Donald Trump assassination attempt at rally live updates: Tenacious D scraps remaining Aussie tour dates after uproar over vile Trump joke
Jack Black and Tenacious D have cancelled their remaining tour dates amid the furore over his bandmate’s “evil” joke about Donald Trump.
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Investigations are continuing after former US president Donald Trump was shot in the ear during an assassination attempt over the weekend, as serious questions continue to be raised over presidential security.
Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, climbed a roof and fired at Trump during a campaign rally in Butler, just outside Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on Saturday, local time. He was later shot dead by the Secret Service.
Two others David Dutch, 57, and James Copenhaver, 74, were critically injured in the shooting, while Corey Comperatore, 50, was shot and killed while reportedly trying to protect his daughter from gunfire.
Here are the latest updates.
Footage of private Trump phone call leaks
Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has apologised to Donald Trump after video footage of him on the phone to the former president was leaked online by his son, Bobby Kennedy III.
“I am a firm believer that these sorts of conversations should be had in public,” Bobby posted, trying to justify the leak.
“Here’s Trump giving his real opinion to my dad about vaccinating kids - this was the day after the assassination attempt. If I violated some sort of law in posting this my only wish is to have Dr Anthony Fauci as my cellmate.
“This is the real deal. He could have picked a unity ticket, instead he picked J.D. ‘fire all the unvaccinated nurses’ Vance.
“Two parties, indivisible, under Pfizer, with liberty and justice for sum (sic).”
Clearly the son takes after his father in the anti-vaxxer stakes.
In the leaked footage, Mr Trump can be heard on the phone to Mr Kennedy, saying “something is wrong” with the system of vaccinating children against a range of common diseases.
“You see the baby all of a sudden starting to change radically. I’ve seen it too many times,” says the former president.
“And then you hear that it doesn’t have an impact, right? But you and I talked about that a long time ago.”
Mr Trump goes on to speak about working with Mr Kennedy in his administration.
“Anyway, I would love you to do stuff. And I think it would be so good for you and so big for you,” he says.
“And we’re going to win. We’re going to win. We’re way ahead of the guy.”
Bobby later deleted the post, and his father apologised publicly to Mr Trump.
“When President Trump called me I was taping with an in-house videographer. I should have ordered the videographer to stop recording immediately,” Mr Kennedy said.
“I am mortified that this was posted. I apologize to the president.”
Tenacious D cancels tour after vile Trump joke
Jack Black has announced that his band, Tenacious D, will cancel all remaining shows on its Australian tour and suspend “all future creative plans”.
The catalyst for the decision was a joke by Black’s bandmate, Kyle Gass, about the assassination attempt on Donald Trump, made during a concert in Sydney.
Gass was presented with a birthday cake by Sydney’s ICC Theatre on Sunday night and was asked to make a wish.
“Don’t miss Trump next time,” Gass said, sparking laughter from the 9000-strong crowd.
The remark led United Australia Senator Ralph Babet to call for Tenacious D to be deported from the country.
Tenacious D initially posponed its Tuesday night concert in Newcastle. Now the remainder of the tour has been cancelled outright.
“I was blindsided by what was said at the show on Sunday. I would never condone hate speech or encourage political violence in any form,” Black said in a post on Instagram on Tuesday evening.
“After much reflection, I no longer feel it is appropriate to continue the Tenacious D tour, and all future creative plans are on hold.
“I am grateful to the fans for their support and understanding.”
‘What’s with you?’: Biden fumes during interview
Let’s return for a moment to the interview President Joe Biden gave to NBC News anchor Lester Holt, because it got rather combative.
Mr Biden scolded Mr Holt repeatedly. The testiest period came not in direct response to the Trump shooting, but as the journalist probed Mr Biden over his political performance.
“Are you seeing what (viewers) saw, which was moments of frankly, that appeared to be — you appeared to be confused?” Mr Holt asked, referring to Mr Biden’s poor performance in his June 27 debate against Mr Trump.
“Lester, look, why don’t you guys ever talk about the 18, the 28 lies he told? Where are you on this? Why didn’t the press ever talk about that? Twenty-eight times it’s confirmed he lied in that debate,” said Mr Biden.
“Seriously, you won’t answer the question, but why didn’t the press talk about all the lies he told? I haven’t heard anything about that.”
(It is worth noting that the media has fact checked Mr Trump extensively, so if Mr Biden hasn’t “heard anything about that” he musn’t have looked very hard.)
“We have reported many of the issues,” Mr Holt protested.
“No you haven’t! No you haven’t! God love you,” said Mr Biden.
