2024-07-16 11:28:44
Several shots were fired at Saturday’s campaign rally for Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, which was hosted by the city of Butler, Pennsylvania. They left two dead, the ex-president was slightly wounded. The shooter was neutralized by the security forces. The police are investigating the matter as an attempt to assassinate the former head of state.
Donald Trump immediately after the incident at a campaign rally before being led away by security. | Video: Reuters
The video from the scene shows how the ex-president, with his ear and face covered in blood, still managed to raise his fist triumphantly before security escorted him to a car.
Donald Trump is safe after the incident, Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi confirmed immediately afterwards. “We have put protective measures in place. The former president is fine,” he emphasized.
Trump immediately underwent a medical examination and thanked law enforcement for the quick procedure. Around three o’clock in the morning Central European time on the night from Saturday to Sunday, he announced that he was slightly wounded.
“I knew immediately that something had happened. I heard a bullet whiz, a shot and I felt a bullet hit the top of my right ear. It was bleeding profusely,” the former president wrote on Truth Social. “Most of all, I would like to express my sincere condolences to the family of the one who was killed and the relatives of the injured. It is crazy that something like this can happen in our country,” Donald Trump lamented.
The local district attorney confirmed to the AP that two people were killed – the shooter and one attendee of the event. One other person is in critical condition, according to The Washington Post. According to the AP agency, the perpetrator was shooting from an elevated position outside the venue of the meeting itself, so he was not a participant in it.
Immediately after the shots were fired, Donald Trump was surrounded by bodyguards and taken away from the podium where he was speaking. According to foreign agencies, snipers were seen on a nearby roof. Trump was taken away. The amusement park where the event took place and where there were thousands of people was cleared by the police.
The bullet injured Donald Trump’s upper right ear. | Photo: Reuters
First reaction
News of the incident was quickly received by President Joe Biden, who will be Trump’s election challenger this November.
“I was made aware of the shooting at Donald Trump’s rally in Pennsylvania. I am thankful that he is safe and well,” Biden said. “There is no place for this type of violence in America. It’s disgusting,” Biden added. He added that he would try to contact Trump later today and that he was temporarily suspending the campaign. When asked by a journalist whether it was 100 percent an assassination attempt, Biden replied: “I have an opinion about it, but I don’t have the facts yet.”
Donald Trump is safe after the incident, his spokesman confirmed. | Photo: Reuters
“We should all be thankful that former President Trump was not seriously injured,” former President Barack Obama tweeted after midnight Saturday. According to him, Americans “should use this opportunity to recommit ourselves to decency and mutual respect in politics.” He added that he and former First Lady Michelle Obama wish Trump a speedy recovery.
George W. Bush, who was president of the United States from 2001 to 2009, also commented on the incident. “Laura and I are extremely grateful that President Trump is safe after this cowardly assassination attempt. We thank the men and women of the Secret Service for their quick response,” Bush said. Bill Clinton, the American head of state from 1993 to 2001, published a similar statement shortly after.
As blood drips off his face after what appears to be an assassination attempt, President Trump pumps his fist defiantly in the air as Secret Service escorts him off stage. pic.twitter.com/WcKc27NZ0S
— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) July 13, 2024
Trump was also wished a speedy recovery by his former or current political opponents, such as Nancy Pelosi, who chaired the House of Representatives until last year, Hakeem Jeffries, the leader of the Democratic House minority, or Chuck Schumer, the leader of the Democratic majority in the US Senate.
“> Only a few minutes after the shooting, billionaire Elon Musk, the owner of Tesla and the operator of the social network X, expressed his full support for Trump in the election campaign.