• Trump survives attempt on his life by lone attacker
• Biden seeks answers on how shooter breached security
• Republicans set to seal Trump’s candidature today

BUTLER: Memories of the JFK assassination and the shootings of Ronald Reagan and Gerald Ford came rushing back as the world saw US presidential hopeful Donald J. Trump survive an attempt on his life at a campaign rally in the state of Pennsylvania over the weekend.

Seen bleeding from the ear as he was surrounded by a phalanx of Secret Service agents after shots rang out, Trump stood up and waved a defiant fist in the air before being rushed away for medical attention.

“Fight! Fight! Fight!” Trump mouthed to supporters. He had just begun a campaign speech when shots rang out, hitting the former president’s right ear and streaking his face with blood. His campaign later said he was doing well and appeared to have suffered no major injury.

Then, just hours later, the tenacious Republican said he would continue his campaign schedule. Trump is due to receive his party’s formal nomination at the Republican National Con­vention, which kicks off in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on Monday.

“I cannot allow a ‘shooter,’ or potential assassin, to force change to scheduling, or anything else,” the presumptive presidential nominee said on Truth Social — his own social media platform.

Authorities identified a rally attendee who was shot and killed as Corey Comperatore, 50, of Sarver, Pennsylvania, who Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro told reporters was killed when he dove on top of his family to protect them from the hail of bullets.

Two other rally attendees were critically wounded, the Secret Service said.

Condemning the shooting, his opponent and US President Joe Biden said he had ordered a review of how a 20-year-old man carrying an AR-15-style rifle managed to get close enough to shoot at Trump from a rooftop.

“There is no place in America for this kind of violence,” Biden said at the White House. “I urge everyone, everyone please don’t make assumptions about his motive or affiliations.”

Biden, who postponed a trip to Texas, said he had a short but good conversation with Trump on Sunday night and that he is “sincerely grateful that he is doing well and recovering.”

“Unity is the most elusive goal of all, but nothing is more important than that right now — unity. We’ll debate and we’ll disagree. That’s not going to change. But we’re not going to lose sight of who we are as Americans,” he said.

But his campaign was scrambling for a new strategy after the assassination attempt on Republican rival, including deciding to call off verbal attacks on the former president for now.

Within hours of Saturday’s shooting, Biden’s campaign was pulling down television ads and suspending other political communications.

Published in Dawn, July 15th, 2024