A few minutes later, Mr Biden took aim at Ohio Senator J.D. Vance, who was revealed as Mr Trump’s pick for the vice presidency on Monday night.
He pointed to Mr Vance’s previously comments, in and around the 2016 election, that were searingly critical of Mr Trump.
“Well, he said something about you,” Mr Holt responded.
“He said some things about me, but see what he said about Trump. What’s up with you guys? Come on, man,” said a frustrated Mr Biden.
The cantankerous tone came after Mr Biden professed a desire to “turn down the heat” in politics, in the wake of the assassination attempt.
Worker fired over vile Trump comment
A pharmacy worker from Arlington, Texas has been fired from her job after expressing her disappointment that Mr Trump’s would-be assassin failed to kill him.
“Damn, they missed,” Christine DeShazo said in one Facebook post, a few hours after the attack in Pennsylvania.
In a second post, she wrote “half of America right now”, in response to a meme with the words: “You missed. How could you miss!?”
Ms DeShazo’s employer, Guardian Pharmacy, told The Daily Mail she had been sacked.
“The employee has been terminated and her personal views are not reflective of our company’s beliefs,” it said in a statement.
Mystery of Trump’s shoes solved
New footage has emerged giving us a different view of the shooting’s immediate aftermath, just before the Secret Service escorted Donald Trump off stage. It also happens to confirm the answer to one of the tiny mysteries of the incident: what happened to Mr Trump’s shoes.
The brief video was taken at ground level, behind the platform from which Mr Trump was speaking. Someone behind the camera can be heard saying “get that son of a b****”, in an apparent reference to the shooter.
A Secret Service agent is seen tossing a pair of shoes, which were in the path Mr Trump needed to take in his exit from the stage, off onto the grass below, with sufficient force for the inserts to go flying out.
“I got you,” one of the agents clustered around the former president says.
“Let me get my shoes,” Mr Trump says as he stands up.
So the fate of the shoes is settled. The footage confirms Mr Trump’s words from his first interview after the attack, in which he said the agents had rushed to his side and grabbed him hard enough to send his shoes flying.
“The agents hit me so hard that my shoes fell off, and my shoes are tight,” he said.
Victim’s widow rejects Biden’s phone call
Corey Comperatore, the firefighter shot dead in the attempt to assassinate Donald Trump, shielded his family as his final act, throwing himself on top of them.
His wife Helen, quite rightly, says he “died a hero”.
Speaking to The New York Post on Monday, local time, Helen revealed that President Joe Biden had tried to call her after the attack, but she declined to speak with him, saying her husband was a “devout Republican” and “would not have wanted me to talk to him”.
She stressed that she doesn’t “have any ill will towards” Mr Biden.
“I’m not one of those people that gets involved in politics. I support Trump, that’s who I’m voting for, but I don’t have ill will towards Biden,” she said.
“He didn’t do anything to my husband. A 20-year-old, despicable kid did.”
She said her family had not been contacted by Mr Trump.
Trump joke at Aussie gig explodes
Jack Black’s band has “postponed” a concert less than four hours before it was due to start after the actor's bandmate made an “evil” comment about Mr Trump during a Sydney concert.
Black’s bandmate Kyle Gass made the comment while was presentened with a birthday cake a Sydney’s ICC Theatre on Sunday night after being asked to make a wish.
“Don’t miss Trump next time,” Gass replied in a video shared on social media before the 9,000-strong crowd erupts in laughter and cheers.
The comment led to a United Australia senator to call for the band - Tenacious D - to be immediately deported. On Tuesday afternoon, Frontier Touring announced the band’s Newcastle gig on Tuesday would be “postponed”.
The company posted on their social media just before 3.30pm with the concert due to start at 7pm.
“Frontier Touring regret to advise that Tenacious D’s concert tonight at Newcastle Entertainment Centre has been postponed,” the post said.
“Ticket holders are asked to hold onto their tickets until further information is available.”
Fans were less than impressed in the comments section of the post.
“Are you f***ing kidding me. We drove hours had fights with our accomodation and a couple hours notice cancellation,” one person wrote.
In a statement on Tuesday, Senator Ralph Babet condemned the act and called for the duo to be “immediately removed from the country”.
“To advocate and or wish for the assassination of a President is egregious, disgusting, filthy, evil, and not acceptable in any way, shape or form,” the statement read.
“This was not a joke, he was deadly serious when he wished for the death of the President.”
Senator Babet called on Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to join him in his stance, while urging Immingration Minister Andrew Files to revoke the pair’s visas immediately.
