Donald Trump
Donald Trump was shot in the ear during a Saturday campaign rally, streaking the Republican presidential candidate’s blood across his face and prompting his security agents to swarm him.
Despite the alarming situation, Trump emerged shortly after and pumped his fist in the air, appearing to mouth the words “Fight! Fight! Fight!”
The Secret Service confirmed in a statement that the shooter was dead, one rally attendee was killed, and two other spectators were injured. The incident was being investigated as an assassination attempt, according to a source who spoke to Reuters.
Trump, 78, had just started his speech when the shots rang out. He grabbed his right ear with his right hand, then looked at his hand before dropping to his knees behind the podium. Secret Service agents quickly swarmed and covered him.
About a minute later, he emerged, his red “Make America Great Again” hat knocked off, and could be heard saying “wait, wait” before agents ushered him into a vehicle.
“I was shot with a bullet that pierced the upper part of my right ear,” Trump said on his Truth Social platform following the shooting in Butler, Pennsylvania, about 30 miles north of Pittsburgh. “Much bleeding took place.”
The shooter’s identity and motive were not immediately clear. Leading Republicans and Democrats quickly condemned the violence. The Trump campaign later reported that he was “doing well,” and Bloomberg confirmed he had been released from the hospital.
The shooting occurred less than four months before the November 5 election, where Trump faces a rematch with Democratic President Joe Biden. Most opinion polls, including those by Reuters/Ipsos, show the two locked in a close contest.
President Biden released a statement saying, “There’s no place for this kind of violence in America. We must unite as one nation to condemn it.”
A White House official confirmed that Biden had spoken with Trump following the shooting. Republican U.S. Representative Ronny Jackson of Texas told Fox News that his nephew had been wounded at the rally.
The shooting raised immediate questions about security failures by the Secret Service, which provides former presidents, including Trump, with lifetime protection.
Ron Moose, a Trump supporter who attended the rally, described the chaos: “I heard about four shots and saw the crowd go down, and then Trump ducked quickly. The Secret Service all jumped and protected him within a second.”
Moose recounted seeing a man running and being chased by officers in military uniforms. He heard additional shots but was unsure who fired them. He noted that snipers had set up on the roof of a warehouse behind the stage.
The BBC interviewed an eyewitness who described seeing a man armed with a rifle crawling up a roof near the event. The person, whose identity the BBC did not disclose, said he and others tried to alert security by pointing at the man.
The Secret Service indicated that the shots appeared to come from outside the secured area. The FBI has taken the lead in investigating the attack.
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