Former US President Donald Trump injured after shocking shooting incident at campaign rally
PTC News Desk: Donald Trump, a former US president, was shot in the ear on Saturday night during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania. He's secure.
Two days prior to the Republican National Convention, which is scheduled to select him as the party's presidential candidate, Trump was addressing a crowd of thousands of fans in Butler, the swing state. A series of gunfire were captured by live television as Trump crouched under the podium to seek safety.
US secret service operatives quickly surrounded Trump as more agents hurried to the platform to follow suit. Subsequently, the agents assisted Trump in standing up, while he lifted his fist and directed a determined glance at the assembly. His ear seemed to be bleeding as he was being led away.
PM Narendra Modi tweets, "Deeply concerned by the attack on my friend, former President Donald Trump. Strongly condemn the incident. Violence has no place in politics and democracies. Wish him a speedy recovery..." pic.twitter.com/W7j9o8lYFA — ANI (@ANI) July 14, 2024
Anthony Guglielmi, Chief of Communications for the US Secret Service, stated on X at 6:42 p.m. Eastern Time: "An incident occurred the evening of July 13 at a Trump rally in Pennsylvania." The former president is safe because the Secret Service put precautionary measures in place. The Secret Service is currently looking into this matter, and more details will be made public as they become available.
"President Trump thanks law enforcement and first responders for their quick action during this heinous act," stated Steven Cheung, a spokesman for the Trump campaign. He is being examined at a nearby medical institution and is doing great. There will be more information to come.
President Joe Biden, who is running against Trump in the next presidential election, has reportedly been briefed, according to the White House.
The shooting, about which there are now no public information, will undoubtedly have an impact on politics four months before the election, which Trump is ahead in the polls. Trump is making an uncommon attempt to serve a non-consecutive term in the White House. He rejected the validity of the 2020 election, which was followed by a violent protest in which a crowd attacked the US Capitol to prevent the results from being certified. In addition, Trump has a criminal record and is being prosecuted on several counts.
However, he won all of the Republican primary contests and is currently conducting an oppositional campaign to the Biden administration's positions on the economy, foreign policy, and immigration (despite pledging to deport all illegal immigrants). There is a significant internal backlash within the Democratic Party against Biden, whose age-related vulnerabilities were brought to light at a debate on June 27. There are increasing calls for him to withdraw from the race.
It is too soon to say how the incident will impact politics in the United States. What is certain, though, is that it might be a turning point in an already historic election and puts political violence front and center in the oldest democracy in the world. Even though there is a gun epidemic in the US and mass shootings are a major contributing factor to death, political violence directed at prominent Americans has decreased.
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- With inputs from agencies
