Donald Trump jokes about being shot as he meets couple whose son died in Afghanistan
Donald Trump has joked about being shot during a meeting with a couple whose serviceman son died in Afghanistan.
With just three weeks to go until the US election, the Republican presidential nominee continued on the campaign trail at a “town hall” event in Oaks, Pennsylvania.
On stage with South Dakota Republican governor Kristi Noem, he attempted to woo voters in the crucial swing state – which went Democrat in 2020.
Donald Trump and South Dakota governor Kristi Noem dance during a town hall campaign event in Oaks, Pennsylvania.
Pic: Reuters
Trump meeting Mary and Charles Strange.
Pic: AP
At one point, Ms Noem introduced Mary and Charles Strange, whose son Michael was killed on 6 August 2011 when a Chinook helicopter was shot down in Afghanistan, killing 30 US soldiers and a service dog.
It became known as Extortion 17 and according to the Navy Seals Museum was “the greatest single loss of life to Naval Special Warfare [Command] since the Afghan War started in 2001”.
While the couple were being introduced and welcomed on stage, Mr Trump, having got off his seat, said: “It’s a little harder to get up since I got shot.
“It made it more difficult.
“Perhaps that’s the way it’s supposed to be.”
To which Ms Noem, the event’s moderator, said: “Sir, they lost their son Michael.”
It was widely reported that during the attempt to assassinate him, Mr Trump’s ear was hit with a bullet.
Also during the town hall event, two people fainted, prompting Mr Trump to ask: “Would anyone else like to faint? Please raise your hand.”
Ms Noem said it happened because of how hot the room was, to which Mr Trump replied: “Personally I enjoy this… you lose weight.”
After reassuring the crowd that the two people who had fainted were fine, he then went on to ask if Ave Maria, sung by Luciano Pavarotti, could be played.
Mr Trump had asked for it to be played as the first person was attended to, roughly half an hour into the event, and it was then played again after the second incident as he stood on stage with Ms Noem waiting silently alongside him.
The former president cut short the question and answer session of the town hall, which was from preselected attendees, and proceeded to play music for 39 minutes.
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During this time, he swayed and danced to the music, including the popular track Y.M.C.A, occasionally stopping to talk to members of the crowd.
AP reported that Mr Trump’s playlist of songs included Sinead O’Connor’s Nothing Compares 2 U, Rufus Wainwright’s cover of Hallelujah, Guns N’ Roses’ November Rain and Memory from Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical Cats.
His campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung wrote on social media: “Nobody wanted to leave and wanted to hear more songs from the famous DJT Spotify playlist!”
Three weeks out
It comes as Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris continues to lead Mr Trump in nationwide polls, but questions remain over whether this will transfer into an election win.
Due to the nature of the US election, much of it relies on a few million voters in several key swing states, including Pennsylvania.
Democratic presidential nominee vice president Kamala Harris on stage during a campaign rally in Erie, Pennsylvania.
Pic: AP
The outcome remains a virtual coin toss as both candidates are hoping to draw out a definitive lead in the final weeks.
The Real Clear Politics website puts Mr Trump an average of 0.3 points ahead of Ms Harris in Pennsylvania and in the top battleground states – which will decide the election – Mr Trump is fractionally ahead in most.
Ms Harris recently rolled out former president Barack Obama, still one of the Democrats’ most effective political communicators, to attack her rival, as another former president, Bill Clinton, also hit the campaign trail in Georgia.
There are 161 people still missing in Texas in the aftermath of last weekend’s deadly flash floods, the state’s governor has said.
Speaking at a news conference on Tuesday, governor Gregg Abbot said the number of missing had risen markedly.
He said among the missing were five children and one counsellor from Camp Mystic – where at least 27 people were killed in the flash flooding.
At least 109 people are confirmed to have died in the floods, which took place on the 4 July weekend, but this figure has been steadily climbing ever since.
People comforted each other in Kerville. Pic: Jason Fochtman/Houston Chronicle via AP
The bulk of deaths, and the main search for additional bodies, have been concentrated in Kerr County and the city of Kerrville.
The area was transformed into a disaster zone when torrential rains struck the region early last Friday, unleashing deadly flooding along the Guadalupe River.
Travis County, Kendall County, Burnett County, Williamson County, and Tom Green County were also hit.
Mr Abbot said many of those who were unaccounted for were in the Texas Hill Country area, but had not registered at a camp or hotel, posing further challenges for authorities.
Camp Mystic
Mr Abbot planned to make another visit to Camp Mystic.
