On Saturday evening, in Butler County, Pennsylvania, an event occurred such as the United States did not experienced in decades: An assassination attempt on a presidential candidate (since 1968, to be precise, in which Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated for his support of Israel; the last assassination attempt in general was in 1981, against Ronald Reagan). This time, it was former President Donald Trump, the current Republican presidential candidate, who held an election rally in the district with a large crowd.
The details of the incident have not yet been fully revealed, but it appears that the assassin was positioned with a sniper rifle on a farm roof, about 150 meters from the stage where Trump made his speech. Shots were heard in the middle of the speech, and Trump fell to the ground, surrounded by Secret Service agents who jumped to protect him; a few seconds later, Trump, who had been hit in the right ear, with blood on his face, rose up and waved his fist in the air as he was led off the stage, as a sign of his health and victory over the assassin. According to initial reports, the assassin was killed during the incident by FBI agents, and another woman who was present at the rally was also killed. There is no doubt that all the details will be clarified soon, since the event was filmed by many attendees at the rally, from beginning to end.
At the moment, it appears that the former president is in good and stable condition, and that there is no danger to his life. President Biden, Trump’s opponent in the election, immediately condemned the event: “There is no place for such violence in America. We must unite as one nation to condemn this.” Biden and Trump later held a phone call demanding each other’s well-being (for the first time in many years). Leaders and ambassadors from all over the world demanded Trump’s safety and condemned the assassination attempt, including President Herzog, who said: “On behalf of the Israeli people, I wish former President Trump a speedy recovery, and condemn the attempted assassination with severity.”
The event is still going on and many things remain to be understood and clarified (such as the identity of the assassin, his motives, etc.). But in the meantime, it is cautiously assumed that the event gives Trump significant reinforcement in the race for the White House. For Democrats, this is a blow that will not necessarily be resolved with the replacement of Biden, as many have suggested in recent days.