WASHINGTON DC, United States - Former President Donald Trump survived an apparent assassination attempt while giving a campaign speech at a rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday.
"I was shot with a bullet that pierced the upper part of my right ear,” he said in a post on Truth Social. In the live video, the 78-year-old Trump initially appeared stunned as several shots rang out. He then grabbed his right ear, ducked, and was swarmed by security officers.
“I knew immediately that something was wrong in that I heard a whizzing sound, shots, and immediately felt the bullet ripping through the skin,” Trump’s post added. As he was escorted off-stage, Trump with what appeared to be blood dripping from his face shouted: “Fight. Fight. Fight.”
An attendee was killed, a shooter is dead, and two attendees were critically injured, The Associated Press reported.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said it is conducting an “assassination investigation” along with the US Secret Service, state, and local enforcement. Trump is the presumptive Republican party nominee for the US presidential election in November.
“FBI personnel are on the scene in Butler, Pennsylvania, and the FBI will continue to work jointly with the U.S. Secret Service as the investigation moves forward,” the FBI said in a statement.
Trump’s son, Donald Trump Jr., told FOX News later in the day that the former president was well after receiving treatment at a local hospital.
"I just spoke to my father on the phone and he is in great spirits," Donald Trump Jr. said.
US President Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic party nominee, was briefed on the situation.
“I’m grateful to hear that he’s safe and doing well,” read a White House statement. “I’m praying for him and his family and for all those who were at the rally, as we await further information.
“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.”
Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani condemned the attack on Sunday morning.
I condemn the attack on President Donald J Trump in the strongest terms and wish him a speedy recovery. My thoughts are with all the victims of this senseless act of terrorism.
— Masrour Barzani (@masrourbarzani) July 14, 2024
We stand in solidarity with the United States.
Donald Trump, a business tycoon and TV personality from New York, served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021.
The last assassination attempt of a US presidential candidate or president was when then-President Ronald Reagan was shot in 1981.
