Donald Trump and Aide
Former US President Donald Trump was rushed off stage after gunshots erupted at a rally in Pennsylvania in what appeared to be an assassination attempt. Footage showed Trump grimacing and raising a hand to his right ear before ducking as a series of shots rang out. He was quickly surrounded by US Secret Service agents and taken off stage to a waiting vehicle, raising a fist as he was escorted into the car.
In a post on his Truth Social network, Trump said a bullet pierced the “upper part” of his right ear. Earlier, his spokesperson mentioned he was receiving treatment at a local medical center. “I knew immediately that something was wrong when I heard a whizzing sound, shots, and felt the bullet ripping through the skin,” Trump wrote. “There was much bleeding, so I realized what was happening.”
Blood was visible on Trump’s ear and face as protection officers rushed him away. The suspect was shot dead at the scene by US Secret Service officers, according to the agency’s spokesperson, Anthony Guglielmi. One bystander was killed in the shooting, and two others were critically injured. All three victims were male.
Law enforcement sources told CBS News that the male attacker was armed with a rifle and fired from an elevated structure a few hundred meters away outside the venue. FBI agents, leading the investigation, told reporters in Butler that they had “tentatively identified” the dead gunman but had not yet established a motive. Special Agent Kevin Rojek confirmed the shooting was being treated as an assassination attempt, adding that the suspect was not carrying ID and that investigators were using DNA to formally identify him.
Trump had just begun addressing his supporters in Butler, Pennsylvania, a crucial swing state in November’s election, when the shots started. Multiple bangs rang out as Trump spoke about his successor, President Joe Biden, and his administration. Several supporters holding placards behind Trump ducked as the shots were heard.
Bystanders suggested the gunshots may have come from a one-story building to the right of the stage where Trump was speaking. One witness, Greg, told the BBC that he saw a suspicious-looking person “bear crawling” on the roof of the building about five minutes after Trump took the stage. He pointed the person out to police, saying, “We’re like ‘hey man, there’s a guy on the roof with a rifle,’ and the police did not know what was going on.”
Tim, another rally attendee, described hearing a “barrage” of shots. “There was a spray which we initially thought was a fire hose, and then the speaker on the right-hand side started coming down,” he said. “Something must have hit the hydraulic lines, causing it to fall. We saw President Trump go to the ground, and everyone started dropping to the ground because it was chaos.”
Warren and Debbie, also at the rally, heard at least four gunshots. They got on the ground as Secret Service agents shouted for attendees to get down. “We couldn’t believe it was happening,” Warren said. Debbie added that a little girl beside them was crying that she didn’t want to die, saying, “how is this happening to us?” Debbie said, “That broke my heart.”
Republican Congressman Ronnie Jackson told the BBC that his nephew was injured in the shooting, sustaining a minor wound to his neck and receiving treatment at the scene.
Speaking from his home state of Delaware, President Biden condemned the attack, calling it “sick.” He stated, “There’s no place in America for this kind of violence. Everybody must condemn it.” The White House later said Biden had spoken with Trump before returning to Washington, DC.
Trump remains in a tight contest with Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee, in a re-match of the 2020 election. Politicians from both parties condemned the apparent attack. Former President Barack Obama said there “is absolutely no place for political violence in our democracy” and expresse
UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer led international condemnation of the shooting, saying he was “appalled by the shocking scenes at President Trump’s rally.” Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida called for opposition to violence that “challenges democracy,” and Canadian leader Justin Trudeau said he was “sickened by the shooting at former President Trump.”
Trump was set to accept his party’s nomination for president at the convention in Milwaukee on Monday, with speculation that he would reveal his running mate at the Butler rally. Some Republicans quickly blamed Biden for the shooting, accusing him of stoking fears about Trump’s potential return to office. Senator JD Vance suggested that rhetoric from the Biden campaign had led directly to the incident. Congressman Mike Collins accused the president of “inciting an assassination.” Meanwhile, James Comer, chair of the powerful House oversight committee, said he would summon the director of the Secret Service before his panel.