BETHEL PARK, Pennsylvania
\nDonald Trump called on Americans on Sunday to stand united after he was injured in an assassination attempt \u2014 a shocking incident that opened a dark new chapter in an already polarised US presidential race.
\nTrump was shot in the ear during a campaign rally, streaking the Republican presidential candidate\u2019s blood across his face and prompting his security agents to swarm him, before he emerged and pumped his fist in the air, mouthing the words \u201cFight! Fight! Fight!\u201d
\nHours after the incident, the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said it had identified the shooter in the assassination attempt as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks of Pennsylvania, US media reported early on Sunday.
\nCrooks and one rally attendee were killed and two other spectators were injured, the US Secret Service said in a statement.
\nThe incident was being investigated as an assassination attempt, a source told Reuters.
\n\u201cIn this moment, it is more important than ever that we stand United,\u201d Trump said in a statement on his Truth Social network, adding that Americans should not allow \u201cevil to win\u201d.
\nThe Republican added that it was \u201cGod alone who prevented the unthinkable from happening\u201d and that he would \u201cfear not\u201d.
\nIncumbent US President Joe Biden has since spoken to Trump after the incident, according to a White House Official. Biden also spoke with Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro and Butler Mayor Bob Dandoy, the official said.
\nTrump, 78, had just started his speech when the shots rang out. He grabbed his right ear with his right hand, then brought his hand down to look at it before dropping to his knees behind the podium before Secret Service agents swarmed and covered him.
\nHe emerged about a minute later, his red \u201cMake America Great Again\u201d hat knocked off, and could be heard saying \u201cwait, wait,\u201d before agents ushered him into a vehicle.
\n\u201cI was shot with a bullet that pierced the upper part of my right ear,\u201d Trump said on his Truth Social platform following the shooting in Butler, Pennsylvania, about 30 miles (50 kilometres) north of Pittsburgh. \u201cMuch bleeding took place.\u201d
\nThe shooter\u2019s identity and motive were not immediately clear. Leading Republicans and Democrats quickly condemned the violence. The Trump campaign said he was \u201cdoing well\u201d.
\nThe shooting occurred less than four months before the November 5 election, when Trump faced an election rematch with Democratic President Joe Biden. Most opinion polls, including those by Reuters\/Ipsos, show the two locked in a close contest.
\nBiden said in a statement: \u201cThere\u2019s no place for this kind of violence in America. We must unite as one nation to condemn it.\u201d
\nRepublican US Representative Ronny Jackson of Texas told Fox News his nephew had been wounded at the rally.
\n\u201cHe was grazed in the neck. A bullet crossed his neck, cut his neck and he was bleeding,\u201d Johnson said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
BETHEL PARK, Pennsylvania Donald Trump called on Americans on Sunday to stand united after he was injured in an assassination attempt \u2014 a shocking incident that opened a dark new chapter in an already polarised US presidential race. Trump was shot in the ear during a campaign rally, streaking the Republican presidential candidate\u2019s blood across […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":418431,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-418409","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n