The Secret Service, responsible for protecting US political leaders, has faced backlash.
A head tilt to see a chart microseconds before the bullet’s impact saved former US President Donald Trump from certain death.
A TikTok account, PointConsciousness, tracked the trajectory of the ballistic with a graphic showing how the head tilt saved Trump from losing his life at the rally in Pennsylvania’s Butler.
Almost two seconds before the bullet’s impact, the right side of Mr Trump’s head was in the round’s trajectory. A second later, the former US President leaned toward his left and tilted his head slightly right – the AR-15 rifle’s bullet grazed his right ear, with blood spattering on his face.
WOW … 100% a miracle.
— Catturd ™ (@catturd2) July 16, 2024
How A Chart Saved Mr Trump’s Life
Trump, a hardliner on immigration issues, told Texas Congressman Ronny Jackson, also a doctor, a few hours after the assassination attempt as to how a chart saved his life. In an interview with the New York Times, Mr Jackson recounts what Mr Trump told him over the phone.
The chart featured statistics on immigration during President Joe Biden’s regime.
Mr Trump credited the border patrol for “saving his life”. He was referring to a chart with immigration statistics on a screen to his right. He tilted his head to take a look at the chart, and that is when the bullet hit his ear, narrowly missing his head.
Mr Jackson’s nephew was also injured at the rally, he wrote on X. “Thankfully his injury was not serious and he is doing well. My family was sitting in the front, near where the President was speaking. They heard shots ringing out – my nephew then realized he had blood on his neck and something had grazed and cut his neck. He was treated by the providers in the medical tent. Thank you to all those that have reached out to check on him. “
My nephew was injured at the Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. Thankfully his injury was not serious and he is doing well. My family was sitting in the front, near where the President was speaking. They heard shots ringing out — my nephew then realized he had blood on his neck…
— Ronny Jackson (@RonnyJacksonTX) July 14, 2024
“The President and the survivors are lucky to be alive,” he added.
‘Confusion And Fear Had Set In’
The mood was upbeat and there “didn’t seem to be anything wrong at all”, Jason Vecchio, a man who attended the Trump campaign rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday, told NDTV. Mr Vechhio, who was 150 steps away from the stage, said that it was a very positive experience until the former president was shot at and then a kind of “confusion and fear set in”.
“Those bullets whizzed by him, hit the machine and the boom came down because it hit a hydraulic line. We see Secret Service jump on top of him, to shield him and protect him. It wasn’t like instantly that we knew what was going on. Sounded like gunfire because I have been around firearms. We got down and heard the gunfire stop. At that point, I ran over to the fence, hopped over the fence and took cover under a police car just because I wasn’t sure if there was a secondary shooter or if a shooter was in the crowd. No one had any idea where the shooter was. So I just wanted to be in the safest place I could be in.
“And then we all watched Trump stand up and put his fist in the air and we all stood up and started chanting. It was quite an experience. It was quite a moving moment to see him stand up after we all just thought he died. And then I walked over to the fence and walked over to my buddies and together we opened the fence and started funnelling everybody through the exit,” said Mr Vechhio, recounting what he saw at the event.
‘Snipers Spotted Shooters Before Attack’
The assassination attempt has changed the course of the presidential election campaign, with the Republican party more united and rallying behind its candidate, Donald Trump. Probe agencies are still searching for clues on what led to Crooks attacking Mr Trump.
The Secret Service, responsible for protecting US political leaders, has faced backlash over how a gunman aiming an assault rifle was allowed to take a position on a roof some 500 feet from Trump.
Footage has emerged of people sighting the gunman on the roof and trying to warn security before he opened fire. According to CBS News, there were three snipers stationed inside the building the shooter used. The operations plan had them stationed inside the building looking out windows toward the Trump rally. Crooks took out a rangefinder and the Secret Service sniper radioed to the command post, CBS News reported.
Officers believe that the shooter might have used an air conditioning unit to get on top of the roof.
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