Former US president, Donald Trump, has spoken on his assassination attempt at his campaign rally in Pennsylvania.
He was hit by a gunman on Saturday in a chaotic and shocking incident set to supercharge political tensions ahead of the polarising US presidential election.
Hours after the incident, the Republican candidate said he felt the bullet rip through his skin.
“It is incredible that such an act can take place in our Country,” Trump said on his Truth Social network hours later, in remarks sure to stoke the political hostility already engulfing the United States.
“I knew immediately that something was wrong in that I heard a whizzing sound, shots, and immediately felt the bullet ripping through the skin. Much bleeding took place, so I realized then what was happening.”
He later could be seen walking unaided from his plane, though his wounded ear was not facing the camera in video footage posted by his deputy communications director. The New York Times reported that he was staying the night in New Jersey.
Police confirmed that a spectator was killed and two critically injured in the shooting, all of them male adults.
The 78-year-old former president was rushed off stage with blood streaked across his face after the shooting in Butler, Pennsylvania, while the shooter and a bystander were killed and two spectators critically injured.
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Assassination Attempt
The FBI confirmed in a press conference that the shooting was being treated as “an assassination attempt against our former president, Donald Trump.”
The shooter, reportedly a registered Republican, was believed to be working alone.
His father Matthew Crooks told CNN that he was trying to establish “what the hell is going on”, and would not comment until he spoke to law enforcement.
After multiple witnesses said they saw the gunman before the shooting and alerted authorities, Butler police said they had “responded to a number of reports of suspicious activity”.
Trump later could be seen walking unaided from his plane, though his wounded ear was not facing the camera in video footage posted by his deputy communications director. The New York Times reported that he was staying the night in New Jersey.
Police confirmed that a spectator was killed and two critically injured in the shooting, all of them male adults.
The attack sent shock waves around the world, with the leaders of Britain, Israel, China and many other countries expressing outrage.
Biden cut short a weekend trip to his Delaware beach house to return to Washington. He will receive an updated briefing from security officials on Sunday morning, the White House said.
The attack has already stoked political tensions, with some Republicans pointing the finger at Biden and right-wing conspiracy theories flooding social media.
Possible Trump vice presidential pick J.D. Vance said Biden’s “rhetoric” had “led directly” to the Trump attack.
Trump’s campaign said he would still attend the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, after he was reported to have had a precautionary hospital checkup.
Screams and panic
But the convention will now be dominated by the shooting at the rally, which descended into panic, with screams ringing out after the gunshots.
“Let me get my shoes,” Trump was heard saying on the microphone, as security agents helped him back to his feet.
He turned back to the crowd and repeatedly raised his fist, as well as mouthing words that weren’t immediately discernible, in what instantly became an iconic image.
Agents bundled the tycoon into an SUV, as he once more shook his fist.
“We saw a lot of people go down, looking confused. I heard the shots,” said John Yeykal from Franklin, Pennsylvania, who was attending his first Trump rally.
US political figures including former presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton lined up to condemn the attack and say there was no place for violence in politics.
Billionaire Elon Musk meanwhile reacted by quickly endorsing Trump.
The United States has a history of political violence, and presidents, former presidents and candidates have tight security.
President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in 1963 while riding in his motorcade, and his brother Bobby Kennedy was shot dead in 1968. President Ronald Reagan survived an assassination attempt in 1981.
AFP