Trump lands in New Jersey after assassination attempt

The former President has waved while coming off a plane in New Jersey in a video released by his team.

Former US president Donald Trump has been sighted for the first time after an assassination attempt at his campaign rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday evening, local time.

Mr Trump landed in New Jersey and was filmed waving as he exited the plane on the airport tarmac.

The video was posted to X, formerly known as Twitter, by Mr Trump’s campaign deputy communications director Margo Martin.

“Strong and resilient. He will never stop fighting for America,” she wrote.

The former President has emerged just hours after the shooting. Picture: Twitter

Mr Trump could be seen waving as he emerged from the plane. Picture: Twitter

Shooter identified

The video comes as the identity of the shooter was revealed as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, sources told The New York Post.

Crooks, who is from Bethel Park in Pennsylvania, fired at Trump at an outdoor rally in Butler, just outside Pittsburgh.

Sources said Crooks was planted on the roof of a manufacturing plant more than 115m away from the stage at Butler Farm Show grounds.

He was killed by Secret Service snipers. An AR-style rifle was later recovered from the scene. Crooks was wearing a shirt for a popular gun YouTube channel called Demolition Ranch at the time of the deadly shootings.

Bethel Park is a village 40 miles south of where the Butler rally was held.

A member of the rally crowd was also killed, with two other people critically injured.

Mr Trump suffered an injury to his right ear, writing on social media that the bullet “pierced the upper part” of his right ear.

“I knew immediately that something was wrong in that I heard a whizzing sound, shots, and immediately felt the bullet ripping through the skin. Much bleeding took place, so I realised then what was happening,” Mr Trump said after being treated at an unspecified medical facility.

“I want to thank the Secret Service, and all of law enforcement, for their rapid response on the shooting that just took place.

Donald Trump is escorted off stage. Picture: Rebecca Droke/AFP

“I want to extend my condolences to the family of the person at the rally who was killed, and also to the family of another person who was badly injured.”

In a separate post, Trump said he believed “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,” Trump posted on Truth Social.

“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.”

His team has set up a fundraiser for the victims.

Shooter’s motive

Kevin Rojek, special agent in charge of the FBI Pittsburgh field office, recently told the press that a litany of teams were working to identity the motive of the shooter.

“We do not currently have an identified motive, although our investigators are working tirelessly to attempt to identify what that motive was,” he said.

Footage circulating on social media allegedly shows the shooter on a rooftop after being shot.

The FBI has identified the shooter as Thomas Matthew Crooks.

The local district-lawyer, Richard Goldinger, has confirmed that Mr Trump was “grazed by gunfire but is safe”.

Speaking to CNN, Mr Goldinger said the shooter attacked from “outside the grounds” of the rally, meaning he would not have been subjected to security checks.

“I don’t know how he would have gotten to the location where he was,” he said.

“I think that’s something that we’re going to have to figure out, how he got there.”

The Secret Service says its personnel “neutralised the shooter, who is now deceased”. The gunman fired “multiple shots towards the stage” from “an elevated position outside the rally venue”.

President Joe Biden was attending a Saturday evening mass at the time of the shooting. Leaving church, he was asked whether he’d been briefed. “No,” he replied. That has since been rectified.

“I’m grateful to hear that he’s safe and doing well. I’m praying for him and his family and for all those who were at the rally, as we await further information,” Mr Biden said in a written statement.

“Jill and I are grateful to the Secret Service for getting him to safety. There’s no place for this kind of violence in America. We must unite as one nation to condemn it.”

‘Get down, get down’

After the shots rang out, Mr Trump ducked behind a lectern, clutching his ear, with Secret Service personnel rushing to surround him.

In footage of the incident, which occurred on Saturday evening, local time, loud bangs could be heard, plus someone - presumably a Secret Service agent - yelling “get down, get down, get down”.

Nine popping noises in all could be heard, including three before Mr Trump ducked. Members of the crowd, some of whom also dove for cover, could be heard screaming.

A bloodied Donald Trump being tended to by the Secret Service. Picture: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images via AFP

There appeared to be an injury to Mr Trump’s right ear. Picture: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images via AFP

He raised a defiant fist to the crowd. Picture: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images via AFP

After a few moments, an agent said: “Shooter’s down, good to move.”

Before the Secret Service moved Mr Trump off the stage, he stopped and raised his fist to the crowd, with blood smeared across his right cheek. He was then ushered to a car.

Soldiers in military gear, armed with machine guns, were seen rushing into the rally.

A spokesman for Mr Trump’s campaign, Steven Cheung, said the former president was “fine” and receiving medical attention.

“President Trump thanks law enforcement and first responders for their quick action during this heinous act,” Mr Cheung said.

“He is fine and is being checked out at a local medical facility.

“More details will follow.”

‘We can’t be like this’: Biden speaks

Shortly after releasing the aforementioned written statement, President Biden spoke in front of the cameras.

“I’ve been thoroughly briefed by all the agencies of the federal government as to the situation, based on what we know now,” he said.

“I have tried to get a hold of Donald. He’s with his doctors, apparently he is doing well. I plan on talking to him shortly, I hope, when I get back to the telephone.

“Look, there is no place in America for this kind of violence. It’s sick. It’s sick. It’s one of the reasons we have to unite this country. We cannot allow for this to be happening, we can’t be like this, we cannot condone this.

