Bandaged Trump Appears at RNC to Raucous Applause Two Days After Assassination Attempt

Former President Donald Trump appeared at the opening night of the Republican National Convention on Monday, just two days after being shot in the ear by a would-be assassin.

Trump was speaking at a rally in Bethel Park, Pennsylvania when shots rang out, one of which hit the former president in the ear. After being tackled to the stage by Secret Service agents, a bloodied Trump rose, held up a fist, and said, “Fight.”

With a bandage on his ear, the former president joined the RNC in Milwaukee on Monday, even though he will not deliver his acceptance speech until Thursday. He was introduced by singer Lee Greenwood , who sang his “God Bless the U.S.A.”

Not surprisingly, the crowd cheered wildly.

Earlier in the day, Trump announced he had chosen Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) to be his vice presidential running mate.

The convention formally nominated Trump as the Republican presidential nominee on Monday for the third consecutive time.

As Trump stood in the convention’s VIP box, the crowd chanted, “Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight!”

Trump is set to face President Joe Biden in a rematch of the 2020 election. Shortly after Trump was shot, Vance blamed Biden. Republicans have more broadly said Democrats are to blame for calling Trump a threat to democracy after he tried to overturn the 2020 election, which he lost.

However, the motive of the shooter – 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks – is unclear. Crooks was a registered Republican who gave a $15 donation to a Democratic fundraising website. According to a local Pittsburgh news station, Crooks’ yard recently featured Trump signs. Crooks was killed by Secret Service agents shortly after he opened fire, killing one rally-goer and wounding two others.

Watch above via CNN.