Assassination attempt of Trump deepens US political divide BlackRock pulls Ad featuring shooter

The attempted assassination of US ex-President Donald Trump is seen as potentially exacerbating divisions within the already deeply polarized US, rather than fostering unity.

The shooting occurred amid heightened ideological, cultural, and political rifts that have often portrayed the US as effectively split into two separate nations, Caliber.Az reports citing the foreign media.

Thomas Matthew Crooks, the 20-year-old assailant who fired at Trump during a rally in Pennsylvania, was briefly featured in a 2022 advertisement for BlackRock Inc, the world's largest asset manager. The ad, filmed at Bethel Park High School in Pennsylvania, included Crooks and other unpaid students in the background, according to a statement from BlackRock. Crooks graduated from the school in 2022.

BlackRock confirmed that it has removed the advertisement but will make the video available to authorities. Despite this, the advertisement has been widely circulated on social media platforms.

"The assassination attempt on former President Trump is abhorrent. We're relieved that former President Trump wasn't seriously injured, and our thoughts are with all those affected by this tragic incident, particularly the individual who lost their life," the company stated.

Trump, 78, was holding a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania - a key state in the November 5 election - when shots rang out, hitting his right ear and leaving his face streaked with blood. His campaign said he was doing well.

"That reality is just setting in," Trump told the Washington Examiner on July 14. "I rarely look away from the crowd. Had I not done that in that moment, well, we would not be talking today, would we?"

One person in the crowd was killed and two others wounded before Secret Service agents fatally shot the suspect.

Trump is due to accept his party's formal nomination at the Republican National Convention with a speech on July 18. He pumped his fist in the air several times as he descended the stairs from his plane after arriving in Milwaukee.

"This is a chance to bring the whole country, even the whole world, together. The speech will be a lot different, a lot different than it would've been two days ago," Trump told the Washington Examiner.