First Lady Jill Biden speaks with former First Lady Melania Trump by phone

(NBC, KYMA/KECY) - A White House official told NBC News that First Lady Jill Biden spoke with former First Lady Melania Trump by phone Sunday afternoon following the shooting at Donald Trump's rally on Saturday.

A gunman shot at the former president during a rally in Pennsylvania, bloodying his ear, and a counter-sniper killed the suspected shooter before Secret Service agents whisked Trump to safety.

The suspect was identified as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks of Bethel Park. His motive for the shooting remians unclear, but three senior U.S. law enforcement officials confirm he used a semiautomatic rifle when he opened fire on the former president.

The attempt on Trump's life capped a political season marked by dire warnings in which the two parties have accused each other of wanton criminality.