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United States presidential candidate Donald Trump was shot while giving a speech in Pennsylvania, on Saturday (13/7) local time. Trump’s speech to his supporters in Butler City about illegal migration. Suddenly, a gunshot was heard and Trump immediately stopped talking. He covered his bleeding ears and sat behind the podium surrounded by Secret Service escorts. A few minutes later, officers evacuated Trump from the stage, and the former president’s right ear was covered in blood.
The US presidential election is scheduled for November 2024. The main contestants expected on the ballot are Joe Biden and Trump. Both candidates have won enough representative votes to become the presumptive nominees of the Democratic and Republican parties. Trump and Biden are scheduled to debate on September 10.
Two people were reported killed in the shooting incident, one of them is the shooter. The FBI identified him as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, who lived in Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, about 35 miles south of the rally location. He was killed at the scene by Secret Service agents. Public records show he was registered to vote as a Republican, but made a small donation to a Democratic-aligned group in 2021.
Meanwhile, Trump is reported to be safe and in good condition. “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,” spokesperson Steven Cheung said in a statement.
At the time of the incident, Biden was attending Mass at St. Edmund Catholic Church. He will return to Washington DC to discuss law enforcement after the incident. He condemned the shooting of his rival, “I have been briefed on the shooting at Donald Trump’s rally in Pennsylvania. 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. 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.”
An American’s friend stated that there was about as dramatic as humanly possible, more like a movie. “A sniper, far away, shooting through a scope, gets him in the ear. So close – but no real hit. People would not be surprised to learn that it was inspired by somebody he had cheated in business – nothing to do with politics. Or maybe some left-wing fanatic, full of anger.”
It was probably a professional killer, aiming for the head. “But how could he miss? Maybe a little bit of wind nudged that bullet a tiny bit sideways and saved his life. Many people will say that God saved his life, and that may be a fact,” he said. “Trump will win but they will try to cheat him out of his win. Never seen Americans this angry and radicalized. Never before. People seem full of frustration (at the open borders, high prices, unemployment, corruption, eternal wars) and rage. It is going to be an exciting election.”
