Former US President Donald Trump survived an assassination attempt while addressing a campaign rally in Pennsylvania ahead of Republican Convention that left him with a bullet injury to his ear, on Saturday. Trump was discharged from hospital and reached home in New Jersey on Sunday according to media reports. Video and photos from the rally showed blood trickling down on the side of Trump’s right ear. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) identified the suspect as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania. He was shot dead at the site by the Security Service within seconds of his alleged attack.
In a statement posted on Truth Social, Trump stated, “I was shot with a bullet that pierced the upper part of my right ear. I knew immediately that something was wrong in that I heard a whizzing sound and shots, and I immediately felt the bullet ripping through the skin. Much bleeding took place, so I realized then what was happening. GOD BLESS AMERICA!”
While talking to the media, law enforcement authorities said the motive behind the attack is yet to be determined.
Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden condemned the Trump assassination attempt, saying, “There is no place for this kind of violence in America. It’s sick. It’s sick.”
Four presidents and one presidential candidate have been assassinated since the founding of the United States.