Biden: Politics should never be a ‘killing field’

Donald Trump told the New York Post he was “supposed to be dead” after surviving the assassination attempt.

“I’m not supposed to be here, I’m supposed to be dead,” Trump told the New York Post in an interview aboard his plane en route to Milwaukee.

It was a “very surreal experience” he said with a white bandage covering his right ear, the paper said.

The attempted assassination of Donald Trump is symbolic of a democracy at its breaking point, writes Frank Luntz in a comment piece for The Telegraph.

The polling paints a pretty bleak picture: over 80% believe the country is more divided now than at any time in their lifetime. A similar majority believe the US is seriously off on the wrong track. And the level of trust and confidence in the democratic institutions that govern the country, and the people who run them, are at historic lows.

As leaders from both political parties rush to condemn the other for using rhetoric specifically designed to incite and divide, the American public sinks further and further into a morass of pessimism and polarisation. I was an active part of an increasingly loud chorus warning that violence was the logical outcome of the political hate in America today. 

And so it has. 

Read the full piece here

Donald Trump spent much of Sunday on the phone with friends, news hosts and local and foreign officials the day after he was shot.

Ohio Pastor Darrell Scott, a longtime ally, said Trump “was in great spirits” when they spoke on Sunday morning, hours after the shooting.

“He was great, like he always is. He didn’t even make a big deal of it,” Mr Scott said. 

“He was actually trying to downplay it somewhat, asking how I was doing.”

First Lady Jill Biden spoke with Melania Trump on the phone on Sunday afternoon after Donald Trump was shot, NBC News reported, citing a White House official.

Donald Trump has rewritten the speech he will deliver at the Republican National Convention on Thursday in light of his attempted assassination, he told The Washington Examiner. 

“The speech I was going to give on Thursday was going to be a humdinger,” he said in an article posted on Sunday evening.

In the interview, Trump said he will now call for a new effort at national unity, noting that people from different political views have called him.

“This is a chance to bring the whole country, even the whole world, together. The speech will be a lot different, a lot different than it would’ve been two days ago,” he said.

Trump also reflected on the moment a bullet pierced the upper part of his right ear.

“That reality is just setting in,” he told the news outlet as he boarded his plane in Bedminster, New Jersey, for Milwaukee.

“I rarely look away from the crowd. Had I not done that in that moment, well, we would not be talking today, would we?”

Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers is set to ask officials to revisit a prior decision that allows people to bring guns within blocks of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee following the assassination attempt against Donald Trump, a person familiar with the matter told the Associated Press.

Mr Evers believes additional steps need to be taken to keep the convention’s attendees, law enforcement and the local community safe, the person said. 

The person could not discuss details of the request publicly and spoke to AP on the condition of anonymity.

The request was made to the Secret Service, which would bring it to the Republican National Committee, the person said.

The Secret Service said at a news conference Sunday that they were confident in their existing security plan and had not made any changes following the shooting.

Democratic congressman Bennie Thompson said a staff member of his is no longer employed after he learned of a social media post she made about Donald Trump’s attempted assassination.

Screenshots of her apparent Facebook post, which was related to the attempted assassination of Trump, circulated on social media after the shooting.

The screenshots showed a post in which the staffer appeared to say she does not condone violence but suggested the shooter should get “shooting lessons” and should not have missed.

It is unknown whether the post remains up.

Republican strategists and online commentators have poked fun at Mr Biden for another gaffe after he called the ballot box “battle box” in a slip-up.

“To call for action at the ballot box, no violence on our streets, that’s how democracy should work,” Mr Biden said. 

Afterwards, a few seconds later, he referred to the ballot box as the “battle box” twice. 

“In America, we resolve our differences at the battle box, that’s how we do it, at the battle box, not with bullets.”

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke with Trump on Sunday, his office said in a statement.

“The Prime Minister condemned yesterday’s appalling assassination attempt and reiterated there’s no place for political violence,” the statement read.

