Republican supporters celebrate Trump after near-death incident

Supporters of former President Donald Trump gathered in Huntington Beach, California as the former president called for unity and resilience Sunday after an attempt on his life added fresh uncertainty to an already tumultuous presidential campaign and raised sharp questions about how a gunman was able to open fire from a rooftop near a Pennsylvania campaign rally.

“We know that they’re trying to steal the- steal it (the election) from us, and they’re going to do whatever they can to get rid of Trump. And so yesterday they tried. And so we’re here to show. That’s not gonna happen. We’re not gonna let that happen. We’re all- we know what we see what’s happening. And it’s not going to happen under our watch,” said one Republican supporter.

A full day after the shooting, the gunman’s motive was still a mystery, and investigators said they believe he acted alone before being fatally shot by Secret Service agents.

President Joe Biden ordered an independent security review of the attack, which killed a bystander and critically wounded two others.

The FBI was investigating the shooting as a potential act of domestic terrorism.

Back in California, supporters voiced a range of sentiments following the incident.

“if we could try to tone everything down, you know, even on social media, you see, on social media, I try to stay off social media. Most of us try to stay off social media just because of that reason. So hopefully this (shooting) sends a message to everybody just calm it all down, man,” Marcos Santos of Huntington Beach said.

“Yeah. We’re celebrating that he lived. Yeah. Of course. Yeah. He survived. He dodged a bullet. Literally. Like, literally. If he had not moved that 1 milli- or whatever millimeter, it would have got him because they got him right here. So tell me where they were aiming,” Lupe Rodriguez, Trump supporter and Roland Heights resident said.

Additional sources • AP