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Donald Trump was shot in the ear at a campaign rally on Saturday (July 13). The Republican presidential candidate’s face was splattered with blood and his security personnel swarmed him. He then emerged pumping his fist and chanting “Fight! Fight! Fight!”
The Secret Service said in a statement that the gunman was dead, one rally attendee was killed and two other spectators were wounded. A source told Reuters the incident was being investigated as an assassination attempt.
Trump, 78, had just begun his speech when the gunfire rang out. He covered his right ear with his right hand, then lowered it to look, then knelt behind the podium as Secret Service agents swarmed to cover him. About a minute later, he emerged, his red “Make America Great Again” hat knocked off, and could be heard saying “wait, wait,” before the two men fist-bumped and the agents put him in a black SUV.
“I was hit by a bullet that went through the upper part of my right ear,” Trump said on his “Truth Social” platform after the shooting in Butler, Pennsylvania, about 30 miles (50 kilometers) north of Pittsburgh. “There was a lot of blood.”
The gunman’s identity and motive were not immediately clear. Republican and Democratic leaders quickly condemned the violence.
The Trump campaign said he was “doing well.”
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro said Trump had left the Butler area under the protection of the U.S. Secret Service with the assistance of the Pennsylvania State Police. Republican Congressman Daniel Musser told CNN that Trump was heading to Bedminster, New Jersey, where he owns a golf club.
The shooting comes less than four months before the Nov. 5 election, in which Trump faces Democratic President Joe Biden. Most opinion polls, including those from Reuters/Ipsos, show the two tied.
“America should not tolerate this kind of violence. We must come together as a nation to condemn it,” Biden said in a statement.
A White House official said Biden spoke with Trump after the shooting.
Republican Rep. Ronny Jackson of Texas told Fox News his nephew was injured at the rally.
The shooting immediately raised questions about security lapses by the Secret Service, which provides lifetime protection for former presidents, including Trump.
Witness Account
Ron Moose, a Trump supporter who attended the rally, said he heard about four gunshots. “I saw the crowd fall down, and then Trump quickly hid,” he said. “Then the Secret Service quickly jumped down and protected him. We were talking, and within a second they all protected him.”
Muth said he then saw a man running, chased by police in military uniforms. He said he heard more gunfire but was unsure who fired them. He noted that snipers had set up camp on the roof of a warehouse behind the stage.
The BBC spoke to a man who claimed to be an eyewitness who said he saw a man with a rifle climbing onto a rooftop near the event. The man said he and others he was with began pointing at the man in an attempt to alert security. The BBC did not identify the man.
The Secret Service said the shooting appeared to have come from outside the Secret Service’s protected area, and the FBI said it was taking the lead in investigating the attack.
CNN cited sources as saying that the FBI has identified the suspect in the shooting as a 20-year-old Pennsylvania man.
Republicans, Democrats condemn violence
Trump will receive the Republican Party’s formal nomination at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee on Monday.
Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson said on social media: “This horrific act of political violence at a peaceful campaign rally has no place in this country and should be strongly condemned unanimously.”
Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said he was shocked by what happened but relieved that Trump was safe. “Political violence has no place in our country,” he said.
The Biden campaign is pausing television advertising and halting all other external communications, a campaign official said Saturday.
Recent Reuters/Ipsos polls have shown Americans are concerned about increased political violence, with two-thirds of respondents in a May survey saying they were concerned about violence after the election.
Some of Trump’s Republican allies said they believed the attack was politically motivated.
“For weeks, Democratic leaders have been stoking ridiculous hysteria that a Donald Trump winning reelection would be the end of American democracy,” said U.S. Rep. Steve Scalise, the No. 2 Republican in the House of Representatives and a victim of a political shooting in 2017. “Clearly, we have seen far-left crazies act on violent rhetoric in the past. This incendiary rhetoric must stop.”
“The Democrats want this to happen,” said Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a hard-line Republican. “They’ve wanted Trump out of office for years, and they’re prepared to do whatever it takes to make that happen.”
Trump, who served as president from 2017 to 2021, easily defeated his rivals early in the campaign to win the Republican presidential nomination and largely united Republicans, whose support for him had been shaken after his supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, in an attempt to overturn his defeat in the 2020 election.
The businessman and former reality TV star has faced a slew of legal issues this year, including four separate criminal cases. In late May, he was convicted of trying to cover up hush money payments to a porn star, but three other lawsuits he faces — including two seeking to overturn his losing verdicts — have been paused for a variety of factors, including a Supreme Court ruling earlier this month that found him partially immune from prosecution.
Trump has claimed without evidence that all four indictments were orchestrated by Biden to prevent his return to power.
David McCormick, a Republican U.S. Senate candidate who was sitting in the front row of the rally, said he was already on the stage when Trump told him to come on later.
“After a minute or two, I heard gunshots … it was clearly gunfire,” he told Reuters in an interview. “It felt like an assassination attempt … it was horrible.”
World leaders react
World leaders were shocked by the assassination attempt on former US President Donald Trump at a campaign rally, which left Trump injured.
Presidents and prime ministers around the world have spoken out against political violence and expressed support for the victims of Saturday’s shooting, which killed one bystander and seriously injured two others.
Europe
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell condemned the attack.
“Once again we are witnessing unacceptable acts of violence against political representatives,” the EU’s top diplomat said.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Sunday he was “appalled by the appalling scenes” at the rally.
“Any form of political violence has no place in our society,” the prime minister said.
Hungarian nationalist leader Viktor Orban referred to “these dark moments” and sent his “thoughts and prayers” to Trump.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meroni said she was “following with concern” the latest news from Pennsylvania and wished Trump a speedy recovery.
The right-wing leader expressed her hope that “in the coming months of campaigning, dialogue and responsibility will prevail over hatred and violence.”
America
Argentine President Javier Milley blamed the “international left” after the assassination.
“Fearing defeat at the election, they resorted to terrorism to push their backward and dictatorial agenda,” the populist president said.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said the shooting “must be strongly condemned by all defenders of democracy and political dialogue.”
The Costa Rican government condemned the attack and said it was watching “this unacceptable act.”
“As leaders of democracy and peace, we reject all forms of violence,” the presidency said.
Chilean President Gabriel Boric expressed “unconditional condemnation” of the shooting.
“Violence is a threat to democracy and undermines our common life. We must all reject it,” Borick said.
“Despite our deep ideological and political differences, we must firmly reject violence wherever it comes from,” said Bolivian President Luis Arce.
Asia-Pacific
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was “deeply concerned about the attack on my friends”.
“There is no place for violence in politics and democracy,” Modi said.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida also condemned the political attacks, saying “we must firmly oppose any form of violence that challenges democracy.”
Taiwan President Lai Ching-te expressed his “sincere condolences” to the victims of the shooting.
“Our democracy has no place for any form of political violence,” he said.
Anthony Albanese of Australia described the shooting as “concerning and disturbing” and expressed relief that Trump was safe.
“There is no place for violence in the democratic process,” the prime minister said.
New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Luxon echoed that sentiment, writing: “No country should ever experience such political violence.”
middle East
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he and his wife, Sarah, were “appalled by the apparent attack on President Trump.”
“We pray for his safety and speedy recovery,” Netanyahu said.
(Editing by Georgi Gotev)
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