Trump says ‘God alone’ saved him from assassination, urges Americans to unite
Shooting raises questions about security after gunman targets US presidential candidate from 150 yards; bystander tells BBC he saw shooter and tried to point him out to police
Former US president Donald Trump called on Americans on Sunday to stand united after he was injured in an assassination attempt on Saturday and said that “God alone” saved him.
The 78-year-old former president was hit in the ear at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, while the shooter and a bystander were killed and two spectators critically injured in the worst act of US political violence in decades.
“In this moment, it is more important than ever that we stand United,” Trump said in a statement on his Truth Social network, adding that Americans should not allow “Evil to win.”
The Republican added that it was “God alone who prevented the unthinkable from happening” and that he would “FEAR NOT.”
World leaders have condemned the attack, with the Kremlin on Sunday morning saying there was no place for violence in politics.
The gunman has been identified as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, about an hour’s drive from the rally site, according to an FBI statement early Sunday.
His motive remains unknown.
The shooter, reportedly a registered Republican, was believed to be working alone.
His father Matthew Crooks told CNN that he was trying to establish “what the hell is going on,” and would not comment until he spoke to law enforcement.
The shocking incident inevitably raised questions about security, and how a presidential candidate could be targeted by a gunman around 150 meters away despite a huge Secret Service detail.
A bystander who had been standing outside the rally’s complex to listen to Trump speak told the BBC that he and those with him noticed a man “crawling up the building beside us 50 feet away from us.”
The witness said they could see that the man on the roof had a rifle and tried to signal law enforcement who, he said, were slow to react.
“The next thing we know, five shots rang out,” he said.
FULL INTERVIEW with a witness, talking to @BBCNews, who says he saw a man with a gun on a building roof firing shots.
Donald Trump was rushed off stage during a rally in Pennsylvania after gun shots were heard.
He talked to @BBCBlindGazza – more information @BBCNews pic.twitter.com/aWqSXbzor2
— BBC Newsnight (@BBCNewsnight) July 14, 2024
US Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi rejected “absolutely false” claims that it had refused additional protection for Trump ahead of the rally, saying that the agency had in fact recently added resources for him.
The FBI said in a news conference early Sunday that it was “surprising” the gunman had been able to get off so many shots before he was spotted and “neutralized” by counter-snipers.
After multiple witnesses said they saw the gunman before the shooting and alerted authorities, Butler police said they had “responded to several reports of suspicious activity.”
History of violence
Trump’s narrow escape has also sparked conspiracy theories and finger-pointing by Republicans, as an already tense run-up to the elections becomes increasingly febrile.
Possible Trump vice presidential pick J.D. Vance said Biden’s “rhetoric” had “led directly” to the Trump attack.
The attack happened days before the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee where Trump will be formally anointed as presidential candidate. Trump said he looked “forward to speaking to our Great Nation this week from Wisconsin.”
Trump was treated in hospital and could later be seen walking unaided from his plane, though his wounded ear was not facing the camera in video footage posted by his deputy communications director. The New York Times reported that he was staying the night in New Jersey.
The United States has a history of political violence. President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in 1963 while president Ronald Reagan was shot but survived an assassination attempt in 1981.
Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
