Evacuated with fist in the air
Donald Trump, who had just begun his speech, was immediately put on the ground by agents of the Secret Service, responsible for the security of presidents and ex-presidents. After a few moments, he got up, surrounded by agents who escorted him from the stage to his car.
He raised his fist in the air in defiance, to cheers from his supporters.
“We saw a lot of people throwing themselves on the ground, looking confused. I heard the gunshots, it sounded like something between firecrackers and a small-calibre pistol,” a sympathiser, John Yeykal, told AFP at the scene.
“Trump is safe,” a spokesman for the official protective service said shortly after. He is being “examined in a medical facility” on site, his campaign team announced.
It was Donald Trump’s last rally before the Republican convention where he is to be officially nominated as the Republican Party’s candidate to face Democratic incumbent President Joe Biden in the November election.
The suspected shooter is dead, as is a member of the public, and another person is in critical condition, a Washington Post reporter said on social media, citing the Butler County district attorney.
Biden ‘informed’ of events
President Joe Biden has been briefed on the situation, the White House said. Senate Democrat leader ‘horrified’ by events at Trump rally
Billionaire Elon Musk has officially endorsed Trump following the events at his rally
The consequences of this event on the campaign are still incalculable.
In recent days, attention has focused on doubts about the physical and mental state of Joe Biden, 81, and his ability to face Donald Trump, 78, since their June 27 debate, marked by the Democratic candidate’s disastrous performance. Some 20 congressmen are now calling on him to step down.
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