Former US President and Republican candidate Donald Trump said on Saturday nobody forewarned him of a problem in the lead-up to the former president's rally in Pennsylvania last week, when a would-be assassin shot him in the ear. "Nobody mentioned it, nobody said there was a problem. I would've waited for 15, they could've said let's wait for 15 minutes, 20 minutes, 5 minutes, something. Nobody said," Trump told Fox News in an interview.
"I think that was a mistake," he added. "How did somebody get on that roof? And why wasn't he reported?" Because people saw that he was on the roof. You had Trumpers screaming, the woman in the red shirt, she was screaming, "There's a man on the roof" and then other people said, "There's a man on the roof who's got a gun" and that was quite a bit before I walked onto the stage, so you would've thought someone would've done something about it."
Video: Moment when former US President Donald Trump attacked
The Washington Post on Saturday reported that top officials at the US Secret Service repeatedly rejected requests from Trump's security detail for more manpower and gear at events before the attempted assassination. The agency, which is responsible for Trump's protection, denied these requests, saying at times that it lacked resources, the newspaper reported, citing people familiar with the matter.
What happened with former US President Donald Trump
A shooting at former US President and Republican candidate for the upcoming elections Donald Trump's rally in Butler, Pennsylvania is being investigated as an attempted assassination of the former president and presumptive Republican nominee, law enforcement officials say. One attendee was killed and two were critically injured. Trump said on social media that a bullet “pierced the upper part” of his right ear before agents whisked him off stage. The Secret Service said it killed the suspected shooter, who attacked from an elevated position outside the rally venue.
Who was Thomas Matthew Crooks?
The FBI early Sunday identified the shooter as Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania. Records show Crooks, was registered as a Republican voter in Pennsylvania, but federal campaign finance reports also show he gave $15 to a progressive political action committee on January 20, 2021, the day President Joe Biden was sworn into office. The FBI said it was working to determine a motive for the attack, in which one rally attendee died and two other spectators were critically injured. Trump was shot in the ear.
(With inputs from agency)
