Donald Trump blames Biden, Harris for failed assassination attempt

Washington: Donald Trump has blamed President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris for the failed assassination attempt against him, accusing them of “weaponising” the government to such an extent that the Secret Service struggled to protect him.

The Republican presidential candidate made the claim in an interview with US talk show host Dr Phil, also known as Phil McGraw, in a significant escalation of his remarks about his near-death experience last month.

Former US president Donald Trump was wounded on his ear during an assassination attempt on July 13.Credit: AP

“When this happened, people would ask, whose fault is it?” Trump said on the show, which aired in the US this week as he ramps up his campaigning schedule against Harris.

“I think to a certain extent it’s Biden’s fault and Harris’ fault. And I’m the opponent. They were weaponising government against me, they brought in the whole DoJ [Department of Justice] to try and get me, they weren’t too interested in my health and safety. They were making it very difficult to have proper staffing in terms of Secret Service.”

Trump was grazed on his right ear at a rally in Pennsylvania when 20-year-old gunman Thomas Crooks opened fire from a nearby roof, in an incident that shocked the world and reignited the debate over political violence in the US.

Delegates wear a bandage on their right ear during the Republican National Convention.Credit: AP

While the FBI has not established a clear motive for the shooter, special agent Kevin Rojek told reporters during a press call on Thursday (AEST) that Crooks had “looked at any number of events or targets” as he planned his attack, and became “hyper focused” on Trump’s Pennsylvania rally when it was announced in early July.

“We saw ... a sustained, detailed effort to plan an attack on some events, meaning he looked at any number of events or targets,” Rojek said in a telephone briefing to reporters.

The shooting galvanised Republicans in the aftermath, with many attending their party’s convention in Milwaukee wearing bandages on their right ear in solidarity with their chosen nominee, who at that point was in the midst of an election rematch with Biden.

While Trump narrowly escaped death, one rally goer died in the crossfire and two others were seriously wounded, placing the Secret Service under widespread scrutiny for its failure to protect the former president.

The agency’s director, Kimberly Cheatle, stood down amid bipartisan outrage over the incident, several agents from the Pittsburgh field office have since been placed on administrative leave, and Trump and his running mate JD Vance are now using bulletproof glass during outdoor campaign events.

While there has been no evidence to suggest that Biden or Harris interfered with the arrangements for Trump, the Republican claimed that their narrative about him being a threat to democracy may have had something to do with the attempt on in his life.

This image provided by the FBI shows Thomas Matthew Crooks’ rifle broken down as was likely done for transport and the backpack recovered at the scene of the shooting.Credit: AP

“That can get assassins or potential assassins going,” he said. “Maybe that bullet is because of the rhetoric.”

Trump’s appearance on the long-running talk show came as the US barrels towards an election on November 5.

Since Biden dropped out of the race, the 78-year-old former president has struggled to recalibrate against Harris, who is almost 20 years younger and has narrowed the gap in the polls by consolidating the Democratic base and wooing more independent voters than Biden did.

The latest RealClearPolitics poll of averages has Harris leading at a national level, 48.3 per cent to 46.6 per cent, but the race remains extremely tight in the key battlegrounds such as Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin.

Kamala Harris and husband Douglas Emhoff with Tim Walz and wife Gwen Walz.Credit: AP

In a bid to counter Harris’ momentum, Trump is ramping up his own campaign with a busier schedule in key swing states and smaller-scale events designed to keep him focused on key policy topics, such as immigration and the economy, which draw a contrast with Harris.

The vice president – whose campaign has so far centred on scripted speeches delivered with teleprompters – is also set have her first interview as a presidential candidate amid pressure to explain her policies and U-turns.

Among them are new positions on fracking (which she once said she wants to ban but has since reneged) ; immigration (she once described a border wall as “un-American” but now says she will build one); and private health insurance (she once supported a plan to eliminate it but no longer wants to).

Harris will appear alongside her vice presidential running mate Tim Walz on CNN at 9pm on Thursday (11am Friday), and will then go head-to-head against Trump at their first debate September 10.

“Five weeks ago she was known as a joke,” Trump said during his discussion with McGraw, in which he also repeated his false claim that the 2020 election was stolen, railed against mail-in ballots, and lamented wind farms which he said killed birds.

“They wanted him out,” he said of Biden, “but they didn’t want her … then all of a sudden, they realised that it’s not going to be politically acceptable [to pick another candidate].”

However, Harris-Walz spokesperson Sarafina Chitika replied: “As Donald Trump’s friend Dr Phil says, ‘you can’t change what you don’t acknowledge’ ... While Donald Trump refuses to acknowledge the facts, voters know Vice President Harris is the candidate to lead us into the future.”

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