We are supposed to be the STATES of the American people. We are seeing a movement against the deep state / corporatocracy union who are conspiring together against the American people. People are indeed taking the "red pill" and "waking up" and realizing "you are a slave Neo". But will there be a slave revolt? Most slaves don't get to select their slavemaster.

The adversaries has their pick and they're doing whatever dirty tricks they can to make sure they get what they want (however unlikely), including blowing the brains out of the populist opponent, if they can. And yes they can, they've done it before to lesser opponents many times over. Why Butler didn't go as they planned is either Divine intervention, sheer luck, done on purpose or all staged.

I think most likely they grazed his ear purposefully as a reminder...

Or from that "all staged" perspective, the (in this case extremely evil Satanic) populist is simply providing the "hopium" that will be snatched away from the American people, suddenly, violently, graphically in a mass hypnotic event, like the nescafe commercial aired after the shock of the JFK assassination. Follow the watch, you are getting sleeeeepy.... "a new kind of government coffee, new and improved..."

By removing the golden one, the people would likely rise up and BIG (everything) will keep the order, the "good guys" with profiles of every citizen, cameras everywhere (even in the citizens' own pockets) and most good slaves civilized people would agree, eliminating the MAGA savages is needed to maintain their sustainability 2030 goals. Only "bad guys" fight BIG (everything), so we are taught.

This is a dark perspective and would make Mr. Golden Hair more evil than any DEEP STATE player. It's a tough black pill to swallow. I'd rather believe in the charismatic leader, that a reformed "team red" will fix everything. I'll admit I've tasted the MAGA juice. Once getting a taste of that hopium, well it's some gooooood stuff, man. And I want more!