Wounded, defiant Trump continues campaign as shooter named

An attempt to assassinate Donald Trump has plunged the United States election campaign into violence and acrimony after a shooter fired at the former president at a crowded rally, leaving him streaked with blood and killing a supporter in the crowd.

Security agents rushed Trump to a hospital after he was shot in his right ear and dropped to the podium, while a Secret Service sniper shot dead the suspected assailant, later identified as 20-year-old Pennsylvania man Thomas Matthew Crooks.

A bloody former president Donald Trump gestures as he is surrounded by Secret Service agents.Credit: AP

With security agents scrambling and members of the crowd screaming, Trump raised his right arm and pumped his fist in a show of defiance when he left the podium to be treated at a nearby hospital and declared safe.

Trump appeared to mouth the words “fight, fight, fight” and the crowd chanted “USA” while he was led to his motorcade.

President Joe Biden condemned the attack and world leaders said they were appalled at the political violence, as Republicans prepare to confirm Trump as their presidential candidate at a party convention that starts on Monday (Tuesday AEST) with thousands of delegates and supporters.

The FBI admitted its “surprise” that the gunman was able to gain access to the rally in rural Pennsylvania and fire several rounds at Trump before any action was taken, in the first shooting of a president since John Hinckley jr wounded Ronald Reagan 43 years ago.

One of the most senior Republicans, House Speaker Mike Johnson, heightened the concern about flaws in security by announcing a Congressional investigation that would ensure months of inquiry into the events.

“The American people deserve to know the truth,” he said, adding that the inquiry would hear from Secret Service chiefs as well as officials from the FBI and Department of Homeland Security.

The gunman was a registered Republican voter, according to a Reuters report that cited state electoral records, but The New York Times reported that Crooks had donated $15 three years ago to the Progressive Turnout Project through the Democrat campaign finance platform, ActBlue.

The reports said Crooks was from Bethel Park, south of Pittsburgh, had no criminal history and graduated from high school in 2022.

‘Look, there is no place in America for this kind of violence. It’s sick … we cannot be like this. We cannot condone this.’

US President Joe Biden

The FBI confirmed there were three victims of the shooting in the crowd, all men. One was killed and two were critically injured.

Trump laid no blame for the incident on anyone except the gunman in a brief statement on social media, thanking the security officers for their rapid response and expressing his condolences to the families of the victims.

“It is incredible that such an act can take place in our country,” he said.

“I was shot with a bullet that pierced the upper part of my 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.”

The FBI has identified the shooter as Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania.Credit: Backgrid / TMZ

Trump posted a second statement on his Truth Social platform later in the day.

“In this moment, it is more important than ever that we stand united, and show our true character as Americans, remaining strong and determined,” he posted.

Biden spoke to Trump last night before making an unscheduled return to the White House. In a public address earlier on Saturday, Biden said everyone should condemn the violence.

“Look, there is no place in America for this kind of violence. It’s sick, it’s sick,” he said.

“It’s one of the reasons why we have to unite this country. We cannot allow for this to be happening. We cannot be like this. We cannot condone this.”

While most political leaders sought to emphasise national unity after the attack, prominent Republican J.D. Vance, a US senator named as a potential vice-presidential running mate for Trump, blamed Biden and his supporters for provoking violence.

“The central premise of the Biden campaign is that President Donald Trump is an authoritarian fascist who must be stopped at all costs,” Vance said.

“That rhetoric led directly to President Trump’s attempted assassination.”

Another Republican named as a potential vice-presidential candidate on the Trump campaign, North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, said the events proved that Trump was “stronger than his enemies”. The third rumoured running mate, Florida senator Marco Rubio, said God had protected Trump.

The Republican convention will proceed as planned in Milwaukee, according to a statement from the Trump campaign and Republican officials.

Footage of the campaign rally, which began about 6pm on Saturday local time (8am on Sunday, AEST), appears to show the shooter had crawled across the roof of a building about 125 metres from the stage at the Butler Farm Showgrounds, with some people in the crowd spotting him before any shots were fired.

One witness, who identified himself as Greg, told the BBC he could see the man on the roof with a rifle for two or three minutes. “The next thing you know, five shots ring out,” he said. Videos taken by those in the crowd also showed the gunman on the roof.

The witness told the BBC the security agents turned on the gunman after the shots, saying: “The Secret Service blew his head off.”

A photographer at The New York Times, Doug Mills, captured an image that showed a bullet passing behind Trump’s head.

A visual breakdown of a projectile flying by Trump’s head.Credit: Photograph: Doug Mills, New York Times

“All of a sudden, there was what I thought were three or four loud pops,” Mills said of the shooting.

“At first, I thought it was a car. The last thing I thought was it was a gun.”

The gunman was said to be using an AR-15-style semi-automatic rifle, the model used in at least a dozen mass killings in the United States over the past decade, including the killing of 60 people in Las Vegas in 2017 and the fatal shooting of 19 students and two teachers in Uvalde, Texas, in 2022. The AR-15 is available only to professional shooters in Australia.

The FBI special agent in charge, Kevin Rojek, told reporters it was “surprising” the shooter was able to gain access to a position so close to the president and fire several rounds when Secret Service agents were securing the event.

Pennsylvania state police Lieutenant Colonel George Bivens added that it was difficult to fully secure a campaign rally that was open to the public.

The shooting took place at 6.11pm local time (8.11am AEST on Sunday), and officials rushed Trump off the podium and to a medical centre, where his campaign staff reported he was “fine” but bleeding from his ear.

Seven hours later, Trump adviser Dan Scavino posted footage of Trump descending the stairs of his aircraft after arriving in New Jersey, adding a defiant message to supporters: “He will NEVER SURRENDER!”

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