Trump shot in ear at US election campaign rally after major security lapse

Donald Trump was shot in the ear in an attempted assassination during a campaign rally on Saturday, an attack that will likely reshape this year’s U.S. presidential race while raising sharp questions about security provided to the Republican candidate.

In the moments after the shooting, Trump was swarmed and covered up by his security agents. He quickly emerged from the scrum, his face streaked with blood, and pumped his fist in the air, mouthing the words "Fight! Fight! Fight!"

The Trump campaign later said he was "doing well" and appeared to have suffered no major injury besides a wound on his upper right ear.

Early on Sunday the FBI identified 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, as the "subject involved" in what it termed an attempted assassination. He was a registered Republican, according to state voter records.

The suspect was shot dead by Secret Service agents, the agency said, after he opened fire from the roof of a building about 140 metres from the stage where Trump was speaking. An AR-15-style semiautomatic rifle was recovered near his body.

One person who attended the rally was killed and two other spectators were critically wounded, the Secret Service said.

Law enforcement officials told reporters they had not yet identified a motive for the attack.

The shocking incident will fuel anxiety in a country already on edge about the prospect of unrest and political harassment in the run-up to the November election battle between Trump and President Joe Biden.

Investors said that the attack and Trump's defiant response would likely increase his chances of winning back the White House, and trades betting on his victory will increase this coming week.

Trump is due to receive his party's formal nomination at the Republican National Convention, which kicks off in Milwaukee on Monday.

Shooter dead

The suspected shooter was confirmed dead, along with one bystander, US media reported.

"Butler County District Attorney Richard Goldinger said two people are dead, including an apparent shooter," The Washington Post reported. A second bystander may also have been hit.

The apparent shooting took place shortly after Trump took the stage at his final campaign rally before the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee next week.

The rally in Butler, Pennsylvania descended into scenes of chaos as bangs were heard and screams and shouts rang out.

"Let me get my shoes," Trump was heard saying on microphone, as security agents helped him back to his feet.

Agents bundled the 78-year-old tycoon into an SUV, as he once more raised his fist to the crowd.

"This is an active crime scene," Secret Service officers told reporters, ordering them out of the area.

"We saw a lot of people go down, looking confused. I heard the shots," said John Yeykal from Franklin, Pennsylvania, who was attending his first Trump rally.

'No place for political violence'

Biden has received an initial briefing by the head of the Secret Service and the Secretary of Homeland Security, the White House said.

US politicians reacted with shock to the incident.

Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said he was "horrified by what happened at the Trump rally in Pennsylvania and relieved that former President Trump is safe."

"Political violence has no place in our country," he added.

Republican minority leader Mitch McConnell added: "Tonight, all Americans are grateful that President Trump appears to be fine after a despicable attack on a peaceful rally. Violence has no place in our politics."

Billionaire Elon Musk reacted by quickly endorsing Trump.

"I fully endorse President Trump and hope for his rapid recovery," Musk wrote on X, which he owns along with car manufacturer Tesla, as he shared a video of Trump pumping his fist while being escorted away.