Donald Trump urged Americans to unite on Sunday, the day after an assassination attempt from which he survived with an ear injury, which has plunged an already tense presidential campaign into the unknown.
• Read also: LIVE | Follow the latest details of the assassination attempt on former US President Donald Trump
The 78-year-old former president was evacuated with a bloody cheek after several shots were fired during a meeting in Butler, Pennsylvania (northeast), which left one spectator dead and two seriously injured.
Police also confirmed the death of the alleged perpetrator.
Before being evacuated, the former president raised a fist at the crowd in defiance. He later said he was hit by a bullet that pierced his right ear.
“Only God prevented the unthinkable from happening,” the Republican presidential candidate assured Sunday on his Truth Social platform.
“At this moment, it is more important than ever that we stand united,” added the former president, calling for not “allowing evil to win.”
Truth Social Screenshot
The Secret Service, which protects senior political figures, said in a statement that the suspect had “fired several shots towards the scene from an elevated position” located outside the perimeter of the meeting some 150 meters away, before being “neutralized” by the agents.
The FBI confirmed that it was an attempted assassination and identified the perpetrator as “Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania.” His motive remains unknown.
Democratic President Joe Biden, who spoke to Donald Trump on Saturday night, said in a televised address that he was relieved to hear that the Republican was okay while condemning “such violence.” The White House said the president was expected to receive an update on the situation on Sunday morning.
Multiple witnesses said they saw the suspect before the shooting and alerted Butler police.
A video published by the American website TMZ shows the shooter lying on his stomach on the roof of a building and holding a rifle.
“The man has long brown hair and appears to be wearing a gray t-shirt and khaki pants,” the celebrity website said.
The suspect, registered as a Republican voter according to several media outlets, appears to have acted alone.
His father, Matthew Crooks, told CNN he was “trying to figure out what’s going on” and would not comment until he spoke to law enforcement.
The Republican candidate, who had just begun his speech with one of his usual tirades against immigration, immediately took cover behind his lectern before being surrounded and protected by agents. He then stood up, his hair disheveled and without his red cap, before being taken to a vehicle to be evacuated.
The audience cried out in fear and spectators threw themselves to the ground.
The assassination attempt has sparked outrage among world leaders from Britain to Japan to France and Israel.
The event has already rekindled political tensions and conspiracy theories have flooded social media.
Senator JD Vance, one of Donald Trump’s putative running mates, claimed that Joe Biden’s “rhetoric” had “led directly” to the attack on Donald Trump.
And questions began to emerge about the security apparatus around Donald Trump, supposedly one of the most protected figures in the world.
The Secret Service denied Sunday that it had refused additional resources to ensure Donald Trump’s security ahead of the meeting.
“There is a false claim circulating that a member of the former president’s staff requested additional security and that it was denied. This is absolutely false,” Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi told X.
The consequences of this event on the campaign could be immense.
In recent days, attention has focused on doubts about the health of Joe Biden, 81, and his ability to take on Donald Trump since their June 27 debate, marked by the Democrat’s dismal performance.
Donald Trump confirmed on Sunday his intention to travel to Milwaukee, where the Republican convention is taking place from Monday and at the end of which he is to be officially nominated as the Republican Party’s candidate for the presidential election on November 5.
“I look forward to speaking to our great nation this week from Wisconsin,” he said on Truth Social.