Donald Trump has said was it was “God alone who prevented the unthinkable from happening” after surviving an assassination attempt as footage emerged of the gunman prior to the shooting.
In a statement on his Truth Social platform following the attack at a campaign rally, the former president urged Americans to stand united in “not allowing evil to win”.
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The 78-year-old suffered a bullet wound to his ear in the shooting, which happened early on Saturday evening as he was giving a speech to supporters in Butler, Pennsylvania, about 30 miles (50 km) north of Pittsburgh.
Image: A bullet is seen flying past Mr Trump’s head. Pic: Doug Mills/The New York Times/Redux/eyevine
Mr Trump was seen ducking to the ground as gunfire rang out and people screamed in panic.
A picture caught the moment a bullet flew past Mr Trump’s head.
He was mobbed by the Secret Service seeking to shield him and he was bundled off stage to a waiting armoured vehicle with a bloodied ear.
As he left the stage, Mr Trump pumped his fist in the air in a show of defiance and mouthed the word “fight” towards his supporters, prompting loud cheers and chants of “USA. USA. USA”.
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How Trump attack unfolded – all angles
As well as one person in the crowd being killed, two people were critically injured after the gunman fired “multiple shots” from an “elevated position” from outside the rally venue, said the Secret Service. All three casualties were men.
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The gunman was also killed by security forces.
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Watch moment Trump hits ground
The moment of the attack was caught on video with onlookers screaming “he’s got a gun on the roof” before shots are heard.
The FBI has named the gunman as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks.
Image: Pic: Getty
Image: Pic: AP
In the wake of the attack, security is being reviewed at the Republican National Convention, which kicks off in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on Monday, where the tycoon is due to receive his party’s formal nomination for the presidential race.
Image: map
In a statement on Sunday, Mr Trump wrote: “Thank you to everyone for your thoughts and prayers yesterday, as it was God alone who prevented the unthinkable from happening.
“We will fear not, but instead remain resilient in our faith and defiant in the face of wickedness.
“Our love goes out to the other victims and their families. We pray for the recovery of those who were wounded, and hold in our hearts the memory of the citizen who was so horribly killed.
“In this moment, it is more important than ever that we stand united, and show our true character as Americans, remaining strong and determined, and not allowing evil to win.
“I truly love our country, and love you all, and look forward to speaking to our great nation this week from Wisconsin.
Read more:’Fundamental security failure’ allowed attack, experts sayMinute by minute – how the assassination attempt unfolded
The attack was the most serious attempt to assassinate a president or presidential candidate since Ronald Reagan was shot in 1981.
It has realised concerns about political violence in a deeply divided US less than four months before the presidential election.
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Trump waves after stepping off plane
President Joe Biden,who spoke to his rival for the White House following the attack, condemned the shooting and said there was “no place in America for this kind of violence”.
In an address to the nation he said: “It’s sick. Sick.
“We cannot allow for this to be happening.”
Trump assassination bid is chance for political reset
The first questions are all about the incident itself, of course – the perpetrator, the motivation and method. Not forgetting: how on earth could this have happened?
It’s scarcely believable for anyone who has attended a Trump event and witnessed the security firewall that separates the man from the masses. The agents charged with Donald Trump’s protection, Secret Service or otherwise, face a grilling on a failure in the fundamentals of the job.
Allowing a former and, possibly, future president to be caught in the cross-hairs of a sniper’s bullet puts them in the firing line and they will have to account for actions that ended in fatality, albeit not of the prime target.
In the wake of the shooting, one eyewitness told the media microphones he was surprised it hadn’t happened before now. He’s not alone in a country that feels the persistent undercurrent of political violence.
Read the rest of James’s analysis
The Biden campaign said it was pausing all messaging to supporters and moving to pull all of its television ads as quickly as possible.
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Read more:’Pop pop pop’ – Witnesses describe moment of shootingIn pictures: Gunman fires multiple shots at Trump rally
Some Republicans have sought to blame the violence on Mr Biden and his allies, arguing that attacks on Mr Trump as a threat to democracy had created a toxic environment.
They highlighted a comment Mr Biden made to donors on 8 July, saying “it’s time to put Trump in the bullseye”.
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Body of gunman on roof after shooting
US Representative Steve Scalise, who survived a political shooting in 2017, said: “For weeks Democrat leaders have been fuelling ludicrous hysteria that Donald Trump winning re-election would be the end of democracy in America.
“Clearly we’ve seen far-left lunatics act on violent rhetoric in the past. This incendiary rhetoric must stop.”
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Biden: ‘We cannot be like this’
Most opinion polls show the two challengers locked in close contest.
Market investors predicted the attack and Mr Trump’s defiant response would likely increase his chances of winning back the presidency, and expected trades betting on his victory to grow in the coming week.
Source : Sky News
