USA Trump: Will continue to campaign outdoors
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has announced his intention to continue holding outdoor rallies during the US election campaign despite security concerns. The Secret Service has agreed to significantly increase its protection, Trump wrote on his online platform Truth Social. He is "very capable of doing this". Freedom of speech and assembly must not be stopped or restricted by anything or anyone.
27.07.2024, 16:46
SDA
Trump had previously announced his intention to return to the site of the assassination. He would go back to Butler, Pennsylvania, to hold a "big and wonderful" rally there. "What a day this will be - fight, fight, fight!" the Republican wrote in capital letters. He did not give any further details about the timing.
Two weeks ago, a gunman opened fire at an election rally outside and shot the 78-year-old. The perpetrator was killed by security forces. One visitor died and two others were injured. Trump was injured in his right ear. He wants to return to the White House for the Republicans after the election on November 5. He was US President from 2017 to 2021.
Trump outraged about FBI chief
The Republican took a swipe at FBI chief Christopher Wray in a series of posts on Truth Social on Friday (local time). The reason for this was a statement by the FBI chief before a congressional committee in which he refused to commit to whether Trump was injured by a bullet or a splinter in the ear. Trump wrote: "No, unfortunately it was a bullet that hit my ear, hard. There was no glass or shrapnel." Wray's vague statements would hurt the FBI.
Trump's former personal physician from his time in the White House, Ronny Jackson, also spoke out and said in a letter: "There is absolutely no evidence that it was anything other than a bullet." As he had been an emergency physician in the US Navy for more than 20 years, he had treated many gunshot wounds during his career.
FBI responds with a statement
Finally, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) responded with a statement. "What struck former President Trump in the ear was a bullet, whole or fragmented into smaller pieces, fired from the deceased's rifle," the agency said. Trump then wrote on Truth Social: "I assume this is the best apology we will get from Director Wray, but it is fully accepted!"
Pictures of Trump with blood on his ear and some blood on his face - and at the same time with a clenched fist - went around the world after the attack. After the attack, Trump shouted "Fight, fight, fight!", which has since become a kind of motto for his supporters.
Secret Service apparently suggested Trump make appearances in halls
The "New York Times" recently reported that the Secret Service had advised Trump's campaign team not to hold any more major events in the open air in future. It was completely unclear where the campaign event announced by Trump would take place in Butler. Since the assassination attempt, Trump has only ever appeared in large halls. Another rally was planned for this Saturday (local time).
At the beginning of the week, the head of the Secret Service, Kimberly Cheatle, resigned from her post, bowing to cross-party calls for her resignation. She said that the Secret Service had failed to do its job on the day of the attack.
The ex-president had worn a white bandage on his ear for several days after the attack. At the Republican Party convention in Milwaukee, which took place directly after the attack, some supporters also stuck a kind of bandage to their ears in solidarity. Trump has now announced that he wants to commemorate the firefighter who was killed and the two injured at the planned event in Butler. The Republican had kissed the firefighter's helmet on stage during his speech at the party convention.
