Donald Trump, the 2024 US Presidential candidate, landed at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey just hours after surviving an assassination attempt. A video footage posted by his deputy communications director Margo Martin showed Trump walking unaided from his plane, though his wounded ear was not facing the camera. The New York Times reported that he was staying the night in New Jersey.
Trump was shot at an outdoor rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday evening. He said that a bullet pierced the upper part of his right ear as he gave his first account after the gunshot incident. On Truth Social, the former US President wrote a post, which read, “I knew immediately that something was wrong in that I heard a whizzing sound, shots, and immediately felt the bullet ripping through the skin.”
"Most importantly, I want to extend my condolences to the family of the person at the rally who was killed, and also to the family of another person that was badly injured. It is incredible that such an act can take place in our country.”
Though the former President was safe, a bystander was killed, two other spectators were critically injured.
The FBI also released details on the gunman, who was shot dead. The gunman was identified as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, according to US media reports. The motive behind the shooting remains unknown, as reported by AFP.
President Joe Biden, who is will be facing Trump in the upcoming November election, condemned the incident as "sick" and stated that "there is no place in America for this kind of violence." The attack on Trump has heightened political tensions, with some Republicans attributing blame to Biden. J.D. Vance, a potential vice presidential candidate for Trump, claimed that Biden's "rhetoric" had "directly" contributed to the attack on Trump.
Meanwhile, even after the attack, Trump's campaign confirmed that he would still attend the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. This announcement came after reports that Trump underwent a precautionary hospital checkup, as reported by AFP.
