Assassination attempt during appearance
Trump: “Felt bullet pierce through skin”
Following the assassination attempt on him at the last campaign event before the party convention at which he is to be officially declared the presidential candidate, Donald Trump is taking a fighting stance. He addressed his supporters on his social media platform shortly after the attack and described the bloody moments.
In a post on Trust Social, the wounded Trump first thanked the "US Secret Service and all law enforcement agencies for their quick response during the shooting in Butler, Pennsylvania". He also wanted to express his condolences to the family of the rally participant who was killed and to the family of another person who was seriously injured. "It is unbelievable that such an act can happen in our country."
He did not know anything about the shooter at the time, but the assassin has since been identified as a 20-year-old Republican. And then Trump describes how he experienced the anxious moments: "I was hit by a bullet that pierced the upper part of my right ear. I knew immediately that something was wrong because I heard a hissing sound, gunshots and immediately felt the bullet pierce the skin. It was bleeding profusely and that's when I realized what was going on."
Appearance was only supposed to last a few minutes
What happened was that shortly after 6 pm local time, Trump was shot at while the 78-year-old was standing on a stage in Pennsylvania. His appearance was only supposed to last a few minutes. As can be seen and heard in videos (see above), three shots are fired from a distance. After the first one, Trump grabs his right ear and the Secret Service rush in screaming: "Get down! Get down! Get down!"
Trump ducked under the lectern. His bodyguards formed a circle around him within seconds. Then the confirmation: "Shooter is down!" When the shots stopped, Trump was helped up. As he was about to be taken off the stage, he instructed his bodyguards to wait a moment. He stuck his head out of the crowd, raised his fist and shouted to his supporters: "Fight! Fight! Fight!" Blood ran down his right cheek.
Biden: "We must not be like this"
US President Joe Biden called the attempted murder "sick" in a statement. "It is sick. It's one of the reasons why we need to reunite this country. We cannot allow something like this to happen. There is no place for this kind of violence in America. We can't be like this."
Biden was "grateful to hear that he (Trump) is safe and well. I pray for him and his family and for everyone who was at the rally."
His Vice President Kamala Harris warned against an escalation of violence after the attack. "We must all condemn this heinous act and do our part to ensure that it does not lead to further violence," the Democrat said on X.
Attack causes international consternation
The attack also caused international consternation. "I am appalled by the attempted murder," wrote Federal Chancellor Karl Nehammer. The Chancellor wished Trump "a speedy and full recovery. Political violence has no place in our society," the ÖVP politician added.
"I condemn this act of madness in the strongest possible terms. I hope that all the circumstances surrounding this attack will be clarified quickly and completely. Anyone who cares about democracy will see it the same way. All the best to Donald Trump, his family and the people of the USA. May reason and prudence guide the fate of all those involved in these difficult times," said Herbert Kickl, leader of the Freedom Party, in a statement on Sunday morning.
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen wrote on X: "I am deeply shocked by the shots fired during former President Trump's election rally."
French President Emmanuel Macron described the suspected assassination attempt as a "tragedy for our democracies". His thoughts were with US presidential candidate Donald Trump, Macron said.
"Once again we are witnessing unacceptable acts of violence against politicians." Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni called for more dialog. Her solidarity and wishes for a speedy recovery went to Trump - "in the hope that in the coming months of the election campaign, dialog and responsibility could prevail against hatred and violence", Meloni wrote.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres "clearly" condemned the attack on Trump as an act of political violence, according to a spokesperson. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed his "horror at the alleged assassination". Such violence has no place anywhere in the world. Hungary's head of government Viktor Orbán also expressed his solidarity with the former US president.
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