Donald Trump definitely did not see this coming, as he was shot in the ear, seen as an assassination attempt, during a campaign rally on Saturday, causing blood to streak across his face and prompting his security agents to swarm him.

However, despite the injury, even as he emerged from his crouching position surrounded by security personnel, he pumped his fist in the air and mouthed the words “Fight! Fight! Fight!”

Thereafter, the Secret Service reported that the shooter was dead, however, one rally attendee was killed, and two other spectators were injured.

As per news details, the incident is now being investigated and termed as an ‘assassination’ attempt.

Trump, 78, had just started his speech when the shots were fired. He initially grabbed his right ear, then looked at his hand before dropping to his knees behind the podium as Secret Service agents covered him.

He reappeared about a minute later, without his red “Make America Great Again” hat, and could be heard saying, “Wait, wait,” before making a fist bump gesture. Agents then rushed him to a black SUV.

Later on his Truth Social platform, Trump stated,

“I was shot with a bullet that pierced the upper part of my right ear. Much bleeding took place.”

The shooter’s identity and motive were not immediately known; both leading Republicans and Democrats quickly condemned the violence.

The Trump campaign reported that he was “doing well.”

Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro stated that Trump had left the Butler area under the protection of the U.S. Secret Service with assistance from the Pennsylvania state police.

Republican U.S. Representative Daniel Meuser told the media that Trump was headed to Bedminster, New Jersey, where he has a golf club.

The shooting took place less than four months before the Nov. 5 election, in which Trump faces a rematch with Democratic President Joe Biden.

Most opinion polls, including those by Reuters/Ipsos, show a close contest between the two candidates.

Joe Biden Condemns Attack
In a statement, Biden said, “There’s no place for this kind of violence in America. We must unite as one nation to condemn it.”

A White House official confirmed that Biden spoke with Trump following the shooting.

Republican U.S. Representative Ronny Jackson of Texas told Fox News that his nephew had been wounded at the rally.

The incident has raised immediate questions about security failures by the Secret Service, which provides former presidents, including Trump, with lifetime protection.

This was the first shooting of a U.S. president or major party candidate since the 1981 attempted assassination of Republican President Ronald Reagan.

What A Witness Said
Ron Moose, a Trump supporter at the rally, recounted hearing about four shots. “I saw the crowd go down and then Trump ducked also real quick,” he said. “Then the Secret Service all jumped and protected him as soon as they could. We are talking within a second they were all protecting him.”

Moose mentioned seeing a man running, pursued by officers in military uniforms. He heard additional shots but was unsure who fired them, noting that snipers had set up on the roof of a warehouse behind the stage by that time.

The BBC interviewed an eyewitness who described seeing a man armed with a rifle crawling up a roof near the event. The eyewitness, who was not identified, said he and others tried to alert security by pointing at the armed man.

According to the agency, the shots appeared to come from outside the area secured by the Secret Service. The FBI has taken the lead in investigating the attack and, citing sources, reported that the FBI had identified the suspected shooter as a 20-year-old man from Pennsylvania.

Republicans and Democrats Decry Violence
Trump is set to receive his party’s formal nomination at the Republican National Convention, which kicks off in Milwaukee on Monday.

“This horrific act of political violence at a peaceful campaign rally has no place in this country and should be unanimously and forcefully condemned,” Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson said on social media.

Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer expressed his horror at the incident and relief that Trump was safe. “Political violence has no place in our country,” he stated.

A campaign official announced that Biden’s campaign would pause its television ads and halt all other outbound communication in response to the incident.

Rising Concerns Over Political Violence
A recent polling by Reuters/Ipsos reveals that Americans are increasingly worried about political violence, with two out of three respondents in a May survey expressing concerns that violence could follow the upcoming election.

Concerning the attack on Donald Trump, some of Trump’s Republican allies believe the attack on him was politically motivated.

U.S. Representative Steve Scalise, who survived a politically-motivated shooting in 2017, said, “For weeks, Democrat leaders have been fueling ludicrous hysteria that Donald Trump winning re-election would be the end of democracy in America. Clearly, we’ve seen far-left lunatics act on violent rhetoric in the past. This incendiary rhetoric must stop.”

Hardline Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene added, “Democrats wanted this to happen. They’ve wanted Trump gone for years, and they’re prepared to do anything to make that happen.”

Trump, who served as president from 2017-2021, easily secured the Republican nomination early in the campaign, unifying a party that briefly wavered in support after the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol by his supporters.

Trump maintains that despite facing multiple legal challenges, including four separate criminal prosecutions, these prosecutions are orchestrated by Biden to prevent his return to power.

Meanwhile, Republican U.S. Senate candidate David McCormick, who was seated in the front row at the rally, recounted his experience: “Within a minute or two, I heard the shots… It was clear it was gunfire. It felt like it was an assassination attempt… It was terrifying.”