Trump urges US to 'stand united' after assassination attempt

Former president says he was saved by 'God alone' and said he was praying for the recovery of those wounded

Former US president Donald Trump is bundled offstage by Secret Service agents after he was shot in the right ear during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13. Reuters

A day after surviving an assassination attempt, former president Donald Trump said on Sunday that his life had been spared by “God alone” and called for unity in the US as the country reeled from the attack.

The Republican presidential candidate was a few minutes into leading a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday evening when several shots rang out.

He ducked down behind the podium after a bullet grazed his ear, only to quickly stand back up and shout “Fight! Fight! Fight!” with a raised fist as Secret Service agents mobbed him.

The suspected gunman – identified by the FBI as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks – had fired several rounds from a rooftop at the open-air rally. He was shot dead seconds later by law enforcement marksmen on the roof of an adjacent building. A spectator behind Trump was killed and two others were injured.

On Sunday, officials said the injured were in stable condition.

The Wall Street Journal, quoting sources, said that Mr Crooks had explosive devices in his car, which was parked near the rally.

“Thank you to everyone for your thoughts and prayers yesterday, as it was God alone who prevented the unthinkable from happening,” Trump said in a post on his social media platform Truth Social.

“In this moment, it is more important than ever that we stand united, and show our true character as Americans, remaining strong and determined, and not allowing evil to win.”

Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro identified the spectator killed as 50-year-old Corey Comperatore.

“Corey was a girl dad, Corey was a firefighter, Corey went to church every Sunday, Corey loved his community, and most especially, Corey loved his family,” Mr Shapiro said.

US media reported that the AR-15 type rifle that was used had been purchased legally by the gunman's father. Additional information about the gunman was not immediately released, but Crooks was reportedly a registered Republican who had also donated to a Democratic group.

In a post on Truth Social on Saturday, Trump said that he “was shot with a bullet that pierced the upper part of my right ear”. He ended the message with “God Bless America”.

President Joe Biden addressed the nation on Sunday after receiving an updated briefing from Homeland Security and law enforcement officials.

He said the assassination attempt on Trump is “contrary to everything we stand for as a nation”.

Speaking from the White House, Mr Biden announced that he had ordered a security review of what happened on Saturday, adding that there was still no information as to the motive behind the shooting.

“I've instructed that this investigation be thorough and swift, and the investigators will have every resource they need to get this done,” Mr Biden said.

“We must unite as one nation to demonstrate who we are.”

He said he would share the findings of the review with the American people and would speak from the Oval Office on Sunday evening.

Earlier, the White House announced that Mr Biden's campaign trip to Texas on Monday would be rescheduled.

Reports said the gunman was perched about 120 metres from Trump.

Questions are being asked about how prepared the Secret Service and local police were, with some spectators apparently noticing the gunman before law enforcement did.

Speaking to the BBC World Service's Weekend programme, senior Trump campaign adviser Stephen Moore said the shooting was an exceptionally close call.

“It appeared from the video that he’d only been grazed by this bullet but what’s so frightening to all of us is that if that bullet had been one inch further towards his head this would have been an assassination,” he told the show.

Mr Moore said, “Certainly Trump needs more protection – there’s a lot of inquiry now about whether the Secret Service was totally prepared”.

A witness told the BBC he had seen the gunman climb on to the roof of a low-rise building right outside the security perimeter with a rifle and that he had shouted to nearby police officers to alert them to the potential threat.

Police initially seemed confused and did not immediately respond to the warning, he said.

The shooting took place less than four months before the November 5 election, when Trump will face an election rematch with Mr Biden, a Democrat. Most opinion polls show the two locked in a close contest.

Republicans believe the attack and Trump's defiant response will send him on a glide path to victory over Mr Biden, who has spent weeks trying to convince members of his party that he is not suffering from cognitive decline.

“President Trump survives this attack – he just won the election,” Republican Congressman Derrick Van Orden told Politico shortly after the shooting.

Trump's wife Melania on Sunday called on the nation to “ascend above the hate, the vitriol and the simple-minded ideas that ignite violence”.

“America, the fabric of our gentle nation is tattered, but our courage and common sense must ascend and bring us back together as one,” she said.

The Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, is scheduled to begin this week, during which Trump is expected to be named as his party's official nominee.

In his post on Sunday, Trump said he was looking forward to speaking at the convention.

“I truly love our country, and love you all, and look forward to speaking to our great nation this week from Wisconsin,” he said.