Donald Trump‘s alleged shooter is dead, according to a statement issued by Butler County District Attorney Richard Goldinger.
The male shooter was killed along with a Trump supporter attending the rally during a campaign event at Butler Farm Show Grounds in Butler, Pennsylvania. The name of the shooter has not been revealed.
Videos show the body of the white male on a rooftop, who appears to be wearing a camouflage shirt and jeans. His hands are covered with blood.
It is believed that the alleged criminal shot at least six times at Donald Trump, who was slightly injured in one ear. TMZ.com reports that Trump was not hit by a bullet. He was struck by glass from his broken teleprompter.
According to some rally goers, the Secret Service and local authorities found and shot the alleged criminal.
Upon discovering that the “shooter was down,” Trump, who was being escorted by the Secret Service to safety, raised his fist and said, “Fight, fight.”
The incident has shaken the race for president to its core. President Joe Biden reacted on X.com with the following statement: “I have been briefed on the shooting at Donald Trump’s rally in Pennsylvania. I’m grateful to hear that he’s safe and doing well. I’m praying for him and his family and for all those who were at the rally as we await further information. Jill and I are grateful to the Secret Service for getting him to safety. There’s no place for this kind of violence in America. We must unite as one nation to condemn it.”
Mr. Biden also held an emergency press conference to reassure the nation. He also said that he tried to reach out to his political opponent.
According to political observers, an ugly campaign season is set to get worse. Supporters of the former president are on social media, blaming his successor for what happened.
They say that talks about the end of democracy in case of a Trump victory pushed the alleged shooter to the edge. Moreover, they are using comments made by Mr. Biden at a fundraiser earlier this month.
POTUS said at the time: “We are done talking about the debate. It is time to put a bullseye on Trump.”
The reaction to the assassination attempt illustrates the polarization in the country. The two sides are already going at it over what this means for November.
Some on the left of the political spectrum say the whole thing might have been staged. Others on the right are using it against Biden to put him on defense.
However, it is too early to say that it will really have a political impact one way or the other. In October 1912, Theodore Roosevelt survived an assassination attempt from former saloonkeeper John Schrank and still lost the election to Democratic candidate Woodrow Wilson.
