Donald Trump pledged on Sunday to continue to the Republican convention, where his party will officially nominate him for president, following an assassination attempt that further inflamed an already bitter U.S. political divide.
Police officers were seen at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, ahead of the Republican National Convention (RNC) on Sunday, July 14, 2024. Former President Donald Trump confirmed he would attend the convention next week, hours after surviving a shooting at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania. Photographer: Hannah Beier/Bloomberg
President Joe Biden, a Democrat, ordered a review of how a 20-year-old man carrying an AR-15-style rifle managed to get close enough on Saturday to shoot at Trump, who, as a former president, is under lifelong protection by the U.S. Secret Service, a unit of the federal Department of Homeland Security.
Trump, 78, was holding a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday – one of the states expected to be highly competitive in the November 5 election – when gunfire erupted, hitting his right ear and causing blood to streak down his face. His campaign reported that he was in good condition and appeared to have suffered no major injuries apart from a wound to his upper right ear.
The FBI identified Thomas Matthew Crooks of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, as the suspect in what it termed an attempted assassination. According to state voter records, he was a registered Republican and had made a $15 donation to a Democratic political action committee at the age of 17.
Law enforcement officials told reporters they had not yet determined a motive for the attack. Both Republicans and Democrats will be scrutinizing Crooks’ political affiliations as they attempt to portray the opposing party as representative of extremism.
“There is no place in America for this kind of violence,” Biden said at the White House. “I urge everyone, everyone please don’t make assumptions about his motive or affiliations.”
Trump and Biden are locked in a close election rematch, according to most opinion polls including those by Reuters/Ipsos.
Trump is set to accept his party’s official nomination at the Republican National Convention, which begins in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on Monday. RNC Chairman Michael Whatley said on Fox News on Sunday that authorities are collaborating to ensure the venue’s security, with officials having spent months preparing.
“In this moment, it is more important than ever that we stand United, and show our True Character as Americans, remaining Strong and Determined, and not allowing Evil to Win,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social media website on Sunday.
“I truly love our Country, and love you all, and look forward to speaking to our Great Nation this week from Wisconsin.”
The shooting abruptly shifted the focus of the presidential campaign, which had recently centered on whether Biden, 81, should withdraw following a disastrous June debate performance.
The Biden campaign had been attempting to reset its message, portraying Trump as a threat to democracy due to his persistent false claims about election fraud, but announced on Saturday it was suspending its political advertising for the time being.
The Secret Service said agents fatally shot the suspect after he fired from the rooftop of a building about 150 yards (140 m) from the stage where Trump was speaking. Sources reported that an AR-15-style semiautomatic rifle used in the shooting was found near his body.
According to ABC and the Wall Street Journal, the firearm was legally purchased by the suspect’s father. The Associated Press reported, citing sources, that bomb-making materials were discovered in the suspect’s car.
Victim Was Protecting Family
Authorities identified Corey Comperatore, 50, of Sarver, Pennsylvania, a rally attendee who was shot and killed while shielding his family from the gunfire. Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro told reporters that Comperatore was an enthusiastic supporter of the former president and had been excited to attend the event in the community.
“Political disagreements can never, ever be addressed through violence,” Shapiro emphasized.
Two other rally attendees were critically injured, according to the Secret Service. The Secret Service issued a statement denying allegations by some Trump supporters that it had denied campaign requests for additional security.
“The assertion that a member of the former President’s security team requested additional security resources that the U.S. Secret Service or the Department of Homeland Security rebuffed is absolutely false,” Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi said in a statement. “In fact, recently the U.S. Secret Service added protective resources and capabilities to the former President’s security detail.”
Neighbors in Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, where the suspected shooter resided, expressed shock at the news on Sunday.
“It’s a little crazy to think that somebody that did an assassination attempt is that close, but it just kind of shows the political dynamic that we’re in right now with the craziness on each side,” said Wes Morgan, 42, who added that he rides bikes with his children on the street where the alleged shooter lived. “Bethel Park is a pretty blue-collar type of area. And to think that somebody was that close is a little insane.”
While mass shootings at schools, nightclubs, and other public places are a regular feature of American life, the attack was the first shooting of a U.S. president or major party presidential candidate since the 1981 attempted assassination of Republican President Ronald Reagan.
In 2011, Democratic then-Congresswoman Gabby Giffords was seriously wounded in an attack on a gathering of constituents in Arizona. Republican U.S. Representative Steve Scalise was also badly wounded in a politically motivated 2017 attack on a group of Republican representatives practicing for a charity baseball game.
Giffords later founded a leading gun control organization, while Scalise has remained a staunch advocate for gun rights.
Americans Fear Political Violence
Recent Reuters/Ipsos polling shows that Americans fear rising political violence, with two out of three respondents to a May survey expressing concerns that violence could follow the election.
Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, in an attempt to overturn his election defeat, fueled by his baseless claims of widespread fraud. Approximately 140 police officers were injured in the violence, four riot participants died that day, and one police officer who responded died the following day, with four responding officers later dying by suicide.
The shots appeared to have originated from outside the area secured by the Secret Service, the agency reported.
Hours after the attack, the Oversight Committee in the Republican-led U.S. House of Representatives summoned Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle to testify at a hearing scheduled for July 22.
Some of Trump’s Republican allies asserted they believed the attack was politically motivated.
“It’s one side that is going after Donald Trump in a way to demonize him personally,” said Scalise, the No. 2 House Republican. “The left seems to have targeted Donald Trump as a person.”
At the start of the year, Trump faced multiple legal challenges, including four separate criminal prosecutions.
In late May, he was found guilty of attempting to cover up hush money payments to a porn star. However, the other three prosecutions, including two for his attempts to overturn his defeat, have been halted by various factors, including a Supreme Court ruling this month that found him partially immune to prosecution.
Trump has claimed, without evidence, that all four prosecutions were orchestrated by Biden to prevent his return to power.
