Trump Rally Shooting: ISKCON Says Lord Jagannath's 'Divine Intervention' Saved Ex-Prez, Shooter Wanted To Join School's Rifle Club
Donald Trump underwent a precautionary CT scan after he was shot in the upper ear during a campaign event and the scan came back clear
Trump Rally Shooting Updates: In a shocking incident, former US President Donald Trump was injured in an apparent assassination attempt during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania on July 13. The 20-year-old shooter, later identified as Thomas Matthew Crooks, fired multiple shots at Trump, 78, injuring the Republican leader's right ear.
The suspected shooter was killed by Secret Service service agents, with the FBI investigating the matter as a potential “domestic terrorism” act. The federal probe agency said Crooks, a resident of Pennsylvania’s Bethel Park, appeared to have acted alone.
The attempted assassination of Trump left one person dead, and two more attendees still in critical but stable condition. Though Trump received only minor injuries, it was a close shave as some photographs appear to show the streak of a bullet cutting through the air near the former president’s head.
Lord Jagannath's 'Intervention' Saved Trump, Says Iskcon
A 'divine intervention' by Lord Jagannath saved the former US President during the assassination attempt, claimed the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (Iskcon).
Referring to Trump's association with the first Rath Yatra in New York 48 years ago, Iskcon spokesperson Radharamn Das said that Lord Jagannath returned the favour by saving him.
Yes, for sure it's a divine intervention.
— Radharamn Das राधारमण दास (@RadharamnDas) July 14, 2024
Exactly 48 years ago, Donald Trump saved the Jagannath Rathayatra festival. Today, as the world celebrates the Jagannath Rathayatra festival again, Trump was attacked, and Jagannath returned the favor by saving him.
In July 1976, Donald… https://t.co/RuTX3tHQnj
“Yes, for sure it's a divine intervention. Exactly 48 years ago, Donald Trump saved the Jagannath Rath Yatra festival. Today, as the world celebrates the Jagannath Rath Yatra festival again, Trump was attacked, and Jagannath returned the favour by saving him,” Das said in a post on X.
"In July 1976, Donald Trump helped Iskcon devotees organise Rath Yatra by providing his train yard for the construction of the raths for free. Today, as the world celebrates the 9-day Jagannath Rath Yatra festival, this terrible attack on him and his narrow escape show Jagannath's intervention," he added.
Das noted that when Iskcon was organising the first Rath Yatra in New York City, challenges were galore and it was then that Trump emerged as a ray of hope for the Krishna devotees.
Shooter's Motive Remains Elusive
The 20-year-old shooter first came to law enforcement’s attention when spectators noticed him acting strangely during Saturday’s rally. The tip sparked a frantic search for him, but officers were unable to find him before he managed to get on a roof, where he opened fire, according to a report by the Associated Press.
Now investigators are searching for clues about what may have driven Thomas Matthew Crooks to carry out the shocking attack. The FBI said that in absence of a clear ideological motive by now dead shooter allowed conspiracy theories to flourish.
The FBI said it believes Crooks, who had bomb-making materials in the car he drove to the rally, acted alone. Investigators have found no threatening comments on social media accounts or ideological positions that could help explain what led him to target Trump.
Shooter Wanted To Join School's Shooting Club
Crooks wanted to join his high school's rifle team but was rejected for being a "terrible" shot. As per a report by The Post, he was a member of a local shooting club named Clairton Sportsmen's Club.
The report said Crooks tried out for the rifle team at high school but was rejected.
He once missed his target by close to 20 feet, former student Jameson Murphy told The Post.
"Crooks couldn't shoot at all. He was a terrible shot," another classmate told The Post.
Even the coach had concerns about Crooks, former students said adding that je made some crass jokes that weren't appropriate when there are firearms in the school setting.
Trump Rally Shooter Was 'Lonely', 'Bullied' Math Whiz
Crooks, who graduated from Bethel Park High School in 2022, received a USD 500 "star award" from the National Math and Science Initiative, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
His former schoolmates described Crooks as a "quiet" student who often came across as "lonely," ABC News reported. Jason Kohler, who said he attended the same high school as Crooks, told ABC that Crooks seemed "socially reserved" and was often "bullied".
"He was quiet but he was just bullied. He was bullied so much," Kohler said adding that Crooks had been made fun of for the way he dressed, noting that he would sometimes wear hunting outfits.
Biden Calls For 'National Unity' After Assassination Attempt on Trump
US President Joe Biden described the attack on Donald Trump as an “assassination attempt” and appealed for national unity, a day after the shooting on the former president shocked the entire world. Biden addressed the nation on Sunday afternoon after receiving a briefing in the White House Situation Room by his top national security team.
“As I said last night, there is no place in America for this kind of violence or any violence for that matter, Biden said. An assassination attempt is contrary to everything we stand for as a nation. Everything. It’s not who we are as a nation. It’s not American. And we cannot allow this to happen,” he said.
“Unity is the most elusive goal of all, but nothing is more important than that right now. Unity. We’ll debate, and we’ll disagree, that’s not going to change. But we’ll not lose sight of who we are as Americans,” said Biden, who returned from his weekend vacation in Delaware at midnight.
Biden said the FBI is leading the investigation that is still in its early stages. “We don’t yet have any information about the motive of the shooter. We know who he is. I urge everyone, everyone, please, don’t make assumptions about his motives or affiliations. Let the FBI do their job and their partner agencies do their job,” he said.
Trump In Milwaukee for Republican National Convention
Trump has arrived in Milwaukee for the Republican National Convention where he is expected to be nominated as the Republican presidential candidate, according to a report by CNBC. The former president was initially going to delay the trip by two days following the attempted assassination but decided otherwise.
“I was going to delay my trip to Wisconsin, and The Republican National Convention, by two days, but have just decided that I cannot allow a ‘shooter,’ or potential assassin, to force change to scheduling, or anything else,” Trump wrote on social media platform Truth Social.
Biden Postpones Texas Visit
In the wake of the attempted assassination of his Republican rival, US President Joe Biden postponed his planned trip to the LBJ Presidential Library in Austin on Monday. He will return to the campaign trail this week, which includes a keynote speech at the NAACP convention in Las Vegas on Tuesday, as per the CNBC report.
Although no new date has been announced, Mark Updegrove, president and CEO of the LBJ Foundation, said the visit could happen in the coming weeks.
Trump Underwent CT Scan After Assassination Attempt
Donald Trump underwent a precautionary CT scan after he was shot in the upper ear during a campaign event and the scan came back clear, CNN reported.
Trump received an injury in his right ear during the shooting. He underwent a precautionary computed tomography scan that came back clear. It’s unclear whether he had any other tests performed, CNN reported.
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