PENNSYLVANIA: Donald Trump urged Americans on Sunday to remain united after he was wounded in an assassination attempt – a shocking incident that opened a dark new chapter in an already polarized US presidential race.
Trump was shot in the ear during a campaign rally, smeared the Republican presidential nominee’s blood on his face and had his security agents swarm him before emerging, pumping his fist in the air and chanting “Fight! Combat! Combat!”
Hours after the incident, the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said it had identified the shooter in the assassination attempt as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks of Pennsylvania, US media reported early Sunday.
The hoaxers and one rally attendee were killed and two other spectators were injured, the US Secret Service said in a statement.
The Secret Service also denied claims it refused additional protection for Donald Trump before his campaign rally in Pennsylvania, where he was shot in the ear during an assassination attempt.
Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said on social media platform X that the claims were “absolutely false,” adding that the agency “has added protective resources and technology and capabilities as part of the increased travel pace of the campaign.” “At this time it is more important than ever that we stand United,” Trump said in a statement on his social network Truth, adding that Americans should not allow “evil to win.”
The Republican added that it was “only God who stopped the unthinkable from happening” and that he was “not afraid”. Acting US President Joe Biden has since spoken to Trump following the incident, according to a White House official. Biden also spoke with Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and Butler Mayor Bob Dandoy, the official said.
Trump, 78, had just begun his speech when shots rang out. He grabbed his right ear with his right hand, lowered his arm to look at him, then dropped to his knees behind the stage before Secret Service agents swarmed in and covered him.
He emerged about a minute later, his red “Make America Great Again” hat falling off and he could be heard saying “wait, wait” before agents ushered him into a vehicle.
“I was shot by a bullet that went through the top of my right ear,” Trump said on his Truth Social platform after the shooting in Butler, Pennsylvania, about 50 kilometers north of Pittsburgh. “There was a lot of bleeding. The shooter’s identity and motive were not immediately clear. Leading Republicans and Democrats were quick to condemn the violence. Trump’s campaign said he was “doing well.”
The shooting came less than four months before the Nov. 5 election, when Trump faced a rematch with Democratic President Joe Biden. Most opinion polls, including Reuters/Ipsos polls, show the two in a close race.
Biden said in a statement: “There is no place in America for this kind of violence. We must unite as one nation to condemn this.”
Gunman identified: 20-year-old Crooks was a “registered” Republican
The FBI has identified the shooter in the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks of Pennsylvania, US media reported early Sunday.
“The FBI has identified Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, as the subject involved in the July 13 assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania,” the FBI said in a statement cited by NBC and CBS.
Crooks, who was from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, was a registered Republican, according to state voter records.
Trump was shot in the ear during a campaign rally on Saturday, after which he smeared the Republican presidential nominee’s blood on his face and had his security agents swarm him before emerging, pumping his fist in the air and chanting “Fight! Combat! !”
The shooter was dead, one rally attendee was killed and two other spectators were wounded, the Secret Service said in a statement.
