Former U.S. President Donald Trump’s “assassination attempt” has shocked the world. Trump was speaking at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, when gunshots rang out. Afterward, Trump, who had blood on his cheek and right ear, was escorted away from the scene by U.S. Secret Service agents, and news of his “safety” soon arrived. Unfortunately, one person was killed and two were seriously injured at the rally. The shooting suspect was also killed, according to U.S. media reports, he is a 20-year-old man from Pennsylvania, Thomas Matthew Crooks, the location of the shooting is in the rally site near the “high ground”, about the security work of the “major failure” question immediately In the court of public opinion. This is characterized by the United States as “attempted assassination” of the incident not only shocked the United States, but also triggered the world’s strong concern. UN Secretary General Guterres, European Commission President Von der Leyen, and leaders or government spokespersons of several countries, including Britain, France, China, South Korea, Turkey, Egypt, Brazil, Australia and Russia, have condemned the violence. The Associated Press said the attack was the worst assassination plot against a U.S. president or presidential candidate since the 1981 shooting of then-President Reagan.
“I will never surrender.”
The shooting took place at around 18:15 local time on the 13th, according to the New York Times. After the shots rang out, the crowd began screaming, and Trump quickly leaned down to take cover as Secret Service agents then rushed up to surround Trump. After about a minute, Trump looked up again, and his red hat that read “Make America Great Again” was already in the hands of the Secret Service agents, Reuters described. Trump, who had blood on his cheek and right ear, raised his fist and shouted the word “fight” three times to the crowd as he was escorted from the scene. The photographer who captured the scene, in which an American flag was flying behind Trump, became an unexpected news sensation. “A sunny afternoon turned into a nightmare.” CNN said the image will define a worrying political era, although it is not yet known what the political fallout will be.
Later in the day, Trump posted on the social media platform that he had been “shot” and that “the bullet penetrated the upper part of my right ear.” Pennsylvania State Police, however, previously said that Trump was injured by shards of glass. The shards allegedly came from a teleprompter. CNN said Trump also wrote in capital letters in an email sent to supporters, “I will never surrender.”
After the shooting, Trump was treated at a medical facility. Afterward, Trump’s private jet landed in New Jersey just after midnight local time on the 14th, according to the Associated Press. Video shows him stepping off the plane, escorted by members of the Secret Service and its heavily-armed “counter-attack team”. Trump plans to spend the evening at his private golf club in the area. The Trump campaign said Trump was in stable condition and would still attend the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, from Monday to Thursday. On the morning of the 14th, Trump posted again on social media platforms, calling on Americans to unite and not allow “evil to triumph”, AFP said.
Pennsylvania State Police said the three people killed or wounded were all adult males, and that the shooting was “dispersed” and not aimed at just one part of the crowd.CNN, The New York Times, and other U.S. media outlets said that the shooter was positioned on the roof of a nearby building about 120 to 150 meters from Trump, and that he fired eight shots from an AR-style rifle. that fired eight shots.
On the 14th, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) identified the shooter involved: a man from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, Thomas Matthew Crooks. However, it is not yet clear what his motive for committing the murder was. Public records show that Crooks was registered as a Republican voter, but he had donated $15 to a pro-Democratic group in 2021. The Associated Press found it impossible to determine the man’s political leanings. According to NBC, Bessel Park is predominantly a white neighborhood.
Gunman witnessed climbing to rooftop?
The adequacy of security at the Trump rally was immediately scrutinized by public opinion, with CNN saying the head of the FBI’s Pittsburgh office, Jack Roe, saying at a press conference that it was “surprising” that the gunman fired several shots during the Trump rally. One reporter said in response that it sounded like law enforcement didn’t know where the gunman was until he fired. Rojek replied, “That’s the current assessment.”
According to Qatar’s Al Jazeera 14, rally participants are required to pass through metal detectors and go through measures similar to airport security checks. Agents also check the rally site for bombs or other threats before the event. According to Pennsylvania State Police, checking the venue is handled by the Secret Service, the Associated Press said.
An eyewitness told the BBC that before the shooting, he saw the assailant climb onto the roof armed with a rifle and informed a nearby police officer, who appeared to have “no idea what was going on,” and “I’m thinking, why is Trump still talking? Why aren’t they pulling him off the lectern?” According to CNN’s Law Enforcement and Intelligence Analyst Miller, this statement raises a number of “serious questions” and “who knew about the situation at the time, how it was communicated, who decided to take action or not, all of that will be investigated in great detail.” However, CNN also emphasized that the words of the aforementioned eyewitnesses have not been confirmed. The report also said that after the shooting, there have been many calls for an investigation into how the gunman’s attack could have been carried out in the midst of a “major security failure”. U.S. billionaire Musk posted on social media platform X: “Either it was extremely incompetent or it was intentional. Either way, the US Secret Service leadership must resign.” According to U.S. media reports, no one from the U.S. Secret Service attended the joint press conference on the evening of the 13th, but instead the FBI and Pennsylvania State Police briefed reporters on the investigation of the shooting.
According to the Associated Press, the FBI will have primary responsibility for the investigation into the attack, and it will collaborate with the Secret Service as well as local law enforcement.
Shock, condolences, condemnation
“World leaders exprFpoless shock, condolences and condemnation after shooting at Trump rally.” According to CNN’s compilation, leaders from Canada, India, Germany, Hungary, Japan, Australia, Israel, Ukraine and other countries have spoken out. A spokesman for U.N. Secretary-General Guterres said in a statement that Guterres “unequivocally condemns this act of political violence” and that he wished Trump a speedy recovery, AFP said on 14. French President Emmanuel Macron called the incident a “tragedy” for democracies. Italian Prime Minister Francesco Meloni said she was following the developments with concern and hoped that in the next few months of the U.S. presidential campaign, “dialogue and responsibility will prevail over hatred and violence.”
President Biden, led by prominent figures in the United States political community have called for national unity, emphasizing that political violence in the United States “absolutely no place”. Biden said in a speech on the evening of the 13th, such violence is disgusting, can not tolerate such things happen. Leaders of both parties in the United States Congress quickly issued a statement condemning the shooting. Former U.S. Presidents Clinton, Bush and Obama have also taken a stand.CNN disclosed that after the shooting, Biden campaign staff were told to try to avoid public comment on the matter. Another Biden campaign staffer said the team would suspend sending campaign-related messages to all supporters and would pull TV ads as soon as possible.
Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said in an interview with U.S. television channel NewsNation that he sees parallels between the current and 1960s U.S. political environment. “When my uncle (referring to former U.S. President John F. Kennedy) was killed in 1963, there was such a division. When my father (referring to Robert F. Kennedy, who was U.S. Attorney General) was killed, it was probably during the most divisive period in the United States since the Civil War. Today, we are back in that environment.” Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated in June 1968, while he was running in the U.S. presidential election primary. Two months before that, Martin Luther King Jr, the leader of the African American civil rights movement, was assassinated.
A number of foreign media on the 14th combed the “long history of threats of violence against U.S. presidents”: there have been four people in office during the assassination, they are Abraham Lincoln, James Garfield, William McKinley and John F. Kennedy.CNN said that another seven sitting or elected presidents have suffered attempted assassination. The Los Angeles Times said the shooting on the 13th was a historic moment in what has become a new dark chapter in a polarized America this campaign season.
