Trump survives apparent assassination attempt

The FBI identified the man who fired shots at former President Donald Trump on Saturday as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks of Bethel Park, Pa. He was killed by members of a U.S. Secret Service counterassault team. Shots rang out at the Butler, Pa., rally Saturday evening. Trump, who was speaking at the time, dropped to the ground and was swarmed by members of his U.S. Secret Service detail. He then rose and raised his fist to the crowd, but images and video appeared to show blood on his face. He was taken to the hospital, but was not seriously injured, according to a statement from his campaign. A bystander on the scene was killed in the incident.

A state voter registration website indicates someone with that name was registered as a Republican. But according to an Associated Press report citing federal campaign finance information, that individual made a donation of $15 to a progressive political action committee. The donation was made on Jan. 20, 2021, the day President Joe Biden assumed office.

The U.S. Secret Service issued a statement Saturday night saying the suspect, who was not an attendee of the rally, fired multiple shots from an elevated position outside of the rally’s venue. Members of law enforcement seized an AR-style rifle at the scene, according to the Associated Press, citing unnamed sources. Members of the agency’s counterassault team are heavily armed and travel everywhere with the president and major party nominees. Their job is to directly confront active threats while other agents focus on safeguarding and evacuating the person being protected.

Update at 11:30 p.m. July 13: U.S. President Joe Biden spoke with former President Donald Trump Saturday night, according to an Associated Press report citing an unnamed White House official. The official did not provide details on the call. The call took place after Trump said a bullet clipped his right ear during what appeared to be an assassination attempt at a rally in Butler, Pa.

Update at 10:30 p.m.: The Federal Bureau of Investigation is now the lead law enforcement agency investigating the shooting of former President Donald Trump, according to a statement. The bureau is still working with the U.S. Secret Service and other law enforcement agencies, it said. The FBI promised to bring all of its resources to bear in the investigation and asked anyone with information about the incident to come forward.

Update at 10:15 p.m.: U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland on Saturday said members of the Justice Department’s National Security Division were on the ground in Butler, Pa. Justice Department officials were working with both the Secret Service and state and local law enforcement to investigate the incident, he said. “My heart is with the former President,” Garland said.

Update at 10:00 p.m.: Law enforcement officials are investigating the shooting of former President Donald Trump on Saturday as an assassination attempt, according to the Associated Press. The last time a shooter sought to kill a current or former U.S. president was in 1981 when John Hinckley Jr. shot and wounded then–President Ronald Reagan. Trump plans to attend the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wis. next week, his campaign said in a statement.

Update at 9:30 p.m.: U.S. Secret Service personnel neutralized a suspected shooter to protect the life of  Trump, the agency said in a statement Saturday evening. The suspect, who died, had fired on the former president from an elevated position located outside the rally venue, the Secret Service said. One rally attendee was killed. Two spectators were critically injured, the agency said. The FBI and the Secret Service are both investigating, the statement concluded. The FBI said in a separate statement that it had personnel on the scene in Butler, Pa., and confirmed that it was working jointly with the Secret Service as the investigation moved forward.

Update at 9 p.m.: Trump posted a statement on social media describing the shooting. He was hit with a bullet, and felt it tearing through the skin of the upper part of his right ear, he said. He also heard whizzing sounds and shots. The shooter was dead, Trump said.

He offered his condolences to the families of a rally attendee he said had died, and another who suffered serious injuries.  He thanked law enforcement officers at the scene and the U.S. Secret Service personnel who jumped to his assistance.

Update at 8:30 p.m.: U.S. President Joe Biden spoke Saturday evening in televised remarks. He condemned political violence, saying Trump should have been able to hold his rally in peace. Biden said that he didn’t have enough facts to say for sure whether or not the shooting at Trump’s rally was an assassination attempt.

Update at 8 p.m.: Butler County District Attorney Richard Goldinger told reporters on the scene that a suspected shooter was dead and a bystander was killed, according to the Associated Press. WORLD reached out to Goldinger’s office for comment but did not immediately receive a response.

Original post at 6:30 p.m. : Former President Donald Trump on Saturday dropped to the ground behind the podium at a rally in Butler, Pa., near Pittsburgh. Cameras captured popping noises and showed Trump grabbing at his right ear. He rose briefly before his U.S. Secret Service detail rushed him off the stage, and blood was visible on the right side of his face. Trump raised his fist to cheers from the crowd.

Trump’s campaign issued a statement saying he was fine and thanking law enforcement and emergency personnel for their quick response. 

What are lawmakers saying?

President Joe Biden - I have been briefed on the shooting at Donald Trump’s rally in Pennsylvania. I’m grateful to hear that he’s safe and doing well. I’m praying for him and his family and for all those who were at the rally, as we await further information. Jill and I are grateful to the Secret Service for getting him to safety. There’s no place for this kind of violence in America. We must unite as one nation to condemn it.

