News / National
FBI Investigates Trump Rally Shooting as Assassination Attempt
14 Jul 2024 at 02:00hrs | Views
BUTLER, Pennsylvania (Reuters) - Donald Trump was shot in the ear during a campaign rally on Saturday, resulting in a bloodied face and quick action from his security team. After briefly disappearing from view, Trump reemerged, fist-pumping and mouthing "Fight! Fight! Fight!"
The Secret Service reported that the shooter was dead, one rally attendee was killed, and two other spectators were injured. The incident is being investigated as an assassination attempt.
Law enforcement officials have tentatively identified a suspected shooter but have not yet disclosed the identity or motive.
Trump, 78, had just started his speech when the shots rang out. He initially grabbed his right ear, then dropped to his knees behind the podium as Secret Service agents covered him. Emerging about a minute later without his hat, he said "wait, wait" before being rushed to a black SUV.
"I was shot with a bullet that pierced the upper part of my right ear," Trump later posted on his Truth Social platform, noting significant bleeding.
The shooting occurred less than four months before the Nov. 5 election, where Trump faces a rematch against Democratic President Joe Biden. Polls show a close contest between the two.
Both Republican and Democratic leaders quickly condemned the violence. The Trump campaign stated he was "doing well." Biden emphasized, "There's no place for this kind of violence in America. We must unite as one nation to condemn it."
Republican U.S. Representative Ronny Jackson of Texas mentioned that his nephew was wounded at the rally.
The incident has prompted questions about security protocols by the Secret Service, which provides lifetime protection for former presidents, including Trump. This is the first shooting of a U.S. president or major party candidate since the 1981 attempted assassination of President Ronald Reagan.
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro confirmed Trump had left Butler under Secret Service protection, assisted by state police. Republican U.S. Representative Daniel Meuser said Trump was headed to his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey.
Witness Account
Ron Moose, a rally attendee, reported hearing about four shots and seeing Trump quickly duck. "The Secret Service all jumped and protected him as soon as they could. Within a second, they were all protecting him."
The BBC interviewed an eyewitness who saw a man with a rifle crawling on a roof near the event. The shots appeared to come from outside the secured area, the Secret Service said. The FBI has taken the lead in the investigation.
CNN reported that the FBI had identified the suspected shooter as a 20-year-old Pennsylvania man.
Political Reactions
Trump is set to receive his party's formal nomination at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee on Monday.
"This horrific act of political violence at a peaceful campaign rally has no place in this country and should be unanimously and forcefully condemned," Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson stated.
Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer expressed his horror and relief at Trump's safety, emphasizing that political violence has no place in the country. Biden's campaign paused its television ads and halted all outbound communication in response.
Recent Reuters/Ipsos polling indicates that Americans are increasingly concerned about political violence, with two-thirds of respondents in a May survey fearing post-election violence.
Some Republicans believe the attack was politically motivated. U.S. Representative Steve Scalise, who survived a politically motivated shooting in 2017, said, "For weeks Democrat leaders have been fueling ludicrous hysteria that Donald Trump winning re-election would be the end of democracy in America. This incendiary rhetoric must stop."
Trump, who served as president from 2017-2021, remains the frontrunner for the Republican nomination despite legal challenges. He claims, without evidence, that the prosecutions against him are orchestrated by Biden to prevent his return to power.
Republican U.S. Senate candidate David McCormick, who was at the rally, described the event as an apparent assassination attempt. "Within a minute or two, I heard the shots ... It was clear it was gunfire," he told Reuters. "It felt like it was an assassination attempt ... It was terrifying."
The Secret Service reported that the shooter was dead, one rally attendee was killed, and two other spectators were injured. The incident is being investigated as an assassination attempt.
Law enforcement officials have tentatively identified a suspected shooter but have not yet disclosed the identity or motive.
Trump, 78, had just started his speech when the shots rang out. He initially grabbed his right ear, then dropped to his knees behind the podium as Secret Service agents covered him. Emerging about a minute later without his hat, he said "wait, wait" before being rushed to a black SUV.
"I was shot with a bullet that pierced the upper part of my right ear," Trump later posted on his Truth Social platform, noting significant bleeding.
The shooting occurred less than four months before the Nov. 5 election, where Trump faces a rematch against Democratic President Joe Biden. Polls show a close contest between the two.
Both Republican and Democratic leaders quickly condemned the violence. The Trump campaign stated he was "doing well." Biden emphasized, "There's no place for this kind of violence in America. We must unite as one nation to condemn it."
Republican U.S. Representative Ronny Jackson of Texas mentioned that his nephew was wounded at the rally.
The incident has prompted questions about security protocols by the Secret Service, which provides lifetime protection for former presidents, including Trump. This is the first shooting of a U.S. president or major party candidate since the 1981 attempted assassination of President Ronald Reagan.
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro confirmed Trump had left Butler under Secret Service protection, assisted by state police. Republican U.S. Representative Daniel Meuser said Trump was headed to his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey.
Witness Account
The BBC interviewed an eyewitness who saw a man with a rifle crawling on a roof near the event. The shots appeared to come from outside the secured area, the Secret Service said. The FBI has taken the lead in the investigation.
CNN reported that the FBI had identified the suspected shooter as a 20-year-old Pennsylvania man.
Political Reactions
Trump is set to receive his party's formal nomination at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee on Monday.
"This horrific act of political violence at a peaceful campaign rally has no place in this country and should be unanimously and forcefully condemned," Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson stated.
Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer expressed his horror and relief at Trump's safety, emphasizing that political violence has no place in the country. Biden's campaign paused its television ads and halted all outbound communication in response.
Recent Reuters/Ipsos polling indicates that Americans are increasingly concerned about political violence, with two-thirds of respondents in a May survey fearing post-election violence.
Some Republicans believe the attack was politically motivated. U.S. Representative Steve Scalise, who survived a politically motivated shooting in 2017, said, "For weeks Democrat leaders have been fueling ludicrous hysteria that Donald Trump winning re-election would be the end of democracy in America. This incendiary rhetoric must stop."
Trump, who served as president from 2017-2021, remains the frontrunner for the Republican nomination despite legal challenges. He claims, without evidence, that the prosecutions against him are orchestrated by Biden to prevent his return to power.
Republican U.S. Senate candidate David McCormick, who was at the rally, described the event as an apparent assassination attempt. "Within a minute or two, I heard the shots ... It was clear it was gunfire," he told Reuters. "It felt like it was an assassination attempt ... It was terrifying."
Source - Reuters
