Author: Financial Times
Donald Trump has been reported as "safe" after being shot and injured at a rally in the swing state of Pennsylvania, an incident that left one spectator dead and two others injured.
After hearing the gunshots, the Republican presidential candidate crouched and was rushed off the stage by armed Secret Service agents, blood on his fist and on his right ear and cheek.
Trump posted on his Truth Social social media platform that he was hit by a bullet "in the upper right ear."
"It is not clear what happened to the shooter, he is dead," the former president said.
The U.S. Secret Service, which is responsible for protecting current and former presidents, said a suspected gunman fired multiple shots at the podium from a high point outside the rally venue at 6:15 p.m. local time.
Donald Trump with blood on his face after the shooting
Secret Service agents "neutralized the shooter, who is now deceased," added the statement from Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi.
The Secret Service confirmed that one spectator died and two others were seriously injured, and said Trump was "safe and being checked."
Video footage of the incident showed a Secret Service agent saying "the shooter is down." Butler County District Attorney Richard Goldinger confirmed that a person standing behind Trump was shot and killed, and another rally attendee was in critical condition at a local hospital. The shooter was killed, he said.
The apparent threat to Trump's life marked the first time in decades that a sitting or former president has been the victim of a shooting. The drama threatens to derail an already turbulent presidential campaign less than four months before the November vote.
"I knew right away something was wrong, I heard a whistling sound, gunshots, and immediately felt the bullet rip my skin," Trump said in his post. "There was a lot of blood, and then I realized what was happening." He also expressed condolences to the families of the killed and injured participants.
The incident occurred days before the start of the Republican National Convention, when Trump is scheduled to formally accept his party's nomination as the presidential candidate.
The Secret Service, which is responsible for protecting current and former presidents, "has taken protective measures," Guglielmi said in a post on X.
"This is now an active Secret Service investigation and further information will be released as it becomes available," he said. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said it would conduct a joint investigation with the Secret Service.
U.S. President Joe Biden said in televised remarks that he had been trying to reach Trump but that the former president was with his doctors.
“Obviously he’s doing fine,” Biden said in brief remarks at the police station in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, where he has a vacation home. “I hope to speak to him tonight.”
Asked if it was an assassination attempt, Biden said: "I have an opinion, but I don't have the facts to back it up."
The president condemned the attack, saying: "This kind of violence has no place in America. It is sick. And it is for this very reason that we must unite this country."
"You can't allow this to happen. You can't do this. We can't tolerate this behavior," Biden continued. "The point is, Trump rallies should be able to proceed peacefully without any problems."
A Biden campaign official said the president's reelection campaign was "pausing all external communications and pulling our television ads as quickly as possible."
The incident occurred minutes after Trump began speaking at a rally of supporters in Butler Township, Pennsylvania. A witness told CNN he heard seven to eight gunshots. The former president's rallies are usually preceded by a security screening similar to airport screenings by the Secret Service in cooperation with local authorities.
The White House said Biden had received an "initial briefing" from Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and Homeland Security Adviser Liz Sherwood-Randall.
U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson said on Twitter that he had been briefed on the situation and was "praying for President Trump." Others, including Trump's former vice president Mike Pence, expressed similar sentiments.
Several leading Democrats also expressed support for the former president.
Chuck Schumer, the top Democrat in the Senate, said in a statement he was "horrified" by what happened, adding: "Political violence has no place in our country."
Several Democrats, including senior Democratic Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi and former President Barack Obama, expressed similar views, with top U.S. House Democrat Hakeem Jeffries saying he was "grateful for the decisive response of law enforcement."
International leaders also expressed support, including British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who expressed shock at the attack.
Elon Musk, owner of X, Tesla and Space X, said he "totally" supports Trump and hopes he makes a full recovery. "The last time America had a candidate this tough was President Theodore Roosevelt," he wrote on the platform.