Isaac Arnsdorf and Jabin Botsford, journalists of the Washington Post, vividly describe everything they experienced before, during and after the bloody incident with the two dead at Donald Trump’s election rally.
“Donald Trump, the former president who will accept the Republican nomination in five days, was less than 10 minutes into his speech in front of a crowd of thousands of people. A mile-long line of cars waited for hours to pass through metal detectors and baggage checks, as at any Trump event, until the green expo became a sea of red hats.
Trump was almost an hour late while his supporters waited impatiently under the hot sun and loud music.
When the former president he took to the stage to shout the chant of the word ‘USA’: ‘This is a great, great, beautiful crowd’.
A crimson mag hat shaded his eyes and his white shirt was open due to the heat as he rested on his hands on the step.
He began his campaign speech, but quickly grew bored with the pre-planned text. He offered to invite Republican Senate candidate Dave McCormick to speak, but McCormick was not ready.
“You don’t mind if I get out of the car, do you? It’s so boring,” he joked.
He asked to show on the big screens “that profile that I love so much”, a he shows the border crossings during his and Joe Biden’s presidency, and he was surprised.
He started talking about increasing immigration since he left office in 2021. “Look what happened to our country!”
He tapped his ear, as if he heard a mosquito
The bombs were heard in pairs, a series of five or six in total. Trump cocked his ear, as if he heard a mosquito. Then he shrugged his shoulders and bowed.
“Fall down, fall down, fall down!” shouted Secret Service agents as they took the stage and surrounded it.
The crowd was screaming.
Another burst of what happens. More screaming. People in the stands behind Trump swayed, not knowing where to go. People in chairs and people standing bent over or fell to the ground. A thick cloud of smoke hovered on the right side of the stage and then quickly dissipated.
One more shot.
More Secret Service agents burst onto the scene, then black-clad men in bulletproof vests and helmets, carrying assault rifles. The crowd shouted in confusion.
“We are all right;” asked one of the officials, over the podium microphone.
“The shooter is dead,” replied another.
“We’re ready to move.”
“We are all right;”
“We’re fine!”
“I found you, sir.”
“Let me put my shoes on”
“Let me put my shoes on”Trump said, as agents picked him up.
“Wait, your head is bloody”
“Let me put my shoes on”he repeated, forming a line around him.
“Fight! Fight!”
The crowd, seeing him standing, began to laugh.
“Keep going,” Trump said and raised a fist. “The fight!” he said. “The fight!”
Then the crowd roared and shouted again: “USA!”
“We have to go,” said an agent. Pushing the guards for help, Trump he raised his fist as he limped off the stageand got into his black SUV. A black shoe remained on the red carpet of the stage.
The officers – the Secret Service, the county sheriff, state troopers, the US Department of Homeland Security – began telling the crowd to evacuate the venue, speaking of an active crime scene. Those gathered went outside, calling and texting relatives and friends and recording videos. People were surprised but calm.
“The liberal media is responsible!”
As they passed the journalists’ booths, some of them vented their anger at the media.
“You are not safe. It’s your fault.”
“You wanted political violence, now you have it. I hope you are all happy.”
“The liberal media is responsible!”
“All of you!”
Others looked for the cameras to give testimonies but were confused and sometimes conflicted in the panic.
The crowd marched sullenly towards the parking lot, though some stop for a last minute hot dog or cone.
A man with a cane hiding behind the toilets, vomiting.
They walked to their cars, past Trump flags fluttering in the wind above a long line of bakers selling MAGA hats and Trump T-shirts and key chains and tacky bumpers and Trump visors with bright orange fake hair.
“shut up”
A man with a megaphone wearing a makeover “JAN 6 SURVIVOR” t-shirt. he asked people to demonstrate on Main Street, “peacefully and patriotically,” echo Trump’s speech on January 6, 2021. Most ignored him.
A young man accused him of being an undercover federal agent and told him to shut up.
They left behind empty plastic water bottles.
A huge American flag was raised by two cranes high above the empty white decks with red, white and blue pencils on each side.’
naftemporiki.gr