Bullet pierced part of Trump’s ear in rally shooting
Nathan Layne and Brendan McDermid and Jeff Mason |
Donald Trump says a bullet hit his ear in the suspected assassination attempt against him at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania.
The former president has posted on his Truth Social platform that the bullet pierced the upper part of his right ear, and there was so much bleeding, he realised what was happening’.
Trump was spattered with blood when gunfire erupted at his rally in Butler on Saturday, sparking panic in the crowd, with one attendee reported to have been killed, and another critically injured.
The Republican candidate pumped his fist in the air as he was surrounded by security, and appearing to mouth the words “Fight! Fight! Fight!”
The alleged shooter is dead and the Secret Service was investigating the shooting as an assassination attempt, sources say.
As the shots rang out, Trump grabbed his right ear with his right hand, then dropped to his knees behind the podium before Secret Service agents swarmed and covered him.
The Secret Service and the former president’s campaign said Trump was safe following the shooting.
The shooter’s identity and motive were not immediately clear.
After an emergency briefing at the White House, US President Joe Biden said “everybody must condemn” the suspected assassination attempt on Trump, adding that he hoped to speak with his 2024 presidential rival soon.
Addressing the nation about two hours after the shooting, Biden said he was relieved that Trump is reportedly “doing well.” He said he had been unable to reach Trump before his remarks and pledged to update the public later.
“We cannot allow this to be happening,” Biden said. “The idea that there’s violence in America like this is just unheard of.”
The Biden campaign said it was pausing all messaging to supporters and working to pull down all of its television ads as quickly as possible, the campaign said.
The shots appeared to come from outside the area secured by the Secret Service, NBC reported, citing three US law enforcement officials.
“President Trump thanks law enforcement and first responders for their quick action during this heinous act. He is fine and is being checked out at a local medical facility. More details will follow,” spokesperson Steven Cheung said in a statement.
Ron Moose, a Trump supporter who was in the crowd, described the chaos: “I heard about four shots and I saw the crowd go down and then Trump ducked also real quick. Then the Secret Service all jumped and protected him as soon as they could. We are talking within a second they were all protecting him.”
Moose said he then saw a man running and being chased by officers in military uniforms. He said he heard additional shots, but was unsure who fired them. He noted that by then snipers had set up on the roof of a warehouse behind the stage.
The BBC interviewed a man who described himself as an eyewitness, saying he saw a man armed with a rifle crawling up a roof near the event. The person told the BBC he and the people he was with started pointing at the man, trying to alert security.
Trump is due to receive his party’s formal nomination at the Republican National Convention, which kicks off in Milwaukee on Monday.
The incident has led to an outpouring of support for Trump on social media, with posts admiring his handling of the incident.
Trump, who served as president from 2017-2021, easily bested his rivals for the Republican nomination early in the campaign and has largely unified around him the party that had briefly wavered in support after his supporters attacked the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, attempting to overturn his 2020 election defeat.
The businessman and former reality television star entered the year facing a raft of legal worries, including four separate criminal prosecutions.
He was found guilty in late May of trying to cover up hush money payments to a porn star, but the other three prosecutions he faces — including two for his attempts to overturn his defeat — have been ground to a halt by various factors including a Supreme Court decision early this month that found him to be partly immune to prosecution.
Reuters
