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A bloodied Donald Trump was reportedly grazed by a bullet and rushed off stage after a deadly shooting at his packed Pennsylvania rally.

The Republican nominee, 78, dropped to the ground amid the sound of banging and shrill screaming a few minutes into his address to thousands of supporters.

Witnesses reported seeing a man armed with a rifle climbing on a nearby roof while Trump delivered remarks at his last rally before the Republican National Convention.

An audience member was killed in the attack and the shooter is dead, according to the Butler County District Attorney.

Mr Trump confirmed in a post on Truth Social that he had been shot but was not seriously hurt.

“I was shot with a bullet that pierced the upper part of my right ear,” he said. 

“I knew immediately that something was wrong in that I heard a whizzing sound, shots, and immediately felt the bullet ripping through the skin. 

“Much bleeding took place, so I realised then what was happening. GOD BLESS AMERICA!”

US President Joe Biden condemned the attack, saying: “there’s no place for this kind of violence in America. We must unite as one nation to condemn it.”

Mr Biden he had tried to call Trump but he was still being treated by his doctors as he condemned the “sick” attack.

Speaking to reporters at a police department near his beach house in Rehoboth Delaware, he said: “I hope I get to speak to him tonight. So far it appears he’s doing well”.

He added: “There’s no place in America for this kind of violence. It’s sick. It’s sick.”

“It’s one of the reasons we have to unite this country.”

Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned the attack.

“I am appalled by the shocking scenes at President Trump’s rally and we send him and his family our best wishes”, he said.

“Political violence in any form has no place in our societies and my thoughts are with all the victims of this attack.”

Barack Obama condemned the incident and called for “civility and respect” in US politics.

“There is absolutely no place for political violence in our democracy,” he said.

“Although we don’t yet know exactly what happened, we should all be relieved that former President Trump wasn’t seriously hurt, and use this moment to recommit ourselves to civility and respect in our politics. Michelle and I are wishing him a quick recovery.”

Trump’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., posted a photo on X of Trump, his fist raised and his face bloody in front of an American flag, with the words: “He’ll never stop fighting to Save America.”

A US Secret Service spokesman said: “An incident occurred the evening of July 13 at a Trump rally in Pennsylvania.

“The Secret Service has implemented protective measures and the former President is safe. This is now an active Secret Service investigation and further information will be released when available.”

Wearing a red Make America Great Again, the former president was discussing a chart detailing border crossing numbers when gunshots were heard.

Trump appeared to grab his ear amid the sound of bangs amid screams from audience members.

He then was then seen ducking behing the podium as terrified audience members scrambled to the ground behind him.

Secret Service agents instantly swarmed around the former US presidents, while officers carrying rifles stalked the stage.

Officers could be heard shouting “shooter’s down, we’re good to move ‘’ before Trump was helped up to his feet, his hair disheveled.

Trump appeared to be bleeding from his ear as he was escorted off stage by a gaggle of his security detail.

The crowd cheered as he momentarily stopped to pump his fist in the air and appeared to mouth the word “fight”.

The crowd was then ushered out of the Pennsylvania venue where the rally had been taking place.

He was then escorted down the stairs amid the cheer of crowds and bundled into his armoured SUV.  

Butler County district attorney Richard Goldinger said in a phone interview that the suspected gunman was dead and at least one rally attendee was killed.

One witness, who was not inside the rally, told the BBC he had seen a man in muted colours armed with a rifle crawling on the roof of a nearby building before the shooting.

He said he had tried to alert police officers to the suspicious man before the shooting took place.

“We noticed a guy bear crawling up the roof of the building beside us, 50 feet away from us”, he said.

He said he was “100 per cent sure” the shot had come from the man on the roof who was then killed by Secret Service agents.

“They crawled up on the roof, they had their guns pointed at him, made sure he was dead, he was dead , and that was it, it was over”, he said.

The much-anticipated rally was scheduled to be Trump’s last public appearance before the Republican National Convention next week.

His campaign had hours earlier sent out an email suggesting he was set to announce his running mate during the address in Butler.

Elon Musk, the billionaire Tesla CEO, used the moment to officially back Trump for the 2024 election.

Sharing a video of the moment Trump pumped his fist on the air, he wrote: “I fully endorse President Trump and hope for his rapid recovery”