An assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump has led to increased calls for protection of presidential candidates, demands to investigate the Secret Service’s handling of the incident and pleas from leaders on both sides of the aisle to abandon vicious rhetoric and decry political violence, as questions remain about the shooter’s motive and the impact the historic event will have on the 2024 presidential race.
Key Facts
Trump, 78, was shot shortly after 6 p.m. Saturday when a lone gunman fired several shots from the roof of a building outside his campaign rally, grazing the former president, killing a supporter and seriously injuring two other rally attendees before the shooter was killed by Secret Service agents.
How Badly Injured Was Donald Trump?
A bullet “pierced” the top of Trump’s right ear, he said late Saturday, and photos showed the top of his ear bloodied with streaks of blood on the right side of his face. Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi was quick to confirm the former president was “safe” after the shooting. Trump was taken to Butler Memorial Hospital for evaluation and was released before flying to New Jersey overnight. Donald Trump Jr. shortly after the shooting said his father was “doing fine.” Trump’s former White House doctor, Rep. Ronny Jackson, R-Texas, flew to New Jersey on Sunday morning and told The New York Times that Trump “wasn’t the least bit flustered.”
Who was Thomas Matthew Crooks, the apparent shooter?
Crooks, 20, was a registered Republican with no criminal history, according to The New York Times. He graduated from Bethel Park High School, about an hour from the rally site in Butler, Pennsylvania, in 2022 and worked as a dietary aid for a local nursing and rehabilitation center. No motive has been identified by law enforcement officials, and President Joe Biden on Sunday asked the public to “not make assumptions.” The FBI on Sunday said Crooks is believed to have acted alone, and is treating the matter as a potential case of domestic terrorism.
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Who was Corey Comperatore, the man killed at the Trump rally?
Comperatore, a father and husband, was shot and killed at Trump’s rally Sunday. He was a 50-year-old former volunteer fire chief and father of two daughters whose family said he died while shielding his wife and daughter from the gunfire. Dawn Comperatore Schafer, Comperatore’s sister, told The New York Times his family found out about his death through the news. He was remembered as a “family man” who loved to fish and was hailed by Gov. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, a Democrat, as “the very best of us.”
What wo we know about the others injured at the rally?
The two people who were seriously injured were in critical but stable condition as of Sunday afternoon. They were identified by local police as David Dutch, 57, of New Kensington, Pennsylvania, and James Copenhaver, 74, of Moon Township, Pennsylvania. They are being treated at Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh. Jackson tweeted Saturday that his nephew was among those with minor injuries and told Fox News a bullet grazed his nephew’s neck at the rally. Jackson said his nephew is doing well.
How could the Trump shooting have happened?
The Secret Service shot Crooks on top of a manufacturing plant north of the Butler Farm Show grounds, where the rally was held. The roof was fewer than 200 yards from where Trump was speaking, the Associated Press reported, and calls for an investigation into how a gunman could have gotten so close have been echoed from both sides. The Secret Service has not commented on the circumstances of the shooting other than to say it is investigating the incident. Anthony Guglielmi, spokesperson for the Secret Service, said the agency added “protective resources, technology and capabilities” to the Trump campaign ahead of the shooting. Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle has been called to testify before the House Oversight Committee on July 22. The Secret Service has an operating budget of $3 billion.
What false information has been spreading online?
Videos were posted on TikTok, X, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and other social media platforms Sunday of a person falsely claiming to be the Trump shooting suspect and speculating on his motives, which Biden on Sunday said are still unclear. BBC Verify, which combats misinformation online, has said the man in the videos and photos is not the shooter. Other false posts, including one said to be written by a Secret Service agent who was ordered not to fire on Crooks, have also been circulating since the shooting. There is no evidence an actual Secret Service agent penned the post. Conspiracy theories and other unverified claims spread quickly in the wake of Trump’s assassination attempt, including those blaming the so-called deep state for the attack.
What has Trump said about the shooting?
Trump took to Truth Social on Saturday night and again Sunday morning to thank the Secret Service for its response and express condolences to the victims and the family of the man killed. He called on his supporters to “remain resilient in our Faith and Defiant in the face of Wickedness” and confirmed he would be appearing and speaking as scheduled at this week’s Republican National Convention. His latest post, which went up at around 3 p.m., said “UNITE AMERICA!”
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What has Biden said about the shooting?
The president first addressed the nation Saturday night, calling the attack “sick” and saying, “There’s no place in America for this kind of violence.” He echoed those comments in a short speech from the White House on Sunday afternoon in which he said “there is no place in America for this kind of violence or any violence for that matter. An assassination attempt is against everything we stand for as a nation… We cannot allow this to happen.” Biden ordered an independent review of the shooting to determine how it was possible for a lone gunman to fire shots at a presidential candidate. He said the results of that investigation will be released to the public. Biden will speak again from the Oval Office at 8 p.m. ET on Sunday.
What does the Trump assassination attempt mean for the Republican National Convention?
The convention, set to start Monday in Wisconsin, is expected to proceed as scheduled. Trump on Sunday said he’d considered delaying his trip to Milwaukee by two days but ultimately stuck to the original schedule and left at 3:30 p.m. ET on Sunday. Trump is expected to formally accept the Republican nomination for president at the convention and announce his vice presidential pick. Other speakers for the convention include former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, Donald Trump Jr., South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, Sen. J.D. Vance, R-Ohio, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum. Vance, Rubio, Scott and Burgum are considered the top contenders for Trump’s running mate pick. Biden said he’s directed the head of the Secret Service to review “all security measures” for the convention. The Democratic National Convention is scheduled for mid August.
This article was originally published on forbes.com.
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