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Donald Trump’s children have come forward to decry political violence after their father was struck in the ear by a bullet during a rally speech in Pennsylvania, calling him a “fighter.”
“Thank you for your love and prayers for my father and for the other victims of today’s senseless violence in Butler, Pennsylvania,” Ivanka Trump posted on X a few hours after the incident.
“I am grateful to the Secret Service and all the other law enforcement officers for their quick and decisive actions today. I continue to pray for our country.”
She added: “I love you Dad, today and always.”
The former president began his Saturday evening rally like any other — but it was interrupted just minutes in by bullets whizzing through the air. Trump dropped behind a podium and Secret Service agents rushed to the stage.
Moments later, agents hoisted up Trump — who pumped his fist in the air as blood dripped down his right ear — and rushed him off the stage.
The Secret Service later confirmed that the former president was “safe” while his campaign said he was getting “checked on” at a local medical facility.
One attendee was killed in the shooting and two others left critically injured, authorities said.
The victims are yet to be publicly identified but Lt Col George Bivens of the Pennsylvania State Police confirmed that all three were adult men.
The gunman, identified by the FBI as Thomas Matthew Crooks, was shot and killed by Secret Service at the scene.
Following the shooting, both Ivanka and Tiffany Trump expressed gratitude for the support their family had received in lengthy social media posts.
“The outpouring of love and support for my dad is deeply appreciated. Thank you God for keeping my father alive,” Tiffany Trump posted on X. “Political violence is never the answer. God bless the secret service and law enforcement who fearlessly intervened. Please include the families of the victims in your prayers. As you saw today, my father is a fighter and he will continue to fight for you and the USA.”
Eric and Donald Jr took a different tone in shorter, more politically focused posts.
“THE FIGHTER AMERICA NEEDS!” Eric Trump wrote on Truth Social, alongside a photo of the former president, with a blood-smeared face, pumping his fist in the air while surrounded by his Secret Service detail.
Donald Trump Jr. posted a similar photo, with an American flag prominently waving in the background. He wrote: “He’ll never stop fighting to Save America.”
Trump himself took to Truth Social about the harrowing assassination attempt, confirming he had been “shot with a bullet that pierced the upper part of my right ear.”
The former president continued: “I knew immediately that something was wrong in that I heard a whizzing sound, shots, and immediately felt the bullet ripping through the skin.”
On Sunday morning, the former president released a new statement on Truth Social calling on America to “stand united” following the attack and thanking God for preventing the “unthinkable from happening”.
The Republican National Convention said it will “proceed” as scheduled. The four-day event is scheduled to begin on Monday.
