Trump arrived at the rally as a political phenomenon… he left an American hero - analysis by Ray Addison

Now named by the FBI as Thomas Matthew Crooks, the 20-year-old Pennsylvania native climbed onto the roof of a building just outside the event’s perimeter and fired a series of shots.

One struck Donald Trump’s right ear, whilst another fatally wounded a man in the crowd. Two more were injured.

An inch to the right and Trump would be dead too.

He later described hearing “a whizzing sound” and “felt the bullet ripping through the skin”.

Bundled to the ground by Secret Service agents, Trump defiantly rose to his feet, his fist raised, pumping the air, and screaming the word “fight, fight, fight!” as the US flag fluttered behind him.

As he stood there bloodied but undeterred, confirmation came through that the shooter was down. Taken out by one of Trump’s snipers.

In the minutes and hours that followed, footage of the assassination attempt went viral, with some online trying to downplay the attack, or even suggest it was a false flag.

But the American public is no longer willing to be gaslit.

After months of politicians and left-leaning media pundits claiming the President was “sharp” and “intensely focussed”, only for the opposite to be revealed in June’s presidential debate, they’ve learned to trust their own eyes.

As Trump was rushed for medical treatment, President Biden spoke at a press conference saying: “There's no place in America for this kind of violence.” But Democrats cannot distance themselves from this attack.

Years of relentless false claims over Russian collusion, the weaponisation of the judiciary to bankrupt Trump and put him behind bars, not to mention reckless claims that Trump will kill democracy in his second term, have whipped up a dangerous level of hatred against him.

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And nowhere was that clearer than on social media platform X where #YouHadOneJob began trending as thousands posted their disappointment that Trump had survived.

The assassination attempt has also raised serious questions about the former president’s protection detail.

One eyewitness reported that he had repeatedly tried to alert local police and Secret Service agents to the gunman’s presence several minutes before the shooting began, but still, he was able to fire several rounds before being taken down.

There are now calls for an urgent investigation into who knew what and when.

The events come just months after the former chair of the now-disbanded January 6 committee, Democrat Bennie Thompson, introduced legislation to remove Secret Service protection from convicted felons. An act that, if successful, would have presumably left Trump a moving target.

He has since tweeted that he is “glad the former President is safe”.

In the face of all this hate, while many others would have walked away, Trump, who is 78 years old, has never backed down.

And neither has his supporters.

As he rose to his feet last night and pumped his fist, the crowd chanted “USA, USA, USA!” Their commitment and resolve for the Republican cause is clear for all to see.

With the Republican National Convention due to start tomorrow, Trump has also signalled that he will not be deterred from future public appearances, releasing a statement on Truth Social saying 'I look forward to speaking to our Great Nation this week from Wisconsin'.

In the meantime, just as everyone can remember where they were when JFK was shot and killed, no one will forget where they were when a presumably deranged assassin got Trump in his sights.

Thanks to his misguided actions, Trump arrived at the rally as a political phenomenon and left as a new American hero.