“We have more detail to come regarding other people who may have been injured in the audience.

“The bottom line is, the Trump rally should have been able to be conducted peacefully, without any problems. But the idea that political violence, that violence in America like this - it’s just unheard of. It’s not appropriate. Everybody must condemn it.”

Joe Biden speaks. Picture: Samuel Corum/AFP

Before he left the room, Mr Biden was asked whether he thought the shooting was “an assassination attempt”.

“I have an opinion, but I don’t have any facts,” he replied.

“I want to make sure we have all the facts before I make any more comments.”

In a statement, Vice President Kamala Harris said she was “relieved” that Mr Trump was not “seriously injured”.

“Violence such as this has no place in our nation. We must all condemn this abhorrent act and do our part to ensure that it does not lead to more violence,” she said.

‘Lots of blood’: Witnesses shattered

An emergency room doctor, wearing a T-shirt stained with blood, told CBS News of his efforts to save a man’s life in the crowd.

“I heard the shots, I thought it was firecrackers to begin with,” he said.

“Somebody was screaming, ‘He’s been shot, he’s been shot.’ So I made my way over. I said, ‘I’m an emergency department physician, let me help you.’ The guy had spun around, and was jammed between the benches. He had a head shot, there was lots of blood, and he had brain matter there.”

Congressman Mike Kelly, who was at the event, also spoke to CBS. Mr Kelly said he heard a couple of shots before everyone dropped down.

He expressed his concern that “other people were hurt”. He saw “a lady, a few others” who appeared to be injured.

Dave McCormick, the Republican Senate nominee in Pennsylvania told Politico someone behind him in the crowd seemed to have been shot. He was sitting in the front row.

“All of a sudden, shots started to crack, someone behind me appears to have been shot,” Mr McCormick said.

“There’s lots of blood, and then the Secret Service were all over President Trump.”

A man who was outside the rally’s security perimeter, but had approached it to listen to Mr Trump speak, said he’d seen a man with a gun climbing the roof of a nearby building before the shooting.

“We noticed a guy army, bear crawling up the roof of the building beside us. Fifty feet away from us (about 15 metres),” the man told the BBC.

“So we’re standing there, we’re pointing at the guy. He had a rifle. We could clearly see him with a rifle. We’re pointing at him. The police are there running around on the ground.

“We’re like, ‘Hey man, there’s a guy on the roof with a rifle!’ And the police were like, ‘Huh, what?’ They didn’t know what was going on. We’re like, ‘Hey, right here on the roof! We can see him!’ I’m thinking to myself, why is Trump still speaking, why haven’t they pulled him off the stage?”

The gentleman said he pointed at the person on the roof for “two or three minutes” and the Secret Service was “looking at us”. The shape of the roof, however, may have obscured the shooter from them.

“Next thing you know, five shots rang out.”

He said he was “100 per cent” sure the shots came from the man on the roof.

Asked whether he saw what happened to the alleged shooter, the witness was blunt.

“Oh yeah, they blew his head off. The Secret Service blew his head off.”

He said agents then “crawled up on the roof” to “make sure he was dead”.

“He was dead. That was it, it was over.”

‘Unacceptable’: Leaders condemn political violence

Elected officials across America’s political spectrum have expressed well wishes for Mr Trump, and condemned the violence.

“Violence targeted at any political party or political leader is absolutely unacceptable. It has no place in Pennsylvania or the United States,” said Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, whose state was hosting the former president’s rally.

“(My wife) Lori and I are praying for President Trump, the Secret Service officers who protected him, those attending the event, and all of the first responders.”

The most senior Democrat in Congress, House Speaker Hakeem Jeffries, offered his “thoughts and prayers” to Mr Trump.

“I am thankful for the decisive law enforcement response,” Mr Jeffries said.

“America is a democracy. Political violence of any kind is never acceptable.”

Senate Leader Chuck Schumer said he was “horrified by what happened” and “relieved that former president Trump is safe”.

“Political violence has no place in our country,” he added.

Mr Trump gestures to the crowd on his way off stage. Picture: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images via AFP

Former president George W. Bush and wife Laura condemned the “cowardly” shooting.

“Laura and I are grateful that President Trump is safe following the cowardly attack on his life. And we commend the men and women of the Secret Service for their speedy response,” said Mr Bush.

Former president Barack Obama stressed there “is absolutely no place for political violence in our democracy”.

“Although we don’t yet know exactly what happened, we should all be relieved that former president Trump wasn’t seriously hurt, and use this moment to recommit ourselves to civility and respect in our politics. Michelle and I are wishing him a quick recovery.”

Mr Trump was expected to imminently announce his pick for the vice presidency, perhaps even at the rally in question. The contenders for that role were among the top Republicans expressing support for him.

“Praying for President Trump and all those attending the rally in Pennsylvania today,” said Florida Senator Marco Rubio.

“Please join Kathryn and me in praying for President Trump, his family and everyone attending the rally today,” said North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he was “relieved” that Mr Trump was safe, and he condemned political violence.

“The incident at former President Trump’s campaign event in Pennsylvania today is concerning and confronting,” said Mr Albanese.

“There is no place for violence in the democratic process.

“I am relieved to hear reports that former President Trump is now safe.”

Originally published as Trump lands in New Jersey after assassination attempt