThe civil rights leader was shot dead in Tennessee in 1968.  once said: "Hate begetsA verb meaning to cause or bring about.  hate; violence begets violence". The only way out of this spiral is to say no to violence.

Opponent, not enemy. A key idea behind democracyA system of government based on the idea of rule by the people. is that everyone wants what is best for their country; they just have different ideas about how to achieve it. We can only live in peace if we believe this.

End the conspiracies. We live in the same place but we read different news, scroll different social media, listen to different podcasts. We are unable to understand how the other side even thinks.

Life outside politics. What we drink, where we shop, the TV we watch, these have all been turned into political decisions. It means we have nothing left in common with the people we disagree with.

Is political violence getting worse?

Yes! Millions of people now support violence against people they disagree with. This is a huge problem. Something needs to change now if we want to live in a peaceful world.

No! The USA has always been a violent place. Leaders have been killed before. This is a terrible event. But it is not a sign that political violence is getting worse.