Former President Donald Trump, Republican candidate in the November US election, was evacuated from a campaign rally in Pennsylvania after detonations were heard. Visibly wounded in the right ear, he was quickly attended to by Secret Service agents. One person died and two others were wounded, while the gunman was neutralized by the authorities

At the time of the shooting, Donald Trump had just begun his speech. Security guards immediately took him to safety, then escorted him back to his car to the cheers of his supporters. Despite the situation, Trump raised his fist in defiance, reassuring his supporters.

According to his campaign team, the former president is doing well and has been examined at a medical center near the scene of the incident. “We saw people throwing themselves to the ground, looking confused. I heard the gunshots, it sounded like something between firecrackers and a small-caliber pistol,” reported a supporter present at the scene.

Trump himself confirmed on his Truth Social platform that he had been slightly injured: “I was hit by a bullet that pierced the top of my right ear. It is unbelievable that such an act could happen in our country.”

This dramatic event took place just before the Republican convention, where Trump is due to be officially inaugurated as the nominee against Democratic incumbent Joe Biden.

The prosecutor in Butler County, Pennsylvania, said the gunman was outside the venue where the meeting was being held. In response to the incident, President Joe Biden said he was “relieved” that Donald Trump was safe, saying there was “no place for this kind of violence in America”. Former President Barack Obama and Senate Democratic Majority Leader Chuck Schumer also expressed their horror and condemnation of this political violence.