Donald Trump news: 2024 US presidential candidate Donald Trump landed at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey just hours after escaping an assassination attempt. A video footage posted by his deputy communications director Margo Martin showed Trump disembarking from the plane without assistance, though his injured ear was not facing the camera. He stayed the night in New Jersey, The New York Times reported.
Trump was shot at an outdoor rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday evening. He said a bullet hit the upper part of his right ear while he was making his first statement after the shooting incident. On Truth Social, the former US president wrote a post, writing, “I immediately knew something was wrong because I heard a loud noise, a gunshot, and immediately felt the bullet go through the skin.”
Strong and resilient. He will never stop fighting for America. pic.twitter.com/B9yR3SLQJV
— Margo Martin (@margommartin) July 14, 2024
“Most importantly, I want to offer my condolences to the family of the man who was killed at the rally, and also to the family of another man who was badly injured. It is unbelievable that such an act could occur in our country.” Though the former president was safe, a passerby was killed, two other spectators were seriously injured.
The FBI also released information about the gunman, who was shot dead. According to US media reports, the gunman has been identified as Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania. According to an AFP report, the motive behind the shooting is still unknown.
President Joe Biden, who will face Trump in the upcoming November election, condemned the incident, calling it “sickening” and saying “there is no place for this kind of violence in America.” The attack on Trump has heightened political tensions, with some Republicans blaming Biden for it. Trump’s likely vice presidential nominee J.D. Vance claimed that Biden’s “rhetoric” contributed “directly” to the attack on Trump.
Meanwhile, even after the attack, Trump’s campaign has confirmed that he will attend the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. The announcement comes after reports that Trump checked into a hospital as a precaution, AFP reported.
(With agency input)