USA Worldwide horror over assassination attempt on Trump
An assassination attempt on the Republican US presidential candidate Donald Trump has caused great horror worldwide and stoked fears of a political spiral of violence in the USA in the middle of the election campaign. During a campaign speech in the state of Pennsylvania on Saturday, the 78-year-old was injured in the ear in a gun attack.
14.07.2024, 18:28
SDA
The shooter was killed by security forces, according to the Secret Service, which is responsible for protecting the ex-president. One bystander died in the attack and two others were injured and are in a critical condition. According to police in Pennsylvania, the victims are adult men.
According to media reports, the FBI identified the shooter shortly afterwards. It was a 20-year-old man, Thomas Matthew Crooks, from near Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania, reported CNN, the New York Times and others, citing the FBI. The investigation is still ongoing. There is no information about the motive. Many questions remain unanswered.
Bleeding ear and raised fist
Trump had entered a stage in the small town of Butler at around 6 p.m. (local time) to speak to supporters. He had only just begun when several shots were heard. People were screaming.
Trump then grabbed his ear and ducked to the ground. Security personnel ran to him and shielded him. Supported by Secret Service agents, he left the stage with a bleeding ear. He raised his fist militantly in the air.
The Secret Service said the gunman fired shots from an "elevated position" outside the venue. An eyewitness told a TV station that onlookers had seen an armed man lying on the roof of a house shortly beforehand. According to US media, investigators found an assault rifle - and later also explosives in the car and house of the suspect who was killed.
Panic in the audience
Panic broke out in the audience after the incident. The venue was evacuated. Trump was medically examined. He was hit in the right ear by a bullet, the Republican later wrote on the Truth Social platform, which he co-founded. According to media reports, Trump was able to leave the hospital shortly afterwards. He left Butler that same evening.
Former First Lady Melania Trump described the perpetrator as a "monster". He wanted to erase her husband's humanity and passion, she wrote in a statement published on the X platform. In it, she called on Americans to reconcile. Melania Trump has almost never made any public statements recently and has made virtually no appearance at all in her husband's election campaign.
Attempted assassination in the middle of the election campaign
Trump is running for the Republican Party in the presidential election on November 5 and wants to challenge Democratic incumbent Joe Biden, who is seeking a second term in office. The Republican party convention begins on Monday in Milwaukee, where Trump is to be officially chosen as his party's candidate for the election. The Republicans want to hold the nomination convention as planned despite the incident.
Biden strongly condemned the attack on Trump. "I am grateful to hear that he is safe and well," the President said in a written statement immediately after the incident. He said he was praying for him and Trump's family and for everyone who had been at the rally. This kind of violence has no place in America.
Biden later appeared in front of the cameras in Rehoboth Beach in the state of Delaware, where the Democrat had actually planned to spend the entire weekend. "This is sick, this is sick," he said there about the incident. According to the White House, Biden and Trump were still on the phone that evening. Biden also cut short his stay in Delaware early because of the attack and returned to the White House earlier than planned.
Concerns about a spiral of violence
Following the attack, US Vice President Kamala Harris warned of an escalation of violence in the USA. "We must all condemn this heinous act and do our part to ensure that it does not lead to further violence", the Democrat warned on X.
A number of high-ranking representatives from both parties condemned the attack, including former President Barack Obama, Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi, Republican leader of the House of Representatives Mike Johnson and many more.
Horror worldwide
The incident was also received with dismay internationally. EU chief diplomat Josep Borrell wrote that he was shocked by the news. "Once again we are witnessing unacceptable acts of violence against politicians. "EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen wrote on X that she wished Trump a speedy recovery and expressed her condolences to the family of the innocent victim. "Political violence has no place in a democracy."
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called the attack on Trump at X "despicable". He declared: "Such acts of violence threaten democracy." French President Emmanuel Macron condemned the attack on X as a "tragedy for our democracies".
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also expressed his shock. UN Secretary-General António Guterres said through a spokesperson that he sent Trump his best wishes for a speedy recovery.
Heated mood in the USA
The political mood in the USA has been heated for years. At the beginning of the year, the US Department of Justice lamented a "deeply troubling increase in threats" against public officials and democratic institutions in the country. After the 2020 election, the turmoil in the country culminated in a violent attack on the US Capitol. At the time, Trump had refused to accept his election defeat against Biden and incited his supporters for months with claims of election fraud.
