Donald Trump called on the United States to ‘stand united’ on Sunday, hours after the former president survived an assassination attempt at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania.
The shooting in the town of Butler, north of Pittsburgh, is likely to cause political shockwaves in the United States just months ahead of Trump’s rematch with President Joe Biden in November’s elections.
Footage from the scene showed Trump defiantly raising his fist with blood on his face as he was escorted off the stage by US Secret Service agents.
A shooter was able to climb to an “elevated position,” a Secret Service spokesman said, and fire a number of bullets at Trump with an assault rifle, causing panic to break out in the audience as loud bangs and screams were heard.
Trump was hit on the ear by a bullet, while one rally attendee was killed and two others seriously injured in the incident.
“I knew immediately that something was wrong in that I heard a whizzing sound, shots, and immediately felt the bullet ripping through the skin. Much bleeding took place, so I realized then what was happening,” Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social.
He later added: “It was God alone who prevented the unthinkable from happening,” before paying tribute to the victims of the shooting.
“Our love goes out to the other victims and their families. We pray for the recovery of those who were wounded, and hold in our hearts the memory of the citizen who was so horribly killed,” he wrote.
Trump received a medical examination and his campaign team later released a video showing him stepping out of a plane in the state of New Jersey.
FBI identifies shooter
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) identified the suspected shooter as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania. The man was killed by Secret Service agents moments after he fired at Trump.
The man’s motive for the shooting is not yet clear, with the FBI’s investigation ongoing. US media reports suggest Crooks was a registered Republican, although he once donated money to a Democratic fundraising platform.
The attack is being treated as an “assassination attempt,” the FBI said in a press conference.
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“This evening, we had what we’re calling an assassination attempt against our former president Donald Trump,” said Kevin Rojek, the special agent in charge of the FBI’s Pittsburgh field office.
Secret Service kills gunman
US Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi confirmed that agents killed the shooter.
“A suspected shooter fired multiple shots toward the stage from an elevated position outside of the rally venue,” Guglielmi said in a statement.
“U.S. Secret Service personnel neutralized the shooter, who is now deceased.”
Agents had “quickly responded with protective measures” and Trump was safe, Guglielmi said.
He said the incident was under investigation and the Secret Service had notified the FBI.
Investigators seized an AR-15 style rifle believed to have been used in the shooting at the scene, the New York Times and Washington Post reported.
Nevertheless, the Secret Service is certain to come in for heavy criticism, as prominent Republicans questioned how a gunman was able to get so close to the former president.
Biden and US leaders condemn political violence
Trump is campaigning to return to the White House in November’s presidential election against Biden.
Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris were briefed on the incident, with Biden saying there is no place in America for political violence. “We cannot allow for this to be happening. We cannot be like this, we cannot condone this,” he said.
“The idea that there’s political violence or violence in America like this is just unheard of. It’s just not appropriate. Everybody must condemn it.”
The Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson said he was also briefed about the shooting.
“This horrific act of political violence at a peaceful campaign rally has no place in this country and should be unanimously and forcefully condemned,” he wrote on X.
Former US president Barack Obama said there was “absolutely no place for political violence in our democracy,” in a post on X.
“Although we don’t yet know exactly what happened, we should all be relieved that former President Trump wasn’t seriously hurt, and use this moment to recommit ourselves to civility and respect in our politics.”
World leaders, including China’s Xi Jinping, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, were quick to denounce the shooting and express their wishes for Trump’s swift recovery.
Republican National Convention going ahead
Trump wrote on Truth Social that he is looking forward to the Republican National Convention next week despite the shooting.
The convention, where Trump is set to be officially nominated as the party’s candidate for the presidential election, is due to begin in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on Monday.
The ramifications of Saturday’s shooting will be felt in the coming weeks as the election campaign heats up, with less than four months to go until US voters head to the polls.
Some Republicans have already begun to point fingers at Democrats for their rhetoric against Trump. “Everyone needs to take the rhetoric down a notch,” said House Speaker Johnson on Sunday in an interview with US broadcaster NBC.
There are also fears that the incident could provoke further violence. “We must all condemn this abhorrent act and do our part to ensure that it does not lead to more violence,” wrote Vice President Harris on X.
Writing on Truth Social, Trump added: “It is more important than ever that we stand United, and show our True Character as Americans, remaining Strong and Determined, and not allowing Evil to Win.”
dpa
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