On Saturday, July 13, former President Donald Trump was reportedly the target of a shooting in Butler, Pennsylvania. Accused shooter Matthew Crooks reportedly fired multiple shots in the direction of the Republican nominee for President, killing volunteer firefighter Corey Comperatore and injuring two other bystanders. In the aftermath of the fatal shooting, Trump, who suffered injuries to the area near his ear during the shooting, appeared at the Republican National Convention to accept the party’s nomination for President. Days later, he’s returned to the campaign trail for the first time since July 13.
On Wednesday, July 24, the former reality show host led a rally in Charlotte, North Carolina. During his time at the microphone, Trump talked about a number of topics, including the emergence of a new political rival. One week after the shooting, President Joe Biden ended his re-election campaign and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris. With the Vice President reportedly gaining enough delegates to secure the Democratic Party’s nomination, Trump has decided to make her the new target of his political ire. In his first remarks since the shooting and Biden’s departure, he called the Vice President “the most incompetent and far-left vice president in American history.” Later, he also referred to her as “crazy” and “unhinged.”
“I was supposed to be nice. They say something happened to me when I got shot. I became nice,” Trump said.
“And when you’re dealing with these people, they’re very dangerous people, you can’t be too nice. So if you don’t mind, I’m not going to be nice. Is that OK?”
Trump’s words eventually made their way to the Harris campaign, who, in return, called his speech “unhinged, weird, and rambling.”
“But the American people won’t be fooled or distracted,” Harris spokesperson Ammar Moussa said.
“The choice this November will be Trump’s Project 2025 agenda to ban abortion nationwide and give himself unlimited, unchecked power; or Vice President Harris who is fighting to protect freedom and ensure every American gets a fair shot.”