Former United States President Donald Trump has survived an assassination attempt at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania. The shooting left one spectator dead and two others critically wounded. The suspected assailant was killed by the Secret Service.
Trump was shot in the ear and suffered bleeding, but his campaign said he was “doing well” after the attack. The former president described the incident on his social media platform, saying, “I was shot with a bullet that pierced the upper part of my right ear. Much bleeding took place.”
The attack has drawn condemnation from both Republicans and Democrats, with President Joe Biden saying, “There’s no place in America for this type of violence. It’s sick.”
Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson also condemned the attack, saying, “This horrific act of political violence at a peaceful campaign rally has no place in this country and should be unanimously and forcefully condemned.”
Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said he was “horrified” by the attack and relieved that Trump was safe. “Political violence has no place in our country,” he said.
The attack has raised concerns about political violence in the United States, with some Trump allies suggesting that it was politically motivated. “Democrats wanted this to happen,” said Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene. “They’ve wanted Trump gone for years and they’re prepared to do anything to make that happen.”
World leaders, including UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, have also condemned the attack.
In a show of support, tech billionaire Elon Musk said he “fully” endorses Trump and hopes for his rapid recovery.