By most accounts, it firms the former president’s position as frontrunner. He not only receives sympathy support, but it also plays into his narratives.
His bloodied defiance — that pumped fist and what are thought to be cries of fight, fight, fight — will be uplifting and inspiring beyond just his cohorts. Courage under fire is a trait widely admired, demonstrating leadership and strength.
His gung-ho style, everything he stands for and his authoritarian trajectory will continue to revolt and frighten many Americans. But all Mr Trump needs is to win over a few votes in the critical swing states and the presidential prize is his.
Meanwhile, his legions of devotees will be all the more energised to speak for, work for and donate to the Trump campaign.
Imagine if Mr Trump had been killed. Given the ferocity and fanaticism of his January 6 Capitol assault devotees and given the ubiquity of gun violence, reactions could have been unthinkable. Mob emotion is alarming.
As it is, US polarisation foretells a scary future. Has a match been lit? Will passions spiral out of control?
An alternative scenario is the recognition of the dangers of extreme rhetoric and deep and uncompromising division.
President Joe Biden and the Democrats have pulled their Trump attack ads for now. Further along, they might have to soft-pedal somewhat their understandable picture of Mr Trump as a fundamental threat to democracy and freedoms.
It is hard, however, to see Mr Trump diverting much from his ethos and methods. He can continue to portray himself as a victim of the liberal establishment and claim a victim’s moral high ground.
The incident, temporarily, has taken pressure off Mr Biden to stand aside. The focus is elsewhere and Mr Biden has been able to appear presidential and considered in the aftermath. His call to lower the "temperature of politics" is appropriate.
But Mr Biden has failed to ignite Democrat enthusiasm and is on course to lose. That disastrous debate created a perception that he will not be able to shake. Even if he is capable of leading the United States for four more years, realism says he must be persuaded to resign as candidate.
Perception counts for just about everything.
Now, more than ever, the Democrats are on the back foot and require a fresh, positive and stirring narrative. Because they are already losing, they must gamble with someone else, probably an enlivened vice-president Kamala Harris.
The motives of the shooter appear hard to fathom. Perhaps he was another example of a young "outcast" white male American who had been bullied at school, had access to a dangerous gun and was ready to make a warped retort. His target was a presidential candidate instead of a school.
Extraordinarily, theories have spread about the shooting being staged. Far-fetched conspiracy ideas come from the left as well as the right.
President Biden in his speech to the nation yesterday said: "We can’t allow this violence to be normalised". Unfortunately, it is well on that way already.
