December 23, 2024
In an official statement, the CPT declared: “The Presidential Transitional Council (CPT) strongly condemns the assassination attempt that occurred in Butler, Pennsylvania, during which Donald J. Trump, former President of the United States of America and Republican candidate for the presidential election next November, was injured in the right ear and two other people were killed. Political violence is not justified in a democratic regime which thrives on debates and contradictions.”
International reactions were unanimous in their condemnation of this act of political violence. US President Joe Biden affirmed that “violence has no place in politics,” a sentiment shared by many world leaders including Emmanuel Macron, Benjamin Netanyahu, António Guterres, Keir Starmer, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, and Viktor Orbán, who expressed his solidarity with Trump via a message published on X.
Thomas Matthew Crooks, identified by the FBI as the shooter, was a 20-year-old from Pennsylvania with no criminal history. A 2022 graduate of Bethel Park High School, he was recognized with a National Mathematics and Science Initiative award. Despite his uneventful profile, Crooks opened fire with an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle before being shot and killed by law enforcement. Explosives discovered in his car and at his home revealed worrying premeditation.
Despite his injury, Donald Trump reaffirmed his commitment to his campaign: “I look forward to speaking to our great nation this week in Wisconsin,” he said the day after the incident.