Donald Trump arrived in Milwaukee on July 14 to be formally nominated as the Republican presidential candidate, following a harrowing assassination attempt that intensified an already bitter political climate in the United States.
Despite lifetime protection by the U.S. Secret Service, Trump was injured during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, a key state for the upcoming election on July 13.
The shooter, identified as Thomas Matthew Crooks, a dietary aide at a nursing home, fired a bullet that grazed Trump’s right ear, leaving his face streaked with blood. His campaign assured supporters that he was doing well.
“That reality is just setting in,” Trump told the Washington Examiner on Sunday. “I rarely look away from the crowd. Had I not done that in that moment, well, we would not be talking today, would we?”
Amid gunfire and chaos, Trump raised his fist into the air and said “Fight!” to the crowd and cameras, in a sign of undeniable defiance. The gesture sent the crowd cheering, with many rising to their feet.
President Biden orders a review
President Joe Biden, a Democrat, ordered a review of how a 20-year-old man with an AR-15-style rifle got close enough to shoot at Trump from a rooftop.
One person in the crowd, Corey Comperatore, was killed while trying to protect his family, and two others were wounded before Secret Service agents fatally shot the suspect. FBI officials stated that Crooks had no known ideological motives or mental health issues.
The shooting drastically shifted the campaign focus. Opinion polls, including those by Reuters/Ipsos, show Trump and Biden in a close race. Previously, the campaign centered on whether Biden, 81, should drop out following a poor debate performance on June 27.
The Secret Service announced that security for the convention will remain unchanged despite the assassination attempt. More than 50,000 people are expected to attend the event, which will feature speeches from rising Republican stars and Trump’s yet-to-be-announced vice-presidential pick.
The Secret Service denied accusations from some Trump supporters that it rejected a request for additional security, stating that protective resources had recently been enhanced for the former president’s detail.
Trump and Biden ask public to stay calm
Both Trump and Biden called for calm and unity in the wake of the incident. Trump, set to accept his party’s nomination at the Republican National Convention on July 18, expressed hope that his speech would bring people together.
“This is a chance to bring the whole country, even the whole world, together. The speech will be a lot different, a lot different than it would’ve been two days ago,” he told the Washington Examiner.
In response to the assassination attempt, the Republican-led U.S. House Oversight Committee summoned Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle to testify on July 22. Butler County Sheriff Michael Slupe detailed how local police unknowingly confronted the armed shooter before he opened fire.
Reflecting on the political climate, Bethel Park residents expressed shock over the incident.
“It’s a little crazy to think that somebody that did an assassination attempt is that close,” said Wes Morgan, a local resident.
This attack marked the first assassination attempt on a U.S. president or major party candidate since the 1981 attempt on President Ronald Reagan.
Concerns over political violence surged, with two-thirds of Americans in a May Reuters/Ipsos poll fearing election-related violence. After Biden’s 2020 victory, Trump’s supporters infamously stormed the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, fueled by false claims of election fraud.
As the Republican National Convention proceeds under heightened security, the nation watches closely, hoping for a return to political stability and unity.