Shots erupted at a Trump rally on Saturday night, leaving former President Donald Trump wounded and one spectator dead. Trump clutched his bleeding right ear before ducking for cover as Secret Service agents shielded him from further harm.
Amidst the chaos, a Secret Service agent declared the shooter down. As agents moved Trump offstage, he raised his fist and seemed to shout "Fight! Fight!" The crowd responded with chants of "U.S.A.!" capturing the tense moment.
This marks the first time in over four decades that a former U.S. president has been injured in an assassination attempt. The incident resulted in the death of one man, two others critically wounded, and the shooter, Thomas Matthew Crooks, killed by Secret Service snipers.
The FBI is treating the shooting as a potential domestic terrorism attack and an assassination attempt. Officials found no evidence suggesting Crooks, a registered Republican from Bethel Park, Pa., was part of a larger conspiracy. Investigators are focusing on uncovering his motive and have sent his phone, rifle, and a rudimentary explosive device to the bureau’s lab in Quantico, Va. The shooter’s family is cooperating with the investigation.
World leaders and political figures have condemned the violence. The Biden campaign paused its television advertising, while the Trump campaign cautioned its staff against using inflammatory rhetoric on social media.
In his statement, Trump, who sustained a bullet wound to his right ear, vowed to remain "defiant in the face of wickedness." He was seen walking unaided upon arrival in New Jersey hours later. Trump is scheduled to be formally nominated at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee today.
President Biden, in a brief Oval Office address, condemned the attack and called for Americans to "lower the temperature," stressing that politics should never become a battlefield. He has ordered a national security review and pledged transparency with the public regarding the findings.
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