Trump assassination attempt: What we know

Former president's campaign team says Republican candidate is 'doing well' and will attend his party's convention next week as planned

Donald Trump was shot during a rally on Saturday, in an assassination attempt that has rattled the US as it heads towards the presidential elections in November.

What happened?

Trump, a Republican who is running against Democratic President Joe Biden, was speaking at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, when shots were fired.

Secret Service agents quickly surrounded him, lifting him to his feet after he ducked behind a podium. Gunshots could still be heard as the agents escorted him off the stage.

The gunman was killed by law enforcement, and one spectator was killed and two others were critically injured.

The assailant was later identified as Thomas Matthew Crooks, a 20-year-old man from Pennsylvania, but investigators said they had not identified a motive and were looking into the possibility that others may have been involved in the assassination attempt.

Trump was rushed to the hospital with blood streaming from his right ear.

US media reported scenes of “chaos” at the rally. Images showed chairs knocked over and yellow police tape around the stage.

What has Trump said?

Trump thanked the Secret Service for their response and expressed his condolences to the family of the person who was killed, on Truth Social.

“I was shot with a bullet that pieced the upper part of my right ear,” he wrote.

“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 realised then what was happening.”

In a post on Sunday, he thanked those who had sent their thoughts and prayers.

"We will fear not, but instead remain resilient in our faith and defiant in the face of wickedness. Our love goes out to the other victims and their families," he wrote.

"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."

What has Biden said?

Mr Biden, who was in Rehoboth, Delaware, for the weekend, condemned the shooting.

“There is no place in America for this kind of violence. It's sick. It's sick,” Mr Biden said in an emergency briefing.

“It's one of the reasons why we have to unite this country. We cannot allow for this to be happening.

“We cannot be like this. We cannot condone this.”

What has the Secret Service said?

The Secret Service said the gunman had fired several shots towards the stage from an elevated position outside the rally venue.

The agency said that the incident is being investigated by the FBI, but since then has offered few other details on the attack.

Videos on social media appeared to show the gunman taking up his position on a building roof and bystanders shouting in an attempt to alert security.

At a press conference of security and law agencies, Kevin Rojek, who runs the FBI's Pittsburgh field office, said it was "surprising" that security had apparently identified the location of the gunman, but failed to open fire on him before he shot at Trump.

The Secret Service were not present at the conference.

"They do the initial security assessments and determine where the different security locations should be,” Mr Rojek said. “And they’re the ones who are in charge of securing the scene.”

Separately, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, whose department runs the Secret Service, said his officials were re-evaluating the security of the Biden and Trump campaigns and “taking every possible measure to ensure their safety".

Police told AP that an "AR-15-style rifle" had been recovered at the scene. The AR-15 is a similar weapon to the military M16 assault rifle, but lacks some features, such as fully automatic firing.

What happens next?

The Trump campaign and the Republican National Convention said that Trump is “doing well” and looks forward to attending the convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

He is expected to be officially nominated as the Republican nominee during the event.

The Biden campaign said it would temporarily pause television advertisements and other communications.

A number of Republican members of Congress have called for an investigation into the shooting as well as the events surrounding it.

Mike Johnson, Speaker of the Republican-controlled US House of Representatives, said that members of the Secret Service, the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI will be invited to give evidence at hearings in the near future.

Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle, who took on the role in 2022 after 25 years in the service, will testify on July 22.