“Australia wrongly locked up Novak Djokovic and deported him because he allegedly undermined public trust in vaccination,” he said.
“Allowing Tenacious D to remain in Australia after calling for the death of a President is unthinkable, and it affirms the weakness of our current Prime Minister.”
Many fans took to social media to express their disgust.
“As a Tenacious D fan, no. Just no,” one person wrote.
“Imagine if it was Joe Biden on the receiving end. People would be losing their minds. Double standard,” wrote another.
Others called the comment “disgusting,” with one commenter even calling for a “boycott” of the band.
“Sick joke! Awful,” wrote one woman.
The group had a few defenders, though: “My respect for Tenacious D,” reads the top comment under the post. “Aaand I like them even more,” is another top-rated comment.
It comes after Kyle Sandilands earlier called out the band on the Kyle and Jackie O show this morning, with Sandilands declaring the duo were now “banned for life”.
“That’s some serious, twisted s**t. And whoever that is, is banned for life. I never want to speak to him again. Would we speak to this person?”
Sandilands said he was shocked to learn the joke had come from Tenacious D’s Gass.
“That’s really surprising. See, those two seem like normal people, not unhinged lunatics,” he said of the musical duo.
“A note to our talent bookers. I will not be participating in any future Tenacious D interviews. Someone wishing someone dead, that nearly got assassinated. All jokes aside, that’s too much for me,” he continued.
Tenacious D’s Australian tour was set to continue in Newcastle tonight before dates in Brisbane, Melbourne and Adelaide.
News.com.au has contacted the tour promoter for comment.
Bandaged Trump arrives at convention
Donald Trump has arrived at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, in his first public appearance since the attempted assassination.
Mr Trump, who was earlier officially named as the Republican nominee, was seen with a bandage on his right ear, after it was grazed by a bullet on Saturday
The 78-year-old was met with cheers when he was shown on the jumbotron.
Shooting victim’s final words
The wife of the volunteer firefighter who was killed protecting his family at the rally has revealed her “hero” husband’s last words before he died.
Corey Comperatore, 50, died at the shooting on Saturday, which left two other rallygoers critically injured.
“He’s my hero,” Helen Comperatore told the New York Post. “He just said, ‘get down!’ That was the last thing he said.”
Ms Comperatore, from Pennsylvania said the father-of-two was “excited” to attend the rally with the family, who wanted to show their support for the Republican nominee.
“It was going to be a nice day with the family,” she said. “It was a bad day.”
She remembered Ms Comperatore, who was due to celebrate her upcoming 29th wedding anniversary with, as a “loving husband” who put his wife and children first.
Ms Comperatore said President Joe Biden tried to call her family after the shooting, but she didn’t want to speak with him.
“My husband was a devout Republican and he would not have wanted me to talk to him.”
However, she said she doesn’t hold any ill will towards Mr Biden.
“He didn’t do anything to my husband. A 20-year-old despicable kid did.”
Biden reveals phone call with Trump
President Joe Biden has spoken about his phone call with Trump following the shooting, sharing the conversation was “very cordial”.
“I told him how concerned I was and wanted to make sure I knew how he was actually doing. He sounded good. He said he was fine. And he thanked me for calling him.,” Mr Biden told NBC News.
“I told him he was literally in the prayers of Jill and me, and I hoped his whole family was weathering this.”
The 81-year-old went on to share his reaction to the weekend’s tragedy, which he was informed about while he was in Delaware.
“My first reaction was, ‘My God. This is’ – look, there’s so much violence now and the way we talk about it. I mean, the whole notion that there is this – there’s – there’s no place at all for violence in politics in America. None. Zero.”
Wild video of Trump shooter surfaces
Bizarre footage has emerged of Crooks claiming he has a “10 inch penis” with a classmate back in the 10th grade.
The video, exclusively obtained by TMZ, shows Crooks joking with his mate during a computer tech class.
“I’m 6’4” … I go to Stanford University … I have a 10 inch penis,” he says in the video.
Crooks’ friend told the outlet the video was taken in February 2020 at Steel Center Career and Technical Education in Jefferson Hills, Pennsylvania. However this has not been confirmed by TMZ.
It comes as former classmates have described Crooks as “loner” and a “quiet kid”.
One former classmate told the New York Post: “He didn’t seem like really weird or anything. I would have pegged him as a Republican.”
The classmate added: “He was more of a loner. He probably had a friend group, but not many friends.”
Woman goes viral for reaction at rally
A woman who was sitting behind Mr Trump at the Pennsylvania rally has raised eyebrows on social media over her behaviour moments after the shooting.
