That was my first thought too, because Trump is a horrible, vicious fuckwit, but now I'm not so sure.
The photographer's job is to document what happened, and this does that. On a purely aesthetic/journalistic level this is a hell of a photo. I don't think it'd be right to delete it just because of how it might get used later, or by whom.
I hate, hate, HATE that MAGAs will make this iconic, don't get me wrong. But the photographer captured a major news event, while literally under fire (albeit the shooting had just stopped) and I think that deserves respect and recognition.
You said it perfectly. While politically unfortunate given how it will be used, it's incredible as a photo for all the reasons you mentioned. Great presence of mind to be able to capture a shot this good in the midst of the chaos unfolding.
This, but also applied to the event itself. We'd be better off without Trump and he certainly incites plenty of violence against his opponents, but I'm genuinely concerned about other implications. General security measures, inciting further violence to get even, or further violence to get ahead.
I talked to a 75 year old Democrat about it. They were unphased. I was shocked, but they put it into context: they saw JFK, RFK, and MLK get assassinated. They saw Lee Harvey Oswald get shot to death on live TV. They saw the attempt on Reagan. Those events aren't that long ago. Me? The worst I saw with a US president was someone threw a shoe at Bush. 9/11 was awful and Flight 93 was intended for the White House, but, with all its associated changes, traumas, and threats, that's still a different class.
Now for the Faux News style comment: what if this was planned? Did Trump order a fake hit and slap a blood packet on his ear? I don't know, I'm just asking questions! Because what's a better boost to a competition than a survival story?
Did Trump order a fake hit and slap a blood packet on his ear?
Well he is friends with Vince McMahon and is inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. If anyone knows how to stage fake blood cuts(or razor blade cuts) it would be him.