Former United States President Donald Trump recently revealed his wife Melania Trump’s first reaction after he was shot at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. Mr Trump was hit in the ear in an assassination bid by a gunman at a campaign rally. Blood was visible on his cheeks and mouth. The shooter was identified as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks. He and a bystander were killed, while two spectators were critically injured.

“What was Melania’s reaction, I hope you don’t mind me asking, I know this is very personal, when she learned about what happened on that field in Butler?” Fox News host Laura Ingraham asked the former president. “She was watching live. It was all over the place, it was on television,” Mr Trump said.

“And I asked her that, I mean I wasn’t there, I was on the ground-when the world started to, when you could talk to people and said, ‘So what was your feeling,’ and she was ah, she can’t really even talk about it-“

The 45th US President continued, “Which is OK, because that means she likes me or she loves me. Let’s say if she could talk about it freely, that would be, I’m not so sure which is better but ah, she either likes or loves me, that’s nice.”

Meanwhile, the former first lady said that the gunman who opened fire at Mr Trump was a “monster”. “A monster who recognized my husband as an inhuman political machine attempted to ring out Donald’s passion — his laughter, ingenuity, love of music, and inspiration,” Melania Trump said in a statement shared on X.

“When I watched that violent bullet strike my husband, Donald, I realized my life, and Barron’s life, were on the brink of devastating change,” she said, referencing the couple’s 18-year-old son.

“I am grateful to the brave secret service agents and law enforcement officials who risked their own lives to protect my husband,” she added.

Former US President Donald Trump is planning to stop holding campaign rallies outdoors in the wake of the 13 July assassination attempt, as per a report in Newsweek. The team of the Republican contender for 2024 has stated that campaigning will be held indoors for security reasons. Mr Trump might still make an appearance at smaller outdoor rallies, but they will take place in places like stadiums with strictly restricted admissions.

Notably, Mr Trump has hosted hundreds of outdoor rallies since he announced his presidential campaign. For his fans and supporters, these events have taken on the character of festivals, complete with parties and vendors selling campaign memorabilia and products.

The move, which was first reported by the Washington Post, coincides with the resignation of Kimberly Cheatle, the director of the Secret Service, on Tuesday. Ms Cheatle was subjected to a hostile grilling by both Democrats and Republicans before a congressional committee over apparent security lapses before a 20-year-old gunman’s attempt on Mr Trump’s life.

In a letter of resignation, Ms Cheatle stated she had decided to leave the agency “with a heavy heart,” citing the Butler rally as the reason it “fell short” of the agency’s mandate to “protect our nation’s leaders.”

According to the Washington Post report, Mr Trump’s team informed the Secret Service that the 2024 re-election campaign intended to host big events and would require more resources and security. However, it is believed that the agency rejected the requests due to a shortage of funding.

Meanwhile, the 45th US President was hit in the ear in an assassination bid by a gunman at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania today. Blood was visible on his cheeks and mouth. The shooter was identified as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks. He has been killed. A spectator was also killed in the shooting and two others were “critically” injured, officials said.

The 78-year-old Republican presidential contender, whose team claimed he was “fine,” was attacked shortly as he began his speech. “I knew immediately that something was wrong in that I heard a whizzing sound, shots, and immediately felt the bullet ripping through the skin,” Mr Trump said on his Truth Social account.