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Republican candidate Donald Trump is seen with what appears to be blood on his face surrounded by secret service agents as he is taken off the stage at a campaign event at Butler Farm Show Inc. in Butler, Pennsylvania, July 13, 2024. (AFP)
Trump was rushed off stage by Secret Service at a Pennsylvania rally after loud bangs resembling gunshots. Trump is reported safe and unharmed
Former US President Donald Trump is “fine” and being checked at a medical facility, his campaign said Saturday, after he was evacuated from the stage of a rally in Pennsylvania after what sounded like shots were heard. Here are some of the top updates:
‘Trump is safe’
“President Trump thanks law enforcement and first responders for their quick action during this heinous act. He is fine and is being checked out at a local medical facility. More details will follow,” said spokesman Steven Cheung in a statement.
The incident took place shortly after Trump took the stage at his final campaign rally before the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee next week. “The former president is safe,” the Secret Service said in a post on X. His campaign said he was “fine” and being checked at a medical facility.
Shooter Dead
US media reported that the suspected shooter who wounded the Republican presidential candidate at a rally is dead. “Butler County District Attorney Richard Goldinger said two people are dead, including an apparent shooter,” The Washington Post reported. ABC News cited Goldinger as saying a second bystander may also have been hit.
The shocking incident came in the run-up to the November election battle between Trump and President Joe Biden. The rally in Butler, Pennsylvania descended into scenes of chaos as bangs were heard and screams and shouts rang out. Biden has received an initial briefing on the incident, the White House said. He was briefed by the head of the Secret Service and the Secretary of Homeland Security, it said. US politicians reacted with shock to the incident.
Biden Reacts
Biden led the condemnation after his election rival Donald Trump was wounded in a shooting incident at a rally in Pennsylvania Saturday that also reportedly killed at least one bystander. Political leaders on both sides of the aisle slammed the violence minutes after the Republican candidate was rushed off stage by the Secret Service, blood running down his face.
“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,” Biden said in a statement shortly after the incident. “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.”
Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said he was “horrified by what happened at the Trump rally in Pennsylvania and relieved that former President Trump is safe.” “Political violence has no place in our country,” he added. Republican minority leader Mitch McConnell added: “Tonight, all Americans are grateful that President Trump appears to be fine after a despicable attack on a peaceful rally. Violence has no place in our politics.”
Obama
Former US President Barack Obama echoed his words in a statement on X, saying there was “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,” the Democrat said.
Former president George W. Bush condemned the “cowardly” attack.
“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,” he said in a statement. “I am horrified by what happened at the Trump rally in Pennsylvania and relieved that former President Trump is safe. Political violence has no place in our country,” US Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat, wrote on X.
(With agency inputs)
