NEW YORK, July 15. /TASS/. Ex-US President Donald Trump, who was only lightly wounded in an attempt on his life during a speech in Pennsylvania, says the fact that he is still alive is nothing short of miraculous.
On Monday, a four-day Republican National Convention kicks off in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It is expected that the convention will approve Trump as the official Republican candidate in the upcoming presidential election. Meanwhile, law enforcement agencies are carrying out an investigation with conflicting information coming in about the attacker’s motives.
TASS has gathered the key takeaways about the aftermath of the assassination attempt.
Circumstances of attack
- Shots rang out during Trump’s speech. The politician ducked, he was shielded by Secret Service members in charge of his protection.
- Blood was visible on the former president’s right ear during the broadcast.
- Following the assassination attempt, Trump was briefly hospitalized.
- One of his supporters, a 50-year-old man, was killed, two others were injured, and are in critical condition. Trump’s former physician Ronny Jackson said his nephew was wounded in the attack.
Trump's statement
- The former US president confirmed that his right ear was injured. He expressed condolences to the family of the killed supporter.
- Trump said that he could have been killed in the assassination attempt at the rally but divine intervention kept him alive.
- The politician thinks that the US Secret Service did a "fantastic job" eliminating the suspected shooter with a single bullet.
- Trump thinks that incumbent US President Joe Biden will order the Department of Justice to drop its two prosecutions of Trump following the assassination attempt.
Investigation
- Law enforcement agencies have launched an investigation. The shooter was eliminated.
- The US Secret Service said that the attacker opened fire from outside the premises of the event; he took several shots.
- FBI employee Kevin Rojek specified that authorities are looking at this as an attempt on Trump’s life. The shooters’ motives are not yet known.
- According to an FBI representative, the authorities are not yet ready to make a statement as to whether any mistakes were made with Trump’s protection. According to CNN, even before the rally, the police considered the suspect’s behavior threatening.
- The FBI views the shooting at Trump’s election rally as a domestic terror attack.
Information on shooter
- The FBI established the suspect’s identity as Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania. According to state voter records, he was a registered Republican.
- According to the Washington Post, Crooks may have donated to the Democratic Party.
- Authorities think that the criminal acted alone but continue to look for accomplices.
- Explosive devices were found in the suspect’s vehicle.
Biden's reaction
- US President Joe Biden has condemned the rally shooting and urged citizens to unite. According to him, there is no place for violence in the US.
- Biden said that he does not have all the facts to call the incident an assassination attempt. He noted that he is waiting for additional information and is happy that Trump is alive.
- The US president instructed the Secret Service to take measures to ensure Trump’s protection.
Reaction in Russia
- Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova noted that the US promotes inciting hatred toward political opponents.
- Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov expressed condolences to the family of the victim and wished the swiftest recovery to those injured in the attack.
- Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev said Trump’s victory in the upcoming US presidential election in November is all but assured. "Now, he’s already won. If he isn’t assassinated," Medvedev wrote on his English-language page on X.