2024 presidential elections: these two minutes when Trump tried to kill

Jane Anderson
Jane Anderson
2024 presidential elections: these two minutes when Trump tried to kill

Donald Trump is preparing to be officially nominated as a presidential candidate by the Republican Party starting today. A very important moment which occurs in a delicate context. The day before, Trump was the victim of an assassination attempt.

During a meeting in Pennsylvania, the former American president was the target of an attempted attack on Saturday July 13. The shooting left one dead and two injured. Slightly injured in his right ear, Trump called on Americans to unite. “At this moment, it is more important than ever that we stand together”declared the ex-president. This event took place before the Republican convention which begins today.

What happened at the Trump rally?

At around 6 p.m., Donald Trump narrowly escaped death. While he was leading a meeting in preparation for the 2024 American presidential elections, four shots ring out. Donald Trump puts his hand to his right ear, to the cries of “Down!” », before a fifth then a sixth shot. The former president disappears behind his desk, at the same time as members of the secret services rush around him.

More shots ring out, members of the public throw themselves to the ground and other officers rush to the scene. Seventeen seconds after the first shots, a final one rang out. With a bloody face, the candidate raises his fist towards the crowd, who respond with cheers. Just two minutes after the shooting began, he was escorted off stage.

If he is not dead, the former president of the United States was indeed grazed by a bullet. “I was hit by a bullet which pierced the top of my right ear”wrote Donald Trump in the evening on his Truth Social network. “I immediately knew something was wrong because I heard a whistle, gunshots, and I immediately felt the bullet tearing the skin”he detailed.

A few hours later, he was seen getting off his plane unassisted, according to a video posted on social media by his deputy communications director. His campaign team confirmed Saturday evening that the ex-president had planning to attend the Republican convention after undergoing a medical exam to the hospital as a precaution.

Who shot Donald Trump?

The suspected shooter was identified by the FBI as Thomas Matthew Crooks. The 20-year-old man from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, was shot dead within seconds of the shooting.

The identity of the shooter was revealed by the FBI, following DNA confirmation. He would have affinities with republican ideas. American media reported shortly after that the man was recorded in Pennsylvania election files as a Republican Party voter. According to an electoral commission cited by CNN, the young man made a donation of $15 in 2021 to a political association close to the ideas of the Democratic Party, the Progressive Turnout Project.

At a press conference Saturday evening, the FBI confirmed that the shootings constituted a “assassination attempt”. The US Secret Service said in a statement that the suspected shooter had “fired several shots towards the scene from an elevated position outside the gathering” before being “neutralized” by the agents. Footage shows the attacker’s body lying on the sloping roof of a low building from which he fired. According to American media, the shooter was armed with an AR15 semi-automatic rifle. His motivations remain unknown to this day.

A lack of rigor among the secret services?

The shooting created fear and we are now questioning the effectiveness of the secret services, responsible for protecting presidents. Was there a failure within the secret services?

A witnessinterviewed by the BBC, claims to have notified the security services that he saw a man with a gun crawling on a roof. “We noticed the man crawling like a bear on the roof of the building next to us, about 15 meters away”he tells the journalist. Before miming his intervention with the police: “Guys, there’s a guy on the roof with a gun.”. “The police were saying: Huh, what? Like they didn’t know what was going on. »

Still according to this witness, “no one moved” until the shooting. He said the tilt of the roof may have prevented the secret services from seeing the man. But then “why aren’t there members of the secret service on every roof?” “, he questioned, before adding: “It’s not a big place. “. An investigation has been opened.

Reactions around the world

Reactions were quick to reverberate around the world. Trump’s main opponent, Joe Biden condemned the attack. “There is no place for this kind of violence in America”said the Democrat in a statement released by the White House. “We must come together as a nation to condemn them.” He said he was grateful to hear that Trump was safe and doing well. “I pray for him and his family and for everyone who attended the meeting as we await more information.”

From France, Emmanuel Macron also expressed his indignation on Twitter.

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva strongly condemned this attack. She must be “resolutely rejected by all supporters of democracy and political dialogue”declared Lula on X. “What we saw today is unacceptable.”

Donald Trump calls for appeasement. He arrived in Wisconsin to participate in the Republican convention which will triumphantly nominate him as his party’s official candidate for the American presidential election. from November 5.

Also read: What exactly is “presidential immunity” in the United States?