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Former President Donald Trump is safe following a shooting at his rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday, his campaign said.
In videos of the events, several pops sounding like gunfire could be heard. Then the presumptive Republican presidential nominee held his ear before his Secret Service detail rushed to the stage to shield him from further harm.
Later, as he was led into a vehicle, a bleeding Trump raised his fist and appeared to tell the crowd to fight. He seemed relatively unfazed by his brush with death, and could be heard urging the Secret Service agents to allow him to put his shoes back on before he was rushed off the stage.
One man, who was interviewed by the BBC, claimed that he saw the shooter crawling across the roof of a nearby building with a rifle before firing from there. He said he alerted police nearby but that several minutes passed with no action before the shots were fired.
He also said Secret Service agents heard the commotion and scanned the location with binoculars, but from their vantage point they could not see the shooter. He questioned why more agents were not positioned on roofs.
this BBC interview with a guy outside the security perimeter who claims he saw the shooter before he fired is absolutely wild pic.twitter.com/vJpKZTxSAe
— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) July 13, 2024
On Saturday night, Trump posted his account of the shooting on his Truth Social website.
I want to thank The United States Secret Service, and all of Law Enforcement, for their rapid response on the shooting that just took place in Butler, Pennsylvania. Most importantly, I want to extend my condolences to the family of the person at the Rally who was killed, and also to the family of another person that was badly injured. It is incredible that such an act can take place in our Country. Nothing is known at this time about the shooter, who is now dead. I was shot with a bullet that pierced the upper part of my right ear. I knew immediately that something was wrong in that I heard a whizzing sound, shots, and immediately felt the bullet ripping through the skin. Much bleeding took place, so I realized then what was happening. GOD BLESS AMERICA!
Within minutes of the incident, which is being investigated as an attempted assassination, there was an outpouring of support for the former president from across the political spectrum.
“I’m grateful to hear that he’s safe and doing well. I’m praying for him and his family and for all those who were at the rally, as we await further information,” stated President Joe Biden. “Jill and I are grateful to the Secret Service for getting him to safety. There’s no place for this kind of violence in America. We must unite as one nation to condemn it.”
Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle whose lives have been impacted by political violence also weighed in.
“As one whose family has been the victim of political violence, I know firsthand that political violence of any kind has no place in our society,” said former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), whose husband was attacked with a hammer in a politically motivated attack two years ago. “I thank God that former President Trump is safe. As we learn more details about this horrifying incident, let us pray that all those in attendance at the former President’s rally today are unharmed.”
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA), who was shot at a congressional baseball game seven years ago, not only condemned the attack but also pointed a finger at Democrats for vilifying Trump.
“For weeks Democrat leaders have been fueling ludicrous hysteria that Donald Trump winning re-election would be the end of democracy in America,” said Scalise. “Clearly we’ve seen far left lunatics act on violent rhetoric in the past. This incendiary rhetoric must stop.”
Other Republicans were even less subtle about placing blame before any facts were revealed.
“The Democrats and the media are to blame for every drop of blood spilled today,” said Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA). “For years and years, they’ve demonized him and his supporters. Today, someone finally tried to take out the leader of our America First and the greatest President of all time.”
Cooler heads suggested that it is important to first find out what exactly happened before jumping to conclusions.
Sadly, cooler heads are currently in short supply in a deeply divided country.
