Former President Donald Trump was injured but survived an assassination attempt Saturday in which a gunman was shot dead and a Trump supporter was killed, at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania.
Two other rally attendees were critically injured.
The chaotic scene unfolded as Mr. Trump was speaking on stage at the rally at the Butler Farm Show in Butler County, when the sound of multiple shots rang out. Secret Service agents swarmed around the presumptive Republican presidential nominee after he ducked behind his podium on the rally stage, clutching at his right ear.
The former president was carried off the stage, his ear bloodied and streaks of blood marking his face, pumping his fist and calling to the crowd as he was ushered into an SUV. He appeared to call out “fight!” to the crowd, and supporters responded by chanting “U.S.A.!”
Mr. Trump said he felt a bullet hit him.
“I was shot with a bullet that pierced the upper part of my right ear,” Mr. Trump said hours later on Truth Social. “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 realized then what was happening. GOD BLESS AMERICA!”
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Mr. Trump, 78, is “safe” and “fine,” according to his campaign staff and U.S. Secret Service.
The shooter is dead and a rally attendee was killed, according to law enforcement. It was the most serious attempt to assassinate a president or presidential candidate since President Reagan was shot in 1981.
The Secret Service said the suspected shooter opened fire at 6:15 p.m., firing “multiple shots toward the stage from an elevated position outside of the rally venue.” He fired from a rooftop perch of a building several hundred feet from the rally stage.
“U.S. Secret Service personnel neutralized the shooter, who is now deceased,” a spokesman said. “US Secret Service quickly responded with protection measures and the former president is safe and being evaluated.
They said a spectator had been killed and two other rally goers were “critically injured.” They said the incident is currently under investigation and the Secret Service has formally notified the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Republican Senate candidate David McCormick told Fox News he had a front row seat at the rally, and heard a “number of shots.” He noted that there were seven or eight shots, and said that someone behind him was wounded.
“There was a lot of blood, and the police came in and helped carry that person out of the stands so that they could get the care that they needed, I’m not sure if others were injured or not,” Mr. McCormick said.
The attempt on Mr. Trump’s life comes two days before the Republican National Convention is set to open on Monday in Milwaukee, in an extraordinary turn of events that has upended an already volatile 2024 presidential race.
President Biden said in an address to the nation that such political violence is “sick,” and condemned the shooting. He said Mr. Trump was in his prayers; Mr. Biden spoke to Mr. Trump later in the evening.
The Secret Service is conducting a criminal investigation, and according to reports from witnesses, it appeared multiple shots were fired from a small-caliber weapon. Other reports said several rally-goers were injured.
The incident played out as President Biden’s cognitive struggles have heightened the fears among Democrats that despite their best efforts to slow him down Mr. Trump is in the driver’s seat.
Some Republicans blamed Democrats of stoking violence with campaign rhetoric that has accused Mr. Trump of being a threat to democracy who aims to become a dictator.
Top Trump campaign officials said hours after the shooting that Mr. Trump will go to the RNC as scheduled despite his injury.
They said Mr. Trump “looks forward to joining you all in Milwaukee as we proceed with our convention to nominate him to serve as the 47th President of the United States. As our party’s nominee, President Trump will continue to share his vision to Make America Great Again.”
At the rally in Pennsylvania, the sounds of gunfire rang through the crowd, and the video shows Mr. Trump briefly reaching toward the side of his head before taking cover behind the podium.
The popping sounds of gunfire continued as Secret Service agents — amid cries from the crowd — rushed the stage, and someone could be heard shouting the instruction to “get down! get down! get down!”
“He is very lucky to be alive. It was a scary moment,” Mr. McCormick said.
“President Trump thanks law enforcement and first responders for their quick action during this heinous act. He is fine and is being checked out at a local medical facility. More details will follow,” Trump spokesman Steven Cheung said.
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said in a statement, “the entire Department of Defense condemns this violence, which has absolutely no place in our democracy.”
“This is not the way that we resolve our differences in America - and it must never be,” Mr. Austin said. “I’m relieved that reports indicate former President Trump is safe, and I am praying for him and his family and everyone affected by this appalling incident.”
• Alex Miller and Mike Glenn contributed to this report.
• Susan Ferrechio can be reached at sferrechio@washingtontimes.com.
• Seth McLaughlin can be reached at smclaughlin@washingtontimes.com.
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