“The Prime Minister wished the former President well and offered condolences to the shooting victims and to the family of Corey Comperatore.”

Politics should never be a “killing field”, Mr Biden said as he continued to decry violence.

“Disagreement is inevitable in American democracy, it’s part of human nature,” he said.

“But politics must never be a literal battlefield, or God forbid a killing field.

He added: “We need to get out of our silos, where we only listen to those with whom we agree.”

The US President called on Americans to lower the political temperature and remember they are neighbours following the attack on Donald Trump. 

“The political record in this country has gotten very heated. It’s time to cool it down,” Mr Biden said.

The president said passions would run high on both sides in the lead up to the election and that the stakes were enormous. But the shooting “calls on all of us to take a step back”.

“We can’t allow this violence to be normalised,” he said. 

Mr Biden extended his “deepest condolences” to the family of Corey Comperatore, who was killed shielding his family from bullets during the rally.

The US President described the 50-year-old firefighter as a “hero”.

Mr Biden said the shooter’s motive was still under investigation.

Mr Biden attempted to say that Americans resolve their differences at the ballot box, while warning that the country must not go down the road of political violence.

However, the US President slipped up in another gaffe and referred to the ballot box as a “battle box”.

“No matter how strong our convictions, we must never descend into violence,” he said.

“In America, we resolve our difference at the battle box, that’s how we do it, at the battle box, not with bullets.

“The power to change in America should always rest in the hands of the people, not in the hands of a would-be assassin.”

Joe Biden said he spoke with Donald Trump last night on the phone, adding he remains thankful he was not seriously injured in the shooting.

“I am grateful he is doing well, and Jill and I keep him and his family in our prayers,” he said during his speech on Sunday night.

The US President will address the nation shortly at 8pm ET (1am GMT), where he is expected to condemn the assassination attempt on Donald Trump.

We will bring you the latest updates from his remarks. 

Eric Trump confirmed Donald Trump had landed in Milwaukee for the Republican National Convention, posting a video of the cockpit as the plane, dubbed “Trump Force One”, touched down. 

A veteran US Secret Service agent has criticised the “unacceptable” security measures put in place to protect Donald Trump at the Pennsylvania rally on Saturday.

Joseph LaSorsa said Trump had not been killed because he moved his head an instant before Thomas Matthew Crooks fired, meaning the shot grazed his ear and snipers could respond before the 20-year-old gunman had a chance to reload.

Mr LaSorsa, who protected several presidents including Ronald Reagan, said former presidents do not receive the same level of security once they leave office because of manpower and budget constraints.

A sitting president would get “agents and police officers on every roof, every perch area where an assassin could approach and get a line of sight to a specific area”, he told The Telegraph.

“What they utilised yesterday was a counter-sniper team – that team neutralised the assailant and killed him.

“They did it quickly but not quick enough because he was able to get onto the roof, he was able to set up and he was able to fire. And that part is unacceptable.”

Mr LaSorsa praised the response of the Secret Service agents who shielded Trump with their bodies and ushered him off stage, a procedure known as “cover and evacuate”. “They responded well,” he said.

I’m on the quiet residential street in Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, where Thomas Crooks, the gunman who tried to assassinate Donald Trump, lived.

Neighbours sitting outside to enjoy the last of the evening sun described being in “shock” and “stunned” that the 20-year-old from the tight-knit community could have carried out such a chilling attack.

Two of his former classmates, who also live nearby, described Crooks as a “loner” at school who they didn’t know by name, and only recognised from his photograph.

One said growing up in the area was “awesome” and said “one bad apple” won’t impact the community.

The section of the street where Crooks lived is still cordoned off. 

One man bellowed “go Trump” from his car as he drove past a TV camera. 

Trump has arrived in Milwaukee for the Republican National Convention.

He originally was going to delay his trip because of the attempted assassination, but he later decided he didn’t want it to change his plans.

