Washington DC, United States

At 6:11 pm (local time) on July 13, 2024, minutes after the then-Republican presidential election nominee and now-President-elect of the United States, Donald Trump ascended the stage during his campaign rally in the US state of Pennsylvania, gunfire erupted and suddenly a stream of blood splattered on the face of the leader. 

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It was an assassination attempt on Trump, a moment which will soon be etched in history and will be remembered as the poster image of the 2024 US presidential elections that culminated with the same man's thumping victory who was now bleeding on stage. 

But Trump appeared unflinching and more powerful as he folded his hands in a victory fist as the cameras clicked on his face with reporters trying to capture what the historic moment meant for the world power that stood at the threshold of the polls.

The moment when Trump was shot

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Trump was nonchalantly speaking to the crowd gathered when suddenly shots rang out and the Republican leader clutched his right ear and ducked behind the podium.

In seconds, he was covered by three Secret Service agents who yelled "Get down!" as multiple rounds of gunshots continued to be fired. 

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As many as eight rounds were fired from an AR-style rifle by the shooter who was hidden on a rooftop close to the venue. The snipers in Trump's Secret Service soon killed the shooter and the Republican leader was escorted from the rally. 

As he was taking off stage, Trump mouthed "fight" and pumped his fist. In a statement, Trump's Secret Service later confirmed that the then-Republican presidential candidate "is fine and is being checked out at a local medical facility".

Why did the shooter shoot Trump?

The FBI on July 14 identified the shooter as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks. He lived in Bethel Park, Pennsylvania and was believed to have acted alone.

The Crooks' father had bought the rifle which was used by him to shoot the Republican leader. He did not have any criminal record. As per the FBI, there was "no indication of any mental health issues" regarding Crooks.

After the incident, the FBI found that a social media account "believed to be associated with the shooter" had around 700 comments from 2019 to 2020. 

As per an account of Gab CEO Andrew Torba, the FBI had requested posts from his platform which were "pro-Biden's immigration policy". 

Meanwhile, FBI deputy director Paul Abbate, in a public statement, said that the activity of Crooks on social media was antisemitic, and extreme, espousing political violence and anti-immigrant. 

However, the police were not able to identify the shooter's motive. 

A security lapse?

The shooting also shifted the Secret Service into the spotlight as people questioned how they failed to protect Trump and secure access to the roof. 

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The Secret Service faced criticism for failing to be present on the roof or covering it even though three police snipers were in the building. 

In a report, a Secret Service agent had spoken about multiple “foreseeable, preventable” lapses in communication and planning on the day of the incident which further raised questions about the Secret Service. 

In the report, it was also mentioned how local law enforcement failed to inform Trump’s security about “the suspicious subject” they were searching moments before the attack.

The reports clearly underlined that the incident could have been prevented with more vigilance and planning.

However, Trump's attempted assassination may have been a failure on the part of the Secret Service but when history looks back at it, what people would remember will be the phoenix who rose from ashes and shone like the brightest star in the presidential polls.  

(With inputs from agencies)