Former President George W. Bush - Laura and I are grateful that President Trump is safe following the cowardly attack on his life. And we commend the men and women of the Secret Service for their speedy response.

Former President Barack Obama: There is absolutely no place for political violence in our democracy. Although we don’t yet know exactly what happened, we should all be relieved that former President Trump wasn’t seriously hurt, and use this moment to recommit ourselves to civility and respect in our politics. Michelle and I are wishing him a quick recovery.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.: - I am horrified by what happened at the Trump rally in Pennsylvania and relieved that former President Trump is safe. Political violence has no place in our country.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.: Tonight, all Americans are grateful that President Trump appears to be fine after a despicable attack on a peaceful rally. Violence has no place in our politics. We appreciate the swift work of the Secret Service and other law enforcement.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La.: Kelly and I are praying for President Trump and all the attendees of the campaign rally today in Pennsylvania, and we send our gratitude to the law enforcement who responded at the scene. I have been briefed by law enforcement and am continuing to monitor the developments. This horrific act of political violence at a peaceful campaign rally has no place in this country and should be unanimously and forcefully condemned.

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. - As one whose family has been the victim of political violence, I know firsthand that political violence of any kind has no place in our society. I thank God that former President Trump is safe.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.: Thank God President Trump seems to be okay. Just another reminder of the times in which we live. We need to pray fervently for anyone who may have been injured at the rally.

Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J.: Political violence is never acceptable. My prayers are with former President Trump as he recovers from any injuries.

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro: Violence targeted at any political party or political leader is absolutely unacceptable. It has no place in Pennsylvania or the United States. I have been briefed on the situation. [Pennsylvania State Police] are on the scene in Butler County and working with our federal and local partners. Lori and I are praying for President Trump, the Secret Service officers who protected him, those attending the event, and all of the first responders still on the scene.

Nikki Haley, former South Carolina governor and GOP presidential candidate: This should horrify every freedom-loving American. Violence against presidential candidates must never be normalized. We are lifting up Donald Trump, the entire Trump family, and all in attendance in prayer.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y.: My thoughts and prayers are with former President Trump. I am thankful for the decisive law enforcement response. America is a democracy. Political violence of any kind is never acceptable.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr, independent candidate for U.S. president: Now is the time for every American who loves our country to step back from the division, renounce all violence, and unite in prayer for President Trump and his family.

Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz.: Gabby and I are horrified by the incident in Pennsylvania. No one should ever have to experience political violence — we know that firsthand. We’re keeping former President Trump, his family, and everyone involved in our thoughts.

Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah: We’ve got to take the political temperature down, as evidenced by what happened in Pennsylvania today. We call on President Biden to immediately order that all federal criminal charges against President Trump be dropped, and to ask the governors of New York and Georgia to do the same. Such a gesture would help heal wounds and allow all Americans to take a deep breath and reflect on how we got here. Our prayers are with the victims of the shooting, President Trump, and our country.

Sen. J.D. Vance, R-Ohio: Today is not just some isolated incident. The central premise of the Biden campaign is that President Donald Trump is an authoritarian fascist who must be stopped at all costs. That rhetoric led directly to President Trump's attempted assassination.

Sen. Bernie Sanders, D-Vt.: Political violence is absolutely unacceptable. I wish Donald Trump, and anyone else who may have been hurt, a speedy recovery.

The Conservative Political Action Conference - Today is a terrible day. For years the Left and the media lied and demonized President Trump. When they failed, they tried to lock him up. Today, we have witnessed the horrific end to the Left’s dangerous rhetoric. We must Pray for President Trump and for him and our country to heal. President Trump is a fighter. We will always have his back.

What happened? Minutes after the shooting, authorities were still determining whether the sound came from gunshots, explosives, or fireworks. The extent of Trump’s injuries, if any, was unknown, and it is unclear whether anyone else was hurt. U.S. Secret Service agents rushed Trump to his motorcade and away from the rally within moments of the initial popping sounds, which continued after he was rushed off stage. WORLD spoke with a Butler Police Department officer who declined to comment except to say to call back later.

Rep. Dan Meuser, R-Pa., told Fox News that he heard up to 10 shots. Secret Service officers yelled “shooter down” as they huddled with Trump on the floor, according to audio captured from the microphones at the time of the shooting, Trump called out “Fight, fight” and the crowd cheered as he was rushed away.

Where is Butler, Pa.? Butler is a small town 35 miles north of Pittsburgh, with a population of just over 13,000. It was the former president’s first western Pennsylvania rally of the 2024 campaign cycle. Attendees flooded the Butler Farm Show, with attendees posting on social media that the crowd spread out far. Trump was scheduled to attend the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee on Monday. He teased that he would announce his vice president pick either at the Butler rally or at the RNC on Monday.