Footage of the rally shows the woman, who was wearing a white shirt, black hat and sunglasses, ducking and pulling out her phone after shots ran out, while others took cover around her.
The footage has gone viral on social media, adding to bizarre conspiracy theories about the attempted assassination.
However, others pointed out many were filming the historic moment and suggested her actions were a “harmless coincidence”.
“This is the norm these days. Phones up everywhere,” one person wrote.
‘Police in that building’: Secret Service director’s shock claim
The director of the US Secret Service has revealed police were inside the building while the shooter was on the roof at Saturday’s rally, as reports continue to emerge about security failures in the lead up to the shooting.
Crooks was spotted on the roof of a building, less than 130 metres away from Mr Trump, before he fired at the former president, grazing his ear.
Preliminary findings suggest he climbed onto the roof without a ladder.
Speaking to ABC News, Secret Service director Kimberly Cheatle said local authorities were responsible for securing the building where Crooks was positioned.
“In this particular instance, we did share support for that particular site and that the Secret Service was responsible for the inner perimeter,” Ms Cheatle said.
“And then we sought assistance from our local counterparts for the outer perimeter. There was local police in that building — there was local police in the area that were responsible for the outer perimeter of the building.”
Ms Cheatle called the shooting “unacceptable” and said she would not resign from her role.
“It’s something that shouldn’t happen again,” she said.
“I am the director of the Secret Service, and I need to make sure that we are performing a review and that we are giving resources to our personnel as necessary.”
Ms Cheatle expected to testify before the GOP-led House Oversight Committee next week.
‘Mistake’: Biden addresses Trump ‘bullseye’ comment
US President Joe Biden has addressed a comment he made about Trump in the lead up to the weekend's assassination attempt, saying it was a mistake to say it was time to put the “bullseye” on the newly confirmed Republican nominee.
Mr Biden was asked about the comment – which he made on a private call with donor – in an a new interview with NBC News.
“On a call a week ago, you said it’s time to put Trump in the bullseye. There’s some dispute about the context, but I think you appreciate that words matter,” said Mr NBC anchor Lester Holt in a first look at the interview, airing on Tuesday, Australian time.
“I didn’t say crosshairs,” said Mr Biden.
“Look the truth of the matter was, what I guess I was talking about at the time was, there was very little focus on Trump’s agenda.”
When Mr Holt pointed out the term used was “bullseye”, Mr Biden conceded: “It was a mistake to use the word.”
“I didn’t say crosshairs. I meant bullseye. I meant focus on him. Focus on what he’s doing, focus on his policies, focus on the number of lies he told in the debate.”
“How do you talk about the threat to democracy which is real, when a president says things like he says? Do you just not say anything because it may incite somebody?” Mr Biden asked.
“I have not engaged in that rhetoric,” he continued, before pointing out Trump has “engaged in that rhetoric”.
“He talks about there will be a bloodbath if he loses.”
Ad featuring Trump shooter taken down
The New York Post reports that financial giant Blackrock, one of the world’s largest investment companies, has taken down an ad for its services that featured Trump shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks.
The commercial, from 2022, is spruiking BlackRock’s work managing pension plans for America’s public school teachers. It focuses on one teacher in particular, Brian DeLallo. In a scene from the 30-second clip, Mr DeLallo is shown teaching students economics – and Crooks is among them.
The shooter graduated from Bethel Park High School the same year the ad was filmed.
“In 2022, we ran an ad featuring a teacher from Bethel Park High School, in which several unpaid students briefly appeared in the background, including Thomas Matthew Crooks,” said Blackrock in a statement. It said the ad had been removed from circulation, but was still available for investigators to review, should they so desire.
Gunman told his dad he was going to gun range before shooting
Crooks, who has been described by classmates as a “loner” and “quiet kid”, had travelled to a local gun store hours before he attended the weekend rally and shot the former president, sources have claimed.
The 20-year-old reportedly purchased 50 rounds of ammunition from the store, law enforcement sources told the New York Post.
The owner of the gun shop reported the purchase to investigators, the sources said.
It comes amid claims Crooks told his father he wanted to go to a gun range the day of the shooting.
A source told ABC News Crooks’ father didn’t think anything of it at the time as it was a usual occurrence and let him use his AR-15-style rifle.
The FBI has confirmed it has gained access to Crooks’ phone as it continues to investigate the shooting “as an assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump and as potential domestic terrorism”.
The FBI has also completed searches of Crooks’ home and car.
Originally published as Donald Trump assassination attempt at rally live updates: Tenacious D scraps remaining Aussie tour dates after uproar over vile Trump joke
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