The already chaotic electoral campaign for the US presidential elections has been completely disrupted after the assassination attempt on the Republican Party candidate, former President Donald Trump, on Saturday at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. The attack, which ended with two dead - including the assassin - two seriously injured, and Trump with minor injuries to an ear, could have resulted in the death of the former president.
The assassin, Thomas Matthew Crooks, from Bethel Park - about 70 kilometers south of the attack site - fired with a semi-automatic AR-15 rifle, similar to those commonly used in mass shootings in the United States, from the roof of a building about 120 meters away. His motivations are currently unknown.
Trump has urged Americans to "come together" after the assassination attempt and has suspended his campaign in solidarity with the deceased. President Joe Biden condemned the attack on Saturday and stated that "this violence is sickening". However, several of Trump's prominent supporters have directly or indirectly accused Biden of inciting the attack.
Ohio Senator J.D. Vance, a frontrunner for the Republican vice-presidential candidate, stated on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) that "today's events were not an isolated attack" in reference to the assassination attempt. "The main theme of Biden's campaign is that Trump is a fascist who must be stopped at all costs. That rhetoric has directly led to the assassination attempt," the message adds. House Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene wrote on the same social media platform, "May God have mercy on our enemies because we will not."
From a campaign perspective, the assassination attempt has fueled speculation about Trump's victory, who was already leading in the polls, in the elections. In the betting markets, Trump's election in November has reached around 65% likelihood, although these figures are not predictive.