Former President Donald Trump smiles with supporters on Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2024, during a roundtable event at the Drexelbrook Event Center in Drexel Hill, Pa.
| Photo Credit: AP

Republican Donald Trump went into damage control mode and tried to win over the Latino community on Tuesday after insulting comments about them by a speaker at a signature event of his campaign in New York on Sunday snowballed into a controversy. “Nobody loves our Latino community and our Puerto Rican community more than I do,” Mr. Trump said at a rally in Pennsylvania, a critical swing State that he won narrowly in 2016 and lost narrowly in 2020. A speaker at the Trump rally had termed the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico “a floating island of garbage.”

A majority of the population of the town in eastern Pennsylvania, — 150 km to the east of New York City — of 1.25 lakh are Latino or Hispanic. In 2020, President Joe Biden won Pennsylvania by 81,000 votes, and in 2016, Mr. Trump won it by 44,292 votes of the total 61.7 lakh votes polled. In both the elections, Mr. Trump lost the Lehigh County where Allentown falls — in 2020, by 14,000 votes. Polls indicate a very narrow lead for his rival, Democrat Kamala Harris in 2024 in Pennsylvania. More than 50 million people across the U.S. have already voted through early voting mechanisms and both parties are urging their supporters to come out and vote. “Vote, vote, vote,” Mr. Trump exhorted his supporters, and alleged the Democrats were trying to manipulate voting. While he reiterated all the issues that define his politics — promise of mass deportation of illegal immigrants, a Trump tariff to protect American manufacturing and avoiding global wars — the focus of the speech was on Latino voters.

Mr. Trump had Latino Senator from Florida Marco Rubio join him on stage as both tried to turn the tables on the Democrats on the ‘garbage’ barb. Mr. Biden, during a call to mobilise Latino voters simultaneous with the rally, said: “The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporters….His, his demonisation of Latinos is unconscionable and it’s un-American.”

Mr. Rubio, who was invited to the stage by Mr. Trump, shared with the audience Mr. Biden’s comment. Mr. Trump was quick to draw parallels between Mr. Biden’s comment and his 2016 opponent Hillary Clinton’s reference to his supporters as a “basket of deplorables.”

“Garbage, I think, is worse,” Mr. Trump said, before quickly turning it into a question of Mr. Biden’s mental state and internal rivalry among the Democrats. “But he doesn’t know. You have to please forgive him..” Mr. Trump said. “Please forgive him for not knowing what he said…honestly, he doesn’t.”

Mr. Trump also sought to suggest a wedge between Mr. Biden who was replaced as the Democrat nominee after campaigning began. “And I am convinced that he likes me more than he likes Kamala. But that’s a terrible thing.”

Puerto Rico is a U.S. territory in the Caribbean, about 1,000 miles southeast of Florida. Residents of the island cannot vote in the U.S. federal election, but those who have moved to the mainland can. Around 60 lakh people of Puerto Rico origin live in the U.S, and in Pennsylvania they are a consequential voting bloc.

Democrats and their allies had latched on to the garbage remark at the Trump rally, and Latino leaders from both parties condemned it. The Trump campaign distanced itself from the speaker, and clarified that the remarks did not reflect the opinion of the candidate. After Mr. Biden’s remarks drew flak, the White House clarified that he was referring to the one Trump supporter who was speaking, and his comments. As campaigning peaks, both sides have found in garbage, a potential keyword that both hope to turn in their favour.

Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump pumps his fist as he is rushed offstage by U.S. Secret Service agents after being grazed by a bullet during a rally on July 13, 2024 in Butler, Pennsylvania.
| Photo Credit: AFP

Former U.S. President Donald Trump was the target of an assassination attempt at a Pennsylvania rally on July 13, 2024, that set off panic as a bloodied Trump was surrounded by Secret Service and hurried into his vehicle. A former fire chief attending the rally with family was killed, as was the gunman. Two other people were critically wounded.

Also Read : Trump rally shooting LIVE

This is a brief analysis of the scene of the Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, as well as satellite imagery of the site, which shows the shooter was able to get astonishingly close to the stage where the former president was speaking.

Here’s what’s known so far about the timeline of the shooting:

Trump’s rally takes place at the Butler Farm Show Grounds, Butler, Pennsylvania on July 13, 2024.

The ground on 625 Evans City Road is home to the Butler Farm Show, an annual agriculture fair.

6.02 p.m. EDT – Trump takes the stage to the strains of “God Bless the U.S.A.” He waves at the cheering crowd and begins his regular rally speech, with spectators both in front of him and behind him on risers.

Trump starts addressing his supporters and speaks for roughly six minutes before the scene erupts into chaos.

6.10 p.m. – After rally-goers notice a man climbing on the top of the roof of a nearby building, a local law enforcement officer climbs to the roof, according to two law enforcement officials.

A man identified by the FBI as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks points his rifle at the officer, who retreats down the ladder, the officials said.

Gunman then quickly fires, according to the officials who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation. Trump was showing off border-crossing numbers when gunfire began.

As the first pop rings out, Trump says, “Oh,” and raises his hand to his right ear and looks at it, before quickly crouching to the ground behind his lectern. Video shows Trump getting to his feet and reaching with his right hand toward his face, which was smeared with blood.

Secret Service agents rush to the stage and pile atop the former president to shield him.

Secret Service counter snipers fire back and shoot Crooks.

While the gunman is positioned outside the rally venue, the distance between him and where Trump is speaking is only approximately 400 to 500 feet, according to law enforcement sources.

About 1 minute after the shots – As Trump stands up, he pumps to the crowd with his right fist. He appears to mouth the word “fight” twice to his crowd of supporters, prompting loud cheers and then chants of “USA. USA. USA.”

About 2 minutes after the shots – Trump turns back to the crowd and again raises a fist right before agents put him into a vehicle and he is taken to a local hospital.

Corey Comperatore, a 50-year-old former fire chief attending the rally, is shot and killed. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said Sunday that Comperatore used his body as a shield to protect his wife and daughter.

6.50 p.m. – Secret Service says “the former President is safe.”

8:42 p.m. – Trump posts on his social media site that he was injured in the upper part of his right ear. “I knew immediately that something was wrong in that I heard a whizzing sound, shots, and immediately felt the bullet ripping through the skin,” he said.

Trump’s private jet lands at Newark Liberty International Airport. Video posted by an aide showed the former president deplaning, flanked by U.S. Secret Service agents and heavily armed members of the agency’s counter assault team. It was an unusually visible show of force by his protective detail.

Trump travels to his private golf club in nearby Bedminster, New Jersey, to spend the night.

Source: AP, Reuters, CNN, and FBI

Former president Donald Trump was rushed off stage by Secret Service agents Saturday after a series of loud bangs that sounded like possible gunshots were heard at the start of a campaign rally in Pennsylvania.

Trump was seen with blood on his right ear as he was surrounded by security agents, who rushed him off the stage as he pumped his first to the crowd.

The “former President is safe,” the Secret Service said after Trump was bundled into an SUV and driven away.

“This is an active crime scene,” Secret Service officers told reporters, ordering them out of the area.

“We saw a lot of people go down, looking confused. I heard the shots, it sounded like between firecrackers and a small caliber handgun,” said John Yeykal from Franklin, Pennsylvania, who was attending his first Trump rally.

The disturbance took place shortly after Trump took the stage at his final campaign rally before the Republican party convention starts on Monday in Milwaukee.

President Joe Biden has received an initial breifing on the incident, the White House said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)