'A heinous act:' Vivek Ramaswamy donates $30k to Trump rally victims

Cincinnati native and former presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy is among the top donors to a GoFundMe page dedicated to victims of the assassination attempt at Donald Trump's Saturday rally.

A bullet grazed the former president's ear at his rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, causing Secret Service agents to sweep him off stage. One attendee, local firefighter Corey Comperatore, was killed in the shooting. Two other people who attended the rally are being treated at Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh.

"Apoorva and I both ache for the people who lost their lives, citizens who thought they were participating in the civic process – one of them (killed) and two of them in critical condition," Ramaswamy told The Enquirer on Sunday.

The Trump-endorsed GoFundMe raised over $1 million on Sunday to support the rally attendees injured or killed during the event. Ramaswamy was the third-largest donor, contributing $30,000.

"I think we once felt like this was a divine providence that the bullet escaped Donald Trump," Ramaswamy said. "I think the future of our country depended on that.

"And yet, even in the aftermath of that gratitude, we also do not want to forget those innocent citizens and patriots who did suffer as a consequence of a heinous act, and we wanted to do whatever little we could to show our support to their families," he added.

Ramaswamy also shared a link to the GoFundMe on X.

The fundraiser drew hefty contributions from several notable donors, including $50,000 from singer and Trump supporter Kid Rock and $15,000 from conservative political commentator Ben Shapiro.

Ramaswamy, who ended his presidential bid after finishing fourth in the Iowa Republican Caucuses and later endorsed Trump, also reacted to the shooting on X.

"No amount of verbiage today changes the toxic national climate that led to this tragedy," his statement read in part. "Apoorva and I mourn for the rally attendee who was apparently killed by the shooter. We believe the fact that President Trump is safe right now is nothing short of an act of God. My heart tells me God intervened not just for Trump, but for our nation."

Trump is still expected to speak at the 2024 Republican National Convention this week.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Ohio entrepreneur among top donors to Trump rally victims