Former President Donald Trump was shot at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. Shortly after multiple shots were fired, Trump was seen with blood on his ear and cheek as Secret Service agents quickly escorted him off the stage. He grabbed his ear and ducked as agents surrounded him, urging him to get down. Another shot was heard, followed by a woman's scream.

The FBI identified the shooter as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania. Authorities reported that Crooks fired multiple shots from a rooftop near the rally venue before being killed by Secret Service agents.

A close examination of a recent photograph shows that the bullet grazed Trump's ear. Doctors, including otolaryngologists, noted that he narrowly escaped death as the bullet came dangerously close to vital areas. Many observers initially mocked the shooter's aim as "pathetic," but analysis from a different angle reveals that the shot was initially aimed at the center of Trump's head. Turning his head toward a nearby graph, Trump's last-minute movement likely saved his life, with some describing it as miraculous.

Following the shooting, Donald Trump received a hero’s welcome at the Republican National Convention, his first public appearance since narrowly surviving an assassination attempt two days earlier. He entered the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, with a bandage over his right ear to the cheers of Republican delegates and the sound of Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the USA.”

According to William Hill, a U.K.-based betting company, the incident caused Trump's odds of winning the 2024 presidential election from 8/15 (65.2 percent) to 4/11 (73.3 percent). This was a result of his now widespread photo of his fist in the air as he mouthed “fight, fight, fight” to the crowd, showing his resilience and masculine stature, giving juxtaposition to the health status of Biden, where many are concerned that his age can affect his work and performance if he is elected as president.

[저작권자ⓒ 세계투데이. 무단전재-재배포 금지]