“I was going to delay my trip to Wisconsin, and The Republican National Convention, by two days, but have just decided that I cannot allow a ‘shooter,’ or potential assassin, to force change to scheduling, or anything else,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social site on Sunday.

Trump is not expected to speak at the Republican National Convention until Thursday night.

Joe Biden is set to deliver extended remarks to the nation on Sunday night at 8pm ET (1am GMT on Monday) in an address from the Oval Office. 

His campaign said the president would touch on “the need for every American to come together to not just condemn, but put to an end to political violence in this country.”

Earlier today, Mr Biden said that “an assassination attempt is contrary to everything we stand for as a nation.”

“It’s not who we are as a nation. It’s not American. And we cannot allow this to happen,” he said. “Unity is the most elusive goal of all, but nothing is more important than that right now.”

Mike Morehouse, neighbour of Corey Comperatore, paid tribute to the 50-year-old Butler County resident, who died while using his body as a shield to protect his wife and daughter during the shooting.

“He’s a literal hero. He shoved his family out of the way, and he got killed for them,” he said.

Mr Morehouse had lived next to Mr Comperatore for the last eight years. “He’s a hero that I was happy to have as a neighbour.”

In the front yard of Mr Comperatores’ two-story home, a small memorial including an American flag and small bunches of flowers has emerged. 

Mr Morehouse said his neighbour’s death has prompted him to cast a ballot for the first time in his life come November, where he will check Trump’s name.

“As soon as I heard what happened and then learned that it was to Corey, I went upstairs as soon as I got home and I registered to vote,” Mr Morehouse said. 

“This is the first time I’ve ever voted and I think it will be in his memory.”

Joe Biden has sent his “deepest condolences” to the family of Corey Comperatore, who died while shielding his wife and daughter at the rally on Saturday.

The US President wrote on social media: “Jill and I extend our deepest condolences to the family of the victim who was killed at Donald Trump’s rally – he was a father protecting his family from the bullets being fired.

“We’re also praying for the full recovery of those who were injured.”

Donald Trump declared his desire to “unite America” after being targeted by a would-be assassin, striking a more statesman-like tone than his typical bombastic diatribes, George Styllis writes.

The former president has shifted from the fiercely divisive speech that has defined his political career to words more solemn and reflective.

After the attack in which he was shot in the ear, Trump thanked all those who rushed to save his life and made humble statements of religiosity.

It was “God alone who prevented the unthinkable from happening”, he said, adding that he would “FEAR NOT.”

Around five shots were fired at his campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, leaving a father-of-two dead and two others injured.

A new image of Thomas Matthews Crooks has been released.

The driver’s licence shows the gunman, who was killed after opening fire on Trump.

An aerial shot shows police work at Crooks’ home.

They have pictured been at the property in Bethel Park, Pennsylvania.

The FBI says they believe the AR-style rifle used by the shooter to fire at Donald Trump was legally purchased by the gunman’s father.

Kevin Rojek, special agent in charge of the Pittsburgh Field Office, told reporters that authorities don’t yet know how the shooter gained access to the weapon, and whether he took it without his father’s knowledge.

“These are facts that we’ll flesh out as we conduct interviews,” Rojek said. Authorities recovered the weapon at the scene of the shooting.

The suspected gunman at Donald Trump’s rally was acting alone and used an AR-style rifle purchased legally to shoot at the former US president, FBI officials said on Sunday, adding that they had no indications of any mental health issues with the suspect.

The FBI officials, in a call with reporters, said the investigation was at an early stage and that they had not yet identified an ideology associated with the suspect. They said finding the motive behind the shooting was one of their priorities.

Security on high alert for Republican convention

The shooting in Pennsylvania last night has spooked some attendees of the Republican convention in Milwaukee, where Donald Trump is arriving this evening.

