MILWAUKEE: Donald Trump arrived in Milwaukee on Sunday, where he is set to be formally nominated as the Republican presidential candidate later this week. This follows a dramatic assassination attempt that has heightened the already intense political divide in the U.S.
President Joe Biden has ordered a review to determine how a 20-year-old man with an AR-15-style rifle was able to get close enough to shoot at Trump from a rooftop on Saturday. Trump, who has lifetime Secret Service protection as a former president, was holding a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania—a critical state for the upcoming November 5 election—when shots were fired. He was hit in the right ear, leaving his face bloodied, but his campaign confirmed he is doing well.
Reflecting on the incident, Trump told the Washington Examiner, “Had I not looked away from the crowd at that moment, we wouldn’t be talking today.”
One person in the crowd was killed, and two others were wounded before Secret Service agents fatally shot the suspect. Both Trump and Biden have called for calm and unity in the aftermath of the shooting.
Trump will accept his party’s formal nomination at the Republican National Convention with a speech on Thursday. Upon arriving in Milwaukee, he pumped his fist in the air several times as he descended from his plane. “This is a chance to bring the whole country, even the whole world, together. The speech will be a lot different than it would’ve been two days ago,” Trump told the Washington Examiner.
Biden, in a televised address from the Oval Office on Sunday, stated, “There is no place in America for this kind of violence. The political rhetoric in this country has gotten very heated. It’s time to cool it down.”
The assassination attempt has shifted the focus of the presidential campaign, which had previously centered on whether Biden, 81, should drop out following a shaky debate performance on June 27. Opinion polls, including those by Reuters/Ipsos, indicate a close rematch between Trump and Biden.
The FBI has reported no known threats to the Republican convention, which begins on Monday, and the Secret Service has stated that no changes to the security plan are anticipated. The convention will feature speeches from rising Republican figures and Trump’s yet-to-be-announced vice presidential running mate, focusing on topics like abortion, immigration, and the economy.
The FBI identified Thomas Matthew Crooks of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, as the suspect in the assassination attempt, which is being investigated as an attempted assassination. Officials have stated that Crooks acted alone, and there is no identified ideology linked to him. Crooks, a registered Republican, was employed as a dietary aide at a nursing home at the time of the shooting. The AR-style rifle used in the attack was legally purchased by the suspect’s father.
A suspicious device found in Crooks’ vehicle was safely rendered by bomb technicians. The Secret Service has denied accusations of rejecting a request for additional security for Trump, asserting that they recently “added protective resources and capabilities to the former President’s security detail.”
The Oversight Committee in the Republican-led House of Representatives has summoned Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle to testify at a hearing on July 22 regarding the shooting, which occurred outside the secured area.
The rally attendee killed was identified as Corey Comperatore, 50, of Sarver, Pennsylvania, who died protecting his family. Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro expressed condolences, emphasizing that political disagreements should never lead to violence. Two other individuals wounded in the shooting, David Dutch, 57, and James Copenhaver, 74, are in stable condition.
Residents of Bethel Park, where Crooks lived, expressed shock at the news. Wes Morgan, a local resident, noted the heightened political tension, describing Bethel Park as “a pretty blue-collar type of area.”
While mass shootings are common in the U.S., this incident marks the first shooting of a U.S. president or major party presidential candidate since the 1981 attempted assassination of President Ronald Reagan. Reuters/Ipsos polling shows that Americans are increasingly worried about political violence, with two-thirds of respondents in a May survey expressing concerns about post-election violence.
Following Biden’s victory over Trump in the 2020 election, Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, in a deadly riot driven by Trump’s false claims of widespread election fraud.
