Trump lands in New Jersey after surviving assassination attempt

Trump’s private jet landed at Newark Liberty International Airport shortly after midnight on Sunday.

A video posted by an adviser shows the former president disembarking from the plane, flanked by U.S. Secret Service agents and heavily armed members of the agency’s counterintelligence team.

It was an unusually visible demonstration of power by his protection force.

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

VIDEO OF THE FILMING

Trump released a statement on Truth Social.

“I was hit with a bullet that pierced the top of my right ear,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “I knew immediately something was wrong because I heard a whooshing sound, gunshots and immediately felt the bullet cut through the skin.”

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A witness nicknamed “Greg” told the BBC that he was at the rally when he saw a suspicious man armed with a rifle crawling “like a bear on the roof” of a nearby building and alerted the police.

“And suddenly five shots rang out,” he said.

During the shooting, Trump stopped speaking to the crowd, held his right ear and moved further behind the podium. US Secret Service surrounded Trump. The witness said he saw US Secret Service kill the gunman.

“They climbed up on the roof, pointed their guns at him and made sure he was dead,” the witness said. “He was dead, and that was it. It was over.”

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The loud communication between the agents suggested a coordinated response. Someone near Trump shouted: “The shooter is down!”

When Trump stood up, covered in blood, he raised his right fist as U.S. Secret Service agents formed a ring around him to protect him as they led him away from the podium.

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The agents led him out of the crowd and into a vehicle. Some in the crowd screamed in fear. The US Secret Service counterattack group in military gear stormed into the rally to search for the threat. US Secret Service agents in suits brandished their weapons.

Rico Elmore, a Republican who spoke at the rally, told CNN he had just walked away from the stage where Trump was standing when the shooting happened and saw a man he had never met before being shot.

“I jumped over the barrier and put my hand on the man’s head, which was bleeding profusely,” Elmore said.

The US Secret Service later released a statement saying the incident was the subject of an “ongoing investigation.”

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Police cleared the rally and cordoned off an area with police tape. A police helicopter flew over the area.

Steven Cheung, a spokesman for the Trump campaign, issued a statement: “President Trump thanks law enforcement and first responders for their quick action during this heinous act. He is doing well and is being evaluated at a local medical facility. Further details to follow.”

Photos from the rally

CNN, ABC News and the Associated Press contributed to this report. Torres reported from Local 10 News headquarters in Pembroke Park.