“It is frightening,” Aaron Bullen, a conference delegate from Utah, told The Telegraph. “If there are protests I can avoid, I will do so. 

“I wish I could be armed at the convention, but I can’t be, so that’s kind of a concern. I prayed to God before I came here and I think he’s gonna watch over us and keep us safe.”

Armed police are present at Milwaukee airport, and there is a heavy security presence in the city centre. Concrete bollards have closed many of the roads.

Workers remove plastic unveiling Trump’s name at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.

President Biden has said security around the event will be reviewed in the wake of the shooting.

The two other victims who were shot and injured at Saturday’s rally have been named as 57-year-old David Dutch and 74-year-old James Copenhaver. 

A third victim who died has already been named as Corey Comperatore, 50.

“These victims and their families are certainly in our thoughts today,” said Colonel Christopher Paris, Pennsylvania State Police Commissioner. 

“The Pennsylvania State Police continue to work tirelessly alongside our federal, state and local partners as this investigation continues.”

A picture is worth a thousand words and the assassination attempt against Donald Trump may have just altered the course of history, writes Roland Oliphant.

The Stars and Stripes flutters in the background as a bloody-faced Donald Trump raises a fist in defiance and calls on his supporters to fight on

The image of Trump seconds after surviving an assassination attempt is one of those photographs of obvious and immediate power.

He could not have looked more like an American hero if he tried. If he wins the election in November, it will likely be considered one of a handful of photographs that altered the course of the country’s history.

It is a product of world-class photojournalism – and also, perhaps, of Trump’s innate political instincts.

About a minute after Trump took cover from a gunman’s bullets, the Secret Service agents shielding his body decided to move him to safety. “We’re clear, let’s move,” they were heard saying before raising the former president to his feet.

But Trump told them to “wait”. Before being ushered away, he turned to the crowd, raised his fist and mouthed what looked, to lip readers, like the word “fight”.

Read Roland Oliphant’s full story

Joe Biden has ramped up security measures at the Republican National Convention after an attempt was made on Donald Trump’s life at a rally on Saturday.

The US President told reporters: “I’ve directed the Secret Service to review all security measures... for the Republican National Convention, which is scheduled to start tomorrow.”

He added that he had directed an “independent review of national security” of the Pennsylvania rally, where Thomas Matthew Crooks fired several times at the Republican with a semi-automatic rifle before being killed by police snipers.

Mr Biden said he had no new information on what motivated Crooks, who was registered as a Republican, but said he expected the investigation to be “thorough and swift”.

The FBI has named the man who shot Donald Trump as Thomas Matthew Crooks, a 20-year-old registered Republican from Pennsylvania, writes James Kilner.

The first pictures of the gunman, taken from his high school yearbook have now emerged. Crooks, wearing a grey shirt with the American flag on it smiles at the camera in the photo from Bethel Park High School.

Crooks was reportedly wearing a T-shirt bearing the emblem of a pro-gun YouTube channel when he was killed on Saturday by a special forces sniper after firing three shots at the former US president.

One shot grazed Trump’s ear, spraying blood across his face. A man sitting behind Trump was shot and died and two other people were badly injured.

The FBI said that it regarded Crooks as carrying out “an assassination attempt on former president Donald Trump”.

“This remains an active and ongoing investigation,” it said.

Read the full story

Joe Biden, speaking during a press conference on Monday, said the FBI is leading the investigation into the shooting but no motive has yet been established.

Mr Biden said Trump is afforded every resource necessary to ensure his protection and in light of the attack, the head of the secret service has reviewed all security measures for the Republican National Convention starting on Monday.   

There will also be an independent review to establish exactly what happened on Saturday at Trump’s rally in Pennsylvania. 

“We must unite as one nation,” he concluded his press conference by saying.

Hello and welcome to our new live blog.

We’ll be bringing you the latest updates in the wake of the Trump shooting, with Joe Biden pledging to beef up security on the Republican convention.