Is this Trump’s Ronald Reagan moment? Supporters hail ex-President as a ‘badass’ for his defiant handling of assassination attempt – with his popularity set to soar ahead of the election in echoes of Reagan’s shooting in 1981

Donald Trump supporters are calling him a “tough guy” for his brazen handling of last night’s assassination attempt.

The 45th president, 78, repeatedly uttered the word “fight” as blood trickled down his cheek after a bullet pierced the “upper portion” of his right ear.

The image of a bloodied Trump pumping his fist in the air could be a defining moment, boosting his popularity in the run-up to the November election. It’s akin to the shooting of Ronald Reagan in 1981, when the entire country rallied behind him.

Trump threw himself to the ground after 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, a potential assassin, fired at least eight bullets into the Republican candidate just minutes after the start of his rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.

US intelligence officers swarmed Trump before he stood up in a show of defiance, a photo that has been circulated around the world.

The photo of Trump with his arm raised as officers surround him and a waving American flag in the background is already iconic. The former president refused to leave the stage without his shoes.

His son Donald Trump Jr. pinned the image to his X account, which has been viewed more than 13 million times, writing triumphantly: “He will never stop fighting to save America.”

US intelligence officers swarmed Trump before he stood up in a display of defiance captured in a photo seen around the world

Trump raised his fist to the crowd and did not appear seriously injured as he walked off the stage on his own, surrounded by Secret Service.

His son Donald Trump Jr. pinned the image to his X account, which has since been viewed more than 13 million times.

It is the first assassination attempt since Ronald Reagan was shot in 1981 as he left the Hilton Hotel in Washington DC.

The White House has released this photo taken inside the Capitol Hilton seconds before President Reagan was shot

An assassination attempt on President Reagan resulted in his press secretary, James Brady, being shot in the head. A police officer and a Secret Service agent were also wounded

Potential Reagan assassin John Hinckley Jr.

Sitting members of Congress also posted the photo, with Rep. Derrick Van Orden declaring that Trump “just won the election.”

Trump is expected to receive a hero’s welcome at the Republican convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, next week when he formally accepts his party’s nomination.

GOP strategist Mike Murphy told Politics: ‘The raised fist will become the iconic symbol of Congress.’

Republican Congressman Tim Burchett believes the assassination of Trump “will energize the base more than anything else.”

“And he, you know – with his fist in the air and he wouldn’t go away. And he’s screaming, fighting, fighting, fighting. That’s gonna be the slogan,” he said Politics.

It is the first assassination attempt since Reagan was shot on March 30, 1981 as he left the Hilton Hotel in Washington DC.

He had just delivered a speech to union members and was 70 days into his first term when John W. Hinckley Jr. pulled the trigger six times in 1.7 seconds.

A bullet ricocheted off the side of a limousine and landed just inches from Reagan’s heart.

Nigel Farage, leader of Reform UK, said he would travel to the United States for the convention as a “show of friendly solidarity” with Trump.

Mr Farage said he “almost certainly would have attended” Saturday’s rally in Pennsylvania if he had not won his seat of Clacton in the general election.

He told Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips on Sky News: ‘The conference is next week and I’ve decided that I’m going to fly down to him next Thursday and listen to his acceptance speech.

“I will absolutely do that as a show of friendly solidarity. Donald Trump is not perfect, but some of the things that are allowed to be said about him are downright awful.”

Police officers stand over the body of Thomas Matthews Crooks on a roof

Officers stand guard outside a cordon in Bethel Park as officers search an address registered to Crooks

The former president appeared to have been shot in the ear

Trump had blood streaming down his cheeks as Secret Service agents pushed him to the ground

Blood can be seen flowing from the side of the former president’s head

Mr Farage said he had a drink thrown at him ‘just last Wednesday’, and pointed to the safety of MPs: ‘I find it astonishing that MPs can just walk across the Square and get on the London Underground. I find it astonishing that more MPs are not attacked.’

“That’s how unpleasant a lot of the story is. It’s become very personal and I’m afraid — and a lot of people hate this — but if you want people to run for public office, we’re going to have to protect them.”

UFC fighters also supported Trump after former welterweight champion Colby Covington called him “the toughest man on the planet.”

“God bless him and his family at this time,” he added on X.

Former middleweight champion Sean Strickland said: ‘Trump is a complete barbarian… Man gets shot and keeps doing it in front of his people… Complete barbarian….’

Meanwhile, Evan Elder gave Trump a shoutout after his fight at Saturday’s UFC event.

“Hey. I heard they were just about to beat up my boy Trump,” he said. “I’m glad the man’s okay. Long live Trump. Let’s go baby Trump 2024.”

One member of the crowd was killed in the fatal shooting, while two others who were wounded are in critical condition. All three are men, law enforcement officials said.

Covington is an avid Trump supporter and visited him at the White House in 2018

Crooks was shot dead by a U.S. Secret Service sniper after he opened fire from a rooftop just 400 feet (120 meters) from where Trump was standing.

His father, Matthew Crooks, 53, said CNN He tried to figure out “what the hell was going on,” but waited until he had spoken to police before saying anything.

Law enforcement sources told CBS News that Crooks, of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, was armed with “an AR-style rifle.”

In a post on his Truth Social network, Trump thanked the Secret Service and other law enforcement officials “for their quick response.”

“I knew something was wrong straight away. I heard a whooshing sound, shots and immediately felt the bullet rip through my skin,” he said on social media.

‘There was a lot of blood loss, so that’s when I realised what was going on.

“I want to thank the United States Secret Service and all law enforcement for their quick response,” Trump added.

‘Most importantly, I would like to express my condolences to the family of the person who died at the demonstration, and also to the family of another person who was seriously injured.

‘It’s unbelievable that something like this can happen in our country.

‘GOD BLESS AMERICA!’