The century-old all-girls Christian summer camp was badly hit by the flash floods, with at least 27 campers and counsellors dying.
Hanna Lawrence, left, and Rebecca Lawrence, right. Pic: John Lawrence/AP
Lila Bonner (L) and Eloise Peck both died in the flash floods at Camp Mystic, Texas. Pic: Family handout
Chloe Childress. Pic: Debra Alexander Photography via AP
Some of the victims include Hanna and Rebecca Lawrence, both eight, Chloe Childress, 19, who was among the counsellors at Camp Mystic when the flood hit, and Eloise Peck and Lila Bonner, both nine.
There were scenes of devastation at the camp as the flood water receded.
Outside the cabins where the girls had slept, mud-splattered blankets and pillows were scattered.
Also in the debris were pink, purple and light blue luggage, decorated with stickers.
A view inside a cabin at Camp Mystic after the flooding. Pic: Ronaldo Schemidt/AFP via Getty Images
Camper’s belongings lie on the ground following flooding on the Guadalupe River, at Camp Mystic.
Pic: Reuters
‘Everything looked flooded and broken’
One of the campers, 10-year-old Lucy Kennedy, told Sky’s US partner network, NBC News, that she woke up to the sound of thunder at around midnight before the floods struck.
“I couldn’t go back to sleep,” she said. “I just had a feeling that something really bad was about to happen.”
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She said the girls at the camp were told to grab blankets, pillows and water bottles and line up single file as the floodwater rose, before getting airlifted to safety.
Wynne Kennedy, Lucy’s mother, added: “When I saw her, she was wrapped up in a blanket, had a teddy bear.
“We just held each other tight, and I held her all night.”
Their home in Kerrville was also destroyed by the flash floods.
Lucy Kennedy, 10 who was rescued from Camp Mystic, and her mother Wynne. Pic: NBC
Political row
Meanwhile, a political row has unfolded parallel to the recovery efforts, with some questioning whether local authorities sent out warnings and alerts early enough.
Similarly, Democrats have criticised Donald Trump over cuts his Elon Musk-launched Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has made to the National Weather Service – but it isn’t clear whether these actually made any difference.
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Wall of water
The flash floods erupted before daybreak on Friday, after massive amounts of rainfall caused the Guadalupe River to rise by eight metres in less than an hour.
The wall of water overwhelmed cabins, tents and trails along the river’s edge.
Some survivors were found clinging to trees.
Some of the campers had to swim out of their cabin windows to get to safety, while others clung to rope to make it to higher ground.
The date for Sean “Diddy” Combs’s sentencing hearing has been confirmed.
Following his high-profile trial, the hip-hop mogul was found guilty of two counts of transportation for prostitution by jurors in Manhattan, New York, last week – but was cleared of sex-trafficking and racketeering conspiracy.
Defence lawyers argued Combs, who has been in prison in Brooklyn since his arrest in September last year, should be bailed ahead of sentencing given the not guilty verdicts for the more serious charges, but Judge Arun Subramanian denied this – citing, among other things, the rapper’s own admissions of previous violent behaviour.
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs in court after the verdict was delivered. Pic: Reuters/ Jane Rosenberg
The charges of sex-trafficking and racketeering conspiracy carried a potential life sentence. Combs still faces up to 20 years in prison for the prostitution-related offences, but is not expected to receive the maximum punishment.
After the verdict was delivered, the judge scheduled the sentencing hearing for 3 October. At a remote follow-up conference on Tuesday, with agreement from the defence and prosecution, the judge approved the date.
Combs joined the call but did not make any comment.
Any sentence will include credit for time already served – which will be just over a year by the time the hearing takes place.
During his trial, Combs was accused by prosecutors of abusing and coercing three alleged victims, including his former long-term partner, singer and model Cassie Ventura.
Jurors found the allegations did not amount to sex-trafficking or racketeering, or running a criminal enterprise – but they did find him guilty of transporting Cassie and another former girlfriend “Jane” for prostitution offences around the US, and paying male escorts to engage in sexual encounters.
Despite the guilty verdict on those charges, the 55-year-old’s team described it as “the victory of all victories”.
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In an interview over the weekend, defence lawyer Marc Agnifilo said Combs had received a standing ovation from fellow inmates when he returned to jail after being acquitted of the more serious charges.
“They all said, ‘We never get to see anyone who beats the government’,” he said.
Ahead of sentencing, Combs’s lawyers will file their recommendations by 19 September, with prosecutors likely to follow a week later.
Prosecutors previously said the rapper could face about four to five years in prison under federal sentencing guidelines, while the defence has suggested a two-year sentence.
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