In the aftermath of the shooting incident that claimed one life at his Butler, Pennsylvania, rally, former President Donald Trump authorized a GoFundMe page which has exceeded $3,000,000 in donations so far.
Corey Comperatore, a volunteer firefighter, was killed at after he dived to protect his family.
Two others were injured.
The FBI identified the shooter as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks of Bethel Park.
The shooter was shot and killed by the Secret Service.
Trump’s campaign revealed the GoFundMe and the link has been shared across social media platforms in an attempt to promote the $1 million goal of contributions.
Lynne Patton, Senior Advisor to Trump, shared the link to her Instagram story and encouraged social media users to donate.
The page, which was launched by Meredith O’Rourke, Trump’s campaign national finance director, reads: “President Donald Trump has authorized this account as a place for donations to the supporters and families wounded or killed in today’s brutal and horrific assassination attempt. All donations will be directed to these proud Americans as they grieve and recover. May God bless and unite our nation.”
Donors have left comments attached to their donations expressing condolences, prayers and good wishes to the families and President Trump.
As of Sunday, the GoFundMe page had exceeded $3,000,000 in donations.
Here are some notable donors.
- Kid Rock: $50,000
- Ken Black: $36,000
- Vivek Ramaswamy: $30,000
- Adam Sinn: $25,000
- John Shahidi: $25,000
- Ben Shapiro: $15,000
- James Bodenstedt: $10,000
- Bill Ackman: $10,000
- Ivanka Trump: $10,000
In one of his first interviews since the incident, Mr Trump told conservative US media he felt that he had been saved “by luck or by God”.
“The most incredible thing was that I happened to not only turn [my head] but to turn at the exact right time and in just the right amount,” he said, adding that the bullet that grazed his ear could have easily killed him.
“I’m supposed to be dead, I’m not supposed to be here,” he said.
Mr Trump described the moment he looked up at the crowd after realising he had been shot.
“The energy coming from the people there in that moment, they just stood there. It’s hard to describe what that felt like, but I knew the world was looking. I knew that history would judge this, and I knew I had to let them know we are OK,” he told the Washington Examiner.
Speaking as he prepared to board a flight to the upcoming Republican National Convention (RNC) in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he is expected to be confirmed as the party’s candidate for president, Mr Trump said he now had a “chance to bring the country together”.
He said his speech would now be completely different instead of the “humdinger” aimed mostly at current President Joe Biden’s policies he had previously planned.
“Had [Saturday’s attack] not happened, this would’ve been one of the most incredible speeches.
“Honestly, it’s going to be a whole different speech now. It is a chance to bring the country together.”
Earlier, Mr Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social that he had intended to delay his trip to Wisconsin by two days.
But he added that he was sticking to his original schedule as: “I cannot allow a ‘shooter,’ or potential assassin, to force change to scheduling”.
Mr Trump said that the assassination attempt “has had an impact” on him.
Little is known about the motivation of Crooks, the 20-year-old would-be assassin who was shot dead by the Secret Service at the scene.
The FBI has said that while its investigation suggests Crooks acted alone, it would continue to look into whether the kitchen worker had received help.
The spectator who was killed in Saturday’s attack has been named as Corey Comperatore, a 50-year-old volunteer fire chief who died trying to protect his family.
In a televised address following the attack, President Biden called for the “temperature of politics” to be lowered.
“We cannot, must not, go down this road again. We’ve travelled it before in our history,” said Mr Biden, listing off a growing number of violent political acts that had taken place in the US in recent years.
“In America we resolve our differences at the ballot box,” he added. “At the ballot box. Not with bullets.”
