A barrage of rifle rounds rained down shortly after the former president got up to speak on Saturday in Butler, Pennsylvania. Trump grabbed the side of his head and ducked as bullets whizzed by and screams from terrified onlookers rang out. Secret Service agents quickly pushed Trump to the ground to keep him safe, but witnesses said they heard more shots even after Trump was on the ground.
Secret Service agents could be heard shouting ‘the shooter is down’ in the ensuing chaos, and the gunman was later confirmed dead.
Moments later, Trump got up and pumped his fist at the crowd. His audience began chanting “USA” and “Make America Great Again.” Trump seemed to say ‘fight’ to his supporters as he was escorted into a waiting SUV.
At least one Trump supporter was killed, and two others were critically injured by stray bullets in the assassination attempt.
Butler County District Attorney Richard Goldinger said detectives told him that the gunman, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, was on the roof of a building adjacent to the event.
Crooks has been noted as a registered Republican. However, most mainstream news sources neglect to add that in January 2021, the would-be assassin donated to a Democratic PAC. His motives are still being investigated.
CNN first alleged that Trump “fell” on stage. They later released a video acknowledging that shots had been fired, but the headline read, “Trump speech interrupted by Secret Service.”
President Joe Biden held a press conference from Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, in which he condemned political violence and referred to Trump as “Donald.” While supportive of the former president and wishing him well, he refused to call the incident an “assassination attempt.” Biden later spoke with Trump on the phone before returning to Washington.
Trump confirmed in a Truth Social post that a bullet had “pierced the upper part” of his right ear. Experts note that had the bullet landed just an inch closer, Trump would not have survived.
The shooter’s ability to be so close to Trump has led to wild speculation and questions regarding the Secret Service. The roof was less than 150 meters from where Trump was speaking, close enough for a good shooter to hit a “person-sized” target. Additionally, witnesses say multiple people had spotted the shooter crawling from roof to roof and tried to tell law enforcement. They say they were ignored.
Rep. Mike Waltz (R-FL) claims that Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has repeatedly refused to provide stronger security for President Trump. Waltz mentioned that he has reliable sources saying there were repeated requests for more Secret Service protection for Trump, but Mayorkas denied them.
According to a source, the House Homeland Security Committee plans to investigate reports that Trump was denied increased Secret Service protection before the rally.
Fingers began pointing almost as soon as the bullet left the gun. Republicans criticize Democrats for what they see as unfairly demonizing the former president, arguing that this has created an environment that encourages violence. Meanwhile, liberals believe just as strongly that Trump himself has been the cause of the “dangerous and toxic atmosphere” in American politics. But Biden himself posted on X that it was time to “put Trump in a bullseye.”
Predictably, leftists have been reveling in the incident. Bennie Thompson’s (D-MS) field director, Jacqueline Marsaw, visited social media to wish the gunman had taken shooting lessons. Thompson is one of several Democrats who had been attempting to strip Trump of his Secret Service protections.
The shooting occurred just days before the scheduled Republican National Convention, set to begin on Monday and run through the week. Trump has said he plans to attend the event, where he is expected to be officially named the Republican nominee for the 2024 election. He will also announce his running mate during the convention.
The incident has polarized Trump supporters and those on the fence. Within hours of the assassination attempt, