A day after the attempt on his life, former US President Donald Trump has arrived in Wisconsin, where he will officially be nominated as the Republican Party’s presidential candidate in November. The Republican National Convention will kick off in Milwaukee today. After Saturday’s attack on a campaign rally in Pennsylvania, where Trump was shot in the ear, the former president said he had initially considered postponing the trip by two days. However, “I have decided that I cannot let a ‘shooter’ or a potential assassin force me to change my plans or anything else,” he wrote in a message on ‘Truth Social’.
As he got off the plane, the tycoon raised his fist, just as he had done immediately after the attack, just before leaving the stage where he was holding a rally.
Biden’s invitation
For his part, US President Biden, who is seeking another term in the November elections and will return to the campaign trail next week according to a White House statement, called for unity after the attack on his rival. “The most important thing right now is to fight this violence with unity. We can discuss, debate and even express our disagreement but that is not how we can solve any problem. We are Americans and we must feel united as a nation,” he said, announcing that security measures in Wisconsin would be implemented (“I have ordered the head of the Secret Service to review all security measures”) and that “the FBI is leading the investigation which is still in its early stages”.
The investigation
Investigators have not yet identified a clear ideological motive behind the action of 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks. Pittsburgh FBI Special Agent Kevin Rojek explained to ‘NBC’ that the investigation is still “in its early stages” and further elements could come from the analysis of the attacker’s cell phone. At the moment, “there are no indications of mental health problems” for the young man.
Rojek said the FBI believes the suspect acted alone and that there are no public safety concerns at this time. There is also no indication that Crooks had any previous interactions with law enforcement before Saturday. The boy’s family appears to be cooperating with investigators, who have outlined the gun used: It is believed to have been purchased by Crooks’ father.
“Our number one goal,” Rojek said, “is to identify the motive and determine if he had any associates or anyone else involved. Right now the investigation appears to determine that he acted alone, but we still have more investigation to do.”
Secret services under accusation
The Secret Service has come under fire after the attack on Donald Trump. The security machine failed to work and did not prevent 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks from opening fire with an automatic rifle. The young man, who killed a man and seriously injured 2 others, shot from the roof of a building 150 meters from Trump’s stage.
The FBI must determine how the attacker got to the roof of a building so close by. The media has been full of reports from people who were at the rally, with several people saying they saw a gunman moving “from one roof to another.” In particular, Ben Macer told KDKA that he “told an officer” that a gunman “was on the roof. When I turned to go back to my seat, the shots came and chaos ensued.”