The attempted assassination of Donald Trump marks a terrifying new moment for America, stoking fears of further political violence in an increasingly divided country where extreme narratives have drowned out civil discourse.
Images of a bloodied and fist-pumping Trump emerging defiant from the attempt on his life also mark a watershed moment in this year's election campaign, likely to further galvanise support among many voters.
Even before a bullet whizzed past the former president's head at a Pennsylvania rally on Saturday, several other high-profile figures – both Republican and Democrat – have been targeted, and the inflammatory rhetoric during this election campaign is unlikely to abate anytime soon.
“There is no place in America for this kind of violence. It's sick,” President Joe Biden said shortly after Saturday's shooting.
“We have to unite this country. We cannot allow for this to be happening. We cannot be like this. We cannot condone this.”
Mr Biden went on to say that “the idea that there's political violence or violence in America like this, it's just unheard of”.
That assessment, sadly, is untrue.
A long list of American presidents have been shot at, dating back to before the Civil War, and four of them were killed. The most recent assassination of a sitting president was John F Kennedy in Dallas in 1963.
Ronald Reagan survived after being shot in Washington in 1981.
Some blame Democrats for shooting
Following the attack on Trump, prominent figures from both the Republican and Democratic parties condemned the shooting and wished him well.
Alongside the outpouring of support, however, a right-wing narrative soon emerged that the assassination attempt was the fault of the Biden administration's rhetoric about Trump, whom Mr Biden has portrayed as a would-be dictator who wants to end American democracy.
This election season has been overshadowed by foreboding language, with Trump vowing to be a “dictator” on day one if he wins re-election in November, and pledging to take “revenge” on those who he believes have politically persecuted him.
“The central premise of the Biden campaign is that President Donald Trump is an authoritarian fascist who must be stopped at all costs,” said JD Vance, a senator from Ohio believed to be on Trump's shortlist to be his vice presidential running mate.
“That rhetoric led directly to President Trump's attempted assassination.”
Republican Congressman Mike Collins of Georgia went further, saying authorities in Pennsylvania should “immediately file charges against Joseph R Biden for inciting an assassination”.
Another shock
Saturday's shooting presents yet another shock in the election season, which in recent weeks has been dominated by Mr Biden's apparently failing cognitive abilities and whether he is fit to run for re-election.
Trump has already emerged as the favourite as he maintains the lead over Mr Biden in crucial swing states, and the contrast to a blood-soaked shooting survivor to an elderly man unable to form coherent sentences at a debate is stark.
Steve Schmidt, a former Republican political strategist who has spoken out against former president Trump, said on Saturday that “the political consequences of this assassination attempt will be immense, and they will benefit Donald Trump”.
Within minutes of the shooting, “Civil War” was one of the most trending terms on X, reflecting the deep concerns many Americans have about worsening political violence.
A 2023 report from the non-partisan research firm PRRI found that nearly a quarter of Americans agree that “patriots may have to resort to violence in order to save our country” – the most in the about three years the question has been asked since Trump’s term in office.
The report also found that 75 per cent of Americans, from both sides of the political spectrum, agree that American democracy is at risk in the 2024 presidential election.
In 2022, the husband of former US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was violently assaulted by a hammer-wielding attacker in the couple's San Francisco home. The assailant David DePape, who yelled “Where is Nancy” during the attack, was sentenced to 30 years in prison.
That same year, police arrested an armed man who had made threats against Brett Kavanaugh near the conservative US Supreme Court justice's home. Police say he was plotting to kill the judge.
And three men in Michigan were found guilty of taking part in a conspiracy to kidnap Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer.
But for many, the gravest incident of political violence in modern times was the deadly January 6, 2021 riots, when thousands of Trump loyalists stormed the US Capitol in an attempt to stop Mr Biden from becoming president after Trump refused to concede defeat.
Ellie Sennett in Washington contributed to this report.
Trump shooting – in pictures
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
If you go
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Funchal via Lisbon, with a connecting flight with Air Portugal. Economy class returns cost from Dh3,845 return including taxes.
The trip
The WalkMe app can be downloaded from the usual sources. If you don’t fancy doing the trip yourself, then Explore offers an eight-day levada trails tour from Dh3,050, not including flights.
The hotel
There isn’t another hotel anywhere in Madeira that matches the history and luxury of the Belmond Reid's Palace in Funchal. Doubles from Dh1,400 per night including taxes.
HWJN
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MATCH INFO
Barcelona 5 (Lenglet 2', Vidal 29', Messi 34', 75', Suarez 77')
Valladolid 1 (Kiko 15')
Farage on Muslim Brotherhood
Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
"We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know.
“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
Iraq negotiating over Iran sanctions impact
- US sanctions on Iran’s energy industry and exports took effect on Monday, November 5.
- Washington issued formal waivers to eight buyers of Iranian oil, allowing them to continue limited imports. Iraq did not receive a waiver.
- Iraq’s government is cooperating with the US to contain Iranian influence in the country, and increased Iraqi oil production is helping to make up for Iranian crude that sanctions are blocking from markets, US officials say.
- Iraq, the second-biggest producer in the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, pumped last month at a record 4.78 million barrels a day, former Oil Minister Jabbar Al-Luaibi said on Oct. 20. Iraq exported 3.83 million barrels a day last month, according to tanker tracking and data from port agents.
- Iraq has been working to restore production at its northern Kirkuk oil field. Kirkuk could add 200,000 barrels a day of oil to Iraq’s total output, Hook said.
- The country stopped trucking Kirkuk oil to Iran about three weeks ago, in line with U.S. sanctions, according to four people with knowledge of the matter who asked not to be identified because they aren’t allowed to speak to media.
- Oil exports from Iran, OPEC’s third-largest supplier, have slumped since President Donald Trump announced in May that he’d reimpose sanctions. Iran shipped about 1.76 million barrels a day in October out of 3.42 million in total production, data compiled by Bloomberg show.
- Benchmark Brent crude fell 47 cents to $72.70 a barrel in London trading at 7:26 a.m. local time. U.S. West Texas Intermediate was 25 cents lower at $62.85 a barrel in New York. WTI held near the lowest level in seven months as concerns of a tightening market eased after the U.S. granted its waivers to buyers of Iranian crude.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Guide to intelligent investing
Investing success often hinges on discipline and perspective. As markets fluctuate, remember these guiding principles:
- Stay invested: Time in the market, not timing the market, is critical to long-term gains.
- Rational thinking: Breathe and avoid emotional decision-making; let logic and planning guide your actions.
- Strategic patience: Understand why you’re investing and allow time for your strategies to unfold.
SCORES IN BRIEF
New Zealand 153 and 56 for 1 in 22.4 overs at close
Pakistan 227
(Babar 62, Asad 43, Boult 4-54, De Grandhomme 2-30, Patel 2-64)
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Polarised public
31% in UK say BBC is biased to left-wing views
19% in UK say BBC is biased to right-wing views
19% in UK say BBC is not biased at all
Source: YouGov
Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
Ain Issa camp:
- Established in 2016
- Houses 13,309 people, 2,092 families, 62 per cent children
- Of the adult population, 49 per cent men, 51 per cent women (not including foreigners annexe)
- Most from Deir Ezzor and Raqqa
- 950 foreigners linked to ISIS and their families
- NGO Blumont runs camp management for the UN
- One of the nine official (UN recognised) camps in the region
Company%20profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Fasset%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2019%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Mohammad%20Raafi%20Hossain%2C%20Daniel%20Ahmed%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFinTech%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInitial%20investment%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%242.45%20million%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECurrent%20number%20of%20staff%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2086%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Pre-series%20B%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Investcorp%2C%20Liberty%20City%20Ventures%2C%20Fatima%20Gobi%20Ventures%2C%20Primal%20Capital%2C%20Wealthwell%20Ventures%2C%20FHS%20Capital%2C%20VN2%20Capital%2C%20local%20family%20offices%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
