Trump 'defiant' after being shot at rally in Pennsylvania

A bloodied Donald Trump was rushed from a campaign rally stage to a hospital after an assassination attempt in Pennsylvania on Saturday.

- ALEX LANG ARIANA BAIO ALEX WOODWARD

Several gunshots rang out minutes after Trump began speaking to supporters at the Butler Farm showground. The former president grabbed his right ear, then ducked to the ground behind a lectern as his Secret Service detail swarmed over him before lifting him from the ground and guiding him off the stage.

Screams filled the crowd and blood could be seen running down the right side of Trump’s face and ear as he raised his fist to supporters. The site was evacuated and declared a crime scene. Trump later called on America to “stand united”, thanked God for preventing the “unthinkable from happening” and said he would remain “defiant in the face of wickedness”.

Secret Service agents killed the suspected shooter, who was outside the security perimeter according to law enforcement officials. A spectator was killed, and two others were critically injured. The FBI has identified the gunman as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, from Pennsylvania. He appeared to have been perched on a rooftop with an AR-style rifle.

In a statement on Truth Social several hours later, Trump said that he was “shot with a bullet that pierced the upper part of my right ear”. He added: “I knew immediately that something was wrong in that I heard a whizzing sound, shots, and immediately felt the bullet ripping through the skin.”

A Trump campaign spokesperson said that the former president was “fine” and had been treated at a nearby medical facility before returning to his home in New Jersey.