- The 78-year-old leader was seen bending over on stage as gunfire erupted at the rally. He was immediately surrounded by Secret Service agents and escorted off the stage. The Republican candidate was seen raising his fist and saying “Fight, fight” as he was escorted off the stage.
- The Secret Service, the law enforcement agency that protects US political leaders, said several shots were fired from an “elevated location” outside the rally site.
- “I think we’re going to have to find out how he got there,” Butler County District Attorney Richard Goldinger told news agency AFP.
- According to local media, the suspected shooter has died. “Butler County District Attorney Richard Goldinger said two people were dead, including the apparent shooter,” the Washington Post said. One bystander died of his injuries in a hospital, while two others are in critical condition.
- Speaking to Trump-owned social media company Truth Social, the former US president said he was “shot by a bullet that hit me in the top part of my right ear.”
- “I knew immediately something was wrong because I heard a loud noise, a gunshot, and immediately felt the bullet go through the skin,” he said.
- The attack has united US political leaders from both parties. Trump’s rival and US President Joe Biden has condemned the attack, saying there is “no place in America for this kind of violence”.
- “It’s tragic. This is why we have to unite this country… We cannot live like this, we cannot tolerate this. The idea that there would be political violence or violence of this nature in America is just unheard of. It’s not appropriate. Everybody should condemn this,” he said, adding that he would speak to Trump soon.
- Former presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush also condemned the “cowardly” attack.
- “While we don’t yet know exactly what happened, we should all be relieved that former President Trump was not seriously injured, and we should use this opportunity to recommit to decency and respect in our politics,” Obama said.
