'Assassination Attempt Avoided' Trump Says "Shot Because of Biden and Harris' Remarks"

"Assassination Attempt Suspect Claims to Believe Biden and Harris"

Former U.S. President Donald Trump attributed the responsibility for the second assassination attempt against him to President Joe Biden and his presidential rival, Vice President Kamala Harris.

Trump, the Republican presidential candidate, said in an interview with Fox News Digital on the 16th (local time), "He (the assassination attempt suspect) believed the rhetoric from Biden and Harris (expressions about Trump) and acted based on that belief," adding, "Because of that rhetoric, I was shot."

He continued, "I am the one who will save the country, but they are the ones destroying the country from inside and out," and added, "They are the internal enemies and the real threat."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

This appears to point to President Biden and Vice President Harris labeling former President Trump as a "threat to democracy" and strongly criticizing him. Trump claims that their rhetoric is linked to the assassination attempts against him.

Former President Trump experienced a shooting during a campaign event in Pennsylvania last July, which injured his ear, and the day before, he faced a second assassination attempt while playing golf at his own golf course in Florida.

The suspect is 58-year-old Ryan Wesley Lucas, who aimed a gun at Trump from a distance of approximately 270 to 460 meters. When Secret Service agents detected him, the attempt failed and he fled but was soon apprehended. Trump is reported to have sustained no significant injuries.