Donald Trump The former president appeared to be the target of an assassination attempt while speaking at a rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday, two law enforcement officials said. Secret Service agents quickly pulled him away from his bloodied ear from what he said was a gunshot wound, and his campaign said he was “fine.”
The suspected gunman and at least one other person were killed, the local prosecutor said. The Secret Service said two other people were seriously injured.
Trump said in a post on his social media account about two and a half hours after the shooting that a bullet “went through the top of my right ear.”
“I immediately knew something was wrong, I heard a whistle and gunshots, and immediately felt the bullet pierce my skin. There was heavy bleeding, so I knew what was happening,” he said in the post.
The attack, carried out by a gunman who law enforcement officials say was killed by the Secret Service, was the most serious attempt to assassinate a president or presidential candidate since Ronald Reagan was assassinated in 1981. It comes amid a highly polarized political climate, just four months before the presidential election and days before Trump is formally named the Republican nominee for president. His party conference.
Trump aides said late Saturday that the conference would go ahead and that Trump “looks forward to joining you all in Milwaukee.”
“President Trump thanks law enforcement and emergency responders for their swift action during this heinous act,” White House spokesman Stephen Cheung said in a statement. “He is doing well and being evaluated at a local medical facility. We will have more details later.”
The Secret Service said the suspected shooter fired from “an elevated position outside the venue.” The agency added that Trump is “safe and being evaluated.”
“There is no place in America for this kind of violence. It’s sick. It’s sick,” President Joe Biden, who is challenging Trump as a potential Democratic nominee, said in remarks.
Two officials, speaking to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to discuss the ongoing investigation, said the shooter was not at the rally and was killed by Secret Service agents.
Officials said the shooter was part of the Secret Service’s counter-assault team. The heavily armed tactical team travels everywhere with the president and major party candidates and is dedicated to countering active threats while other agents focus on protecting and evacuating the person in the protective center.
A third person familiar with the matter, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the ongoing investigation, said law enforcement found an AR-style rifle at the scene.
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, whose department oversees the Secret Service, said the officials were involved with both the Biden and Trump campaigns and “took every possible action to ensure their safety and security.”
Demonstration disrupted by gunfire
Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee, was showing a chart of border crossing numbers during his final rally before the Republican National Convention opened on Monday when the apparent shots began shortly after 6:10 p.m.
It took two minutes from the moment the first shot was fired for Trump to be placed in a waiting SUV.
As Trump spoke, a popping sound was heard, and the former president put his right hand to his right ear, while people in the stands behind him looked on in shock.
When he heard the first shot, Trump said, “Oh,” then held his ear, then heard two more shots, then ducked. Then he heard more shots.
Someone near the microphone at Trump’s podium was heard saying, “Get down, get down, get down, get down!” as agents confronted the former president. They gathered above him to shield him with their bodies, as is standard practice in their training protocol, while other agents took up positions on the stage to scan for threats.
Screams could be heard in the crowd of several thousand people. A woman’s voice could be heard screaming louder than the rest of the crowd. Then, voices could be heard saying “Shooter down” several times, before someone asked “Are we ready to move?” and “Is it safe?” and then someone ordered “Let’s move.”
Trump can be heard saying at least twice in the video: “Let me get my shoes, let me get my shoes,” with another voice heard saying: “I got you, sir.”
Moments later, Trump got to his feet and appeared to extend his right hand to his face. His face appeared to be covered in blood. He then raised his fist in the air and appeared to say the word “fight” twice to the crowd of his supporters, prompting loud cheers and then chants of “USA. USA. USA.”
The crowd cheered as he got up again and waved his fist.
His motorcade left the scene moments later. Video showed Trump turning to the crowd and raising his fist before being bundled into a car.
Eyewitnesses heard multiple gunshots and took cover.
Reporters covering the demonstration heard five or six gunshots, and many took cover under tables.
“Everybody went to their knees or to the prone position, because we all knew, and everybody became aware of the fact that this was a shooting,” said Dave McCormick, a Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania, who was sitting to Trump’s right on the stage.
McCormick said that when he saw Trump raise his fist, he looked over his shoulder and noticed that someone had been beaten while sitting in the stands behind the stage.
Eventually, first responders were able to carry the injured person out of the crowd so he could get medical care, McCormick said.
After the first two or three explosions, people in the crowd appeared stunned but not panicked. An Associated Press reporter at the scene said the sound initially sounded like fireworks or perhaps a car shooting.
But then we heard more shots, and panic broke out as people realized what was happening. Cries of “Get down!” rose from the crowd.
When it became clear that the situation had been contained and that Trump would not be speaking again, the crowd began to file out. One man in an electric wheelchair was stuck in the stadium when his battery died. Others tried to help him move.
Police quickly ordered the remaining people to leave the scene, and Secret Service officers told reporters to “get out now. This is a live crime scene.”
Two firefighters from nearby Steubenville, Ohio, who were at the rally told The Associated Press they helped people who appeared to be injured and heard bullets hitting loudspeakers.
“Bullets went off in the stands, one hit the loudspeaker tower and then it was chaos. We fell to the ground and then the police gathered in the stands,” Chris Takacs said.
“The first thing I heard was a crackling sound,” Dave Sullivan said.
Sullivan said he saw one of the speakers get shot, saw bullets fly, and “we hit the ground.”
He said that once Secret Service and other authorities had gathered around Trump, he and Takacs helped two people who may have been shot on the runway and cleared a path to get them out of the way.
“It’s a sad day for America,” Sullivan said.
“After we heard the gunshots, the hydraulic line started flying all over the place, and we saw the hydraulic fluid coming out of it. Then the loudspeaker tower started falling,” Sullivan said. “Then we heard another shot, you could hear it, so we knew it was gunfire. It wasn’t fireworks.”
“They weren’t very loud shots,” he said.
“You could hear the sound of the ammunition hitting the metal,” Takash added.
Then they hid behind a tractor.
Sullivan said they were worried about Trump when they saw him standing.
“He got up and gave a nod,” Sullivan said, raising his fist like Trump did.
Political Violence Shakes America Again
Campaign risks took on new importance after the assassination of Robert Kennedy in California in 1968, and again in 1972 when Arthur Bremer shot and critically wounded George Wallace, who was running as an independent on a platform sometimes compared to Trump’s. This led to increased protection for candidates, even as threats continued, most notably against Jesse Jackson in 1988 and Barack Obama in 2008.
Presidents, especially after the assassination of John F. Kennedy in 1963, enjoy higher levels of security protection. Trump is rare, both as a former president and as a current candidate.
The White House said Biden was briefed on the incident. He received an update from Kimberly Shettle, chief of staff to the U.S. Secretary of State, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, and White House Homeland Security Adviser Liz Sherwood-Randall.
He told reporters after 8 p.m. that he had not yet been able to reach Trump but had been told the former president was “doing well.”
“I wish I could talk to him tonight,” he said.
Trump’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., posted a photo on Twitter of Trump, his fist raised and his face bloodied in front of the American flag, with the words: “He will never stop fighting to save America.”
North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, the three men on Trump’s shortlist for vice president, were quick to send out statements expressing concern for the former president, with Rubio posting a photo taken while escorting Trump off the stage with his fist in the air and a streak of blood on his face along with the words “God bless President Trump.”
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, said in a statement on Channel X that he had been briefed on the situation and that Pennsylvania State Police were present at the rally site.
“Violence targeting any political party or political leader is completely unacceptable. It has no place in Pennsylvania or the United States,” he said.
