THREE KEY FACTS:
- A series of gunshots rang out over a crowd gathered at a Republican rally in Pennsylvania.
- Donald Trump is “fine and is being checked out at a local medical facility”, his spokesperson says.
- Trump was grazed by gunfire, the local district attorney said, and blood could be seen near his ear as he left the stage.
Poppy Coburn is the Telegraph’s Assistant Comment Editor.
OPINION
It was the shot heard around the world.
Former President Donald Trump, speaking at a rally in the swing state of Pennsylvania, seemingly narrowly dodged certain death after gunshots sounded, apparently clipping his ear.
Trump was hurried away by Secret Service as the crowd screamed around him.
There were multiple shots – and yet, the presidential hopeful stood defiant. Shouts of horror quickly turned to ecstatic calls of “USA, USA!”.
A picture of the former president covered in blood and holding his fist to the air is bound to define the election cycle, one of the most powerful – regardless of one’s political opinion – of modern times.
We do not yet know the motive or identity of the shooter. But it is still worth considering the extreme polarisation that permeates the United States at the current moment.
Comments made by sitting President Joe Biden speaking of a “bullseye” on Trump, and tweets about him being a would-be “dictator” will, justified or not, lead to extreme scrutiny of remarks made by the White House prior to this seismic event.
Fundamentally, there is now little to no doubt that Trump will now become the 47th President of the United States of America.
His campaign, already trouncing Biden in a number of key swing states, can only benefit from this public act of bravery in the worst of circumstances.
The American people will not forget the words Trump appeared to utter as he was ushered off the stage: “fight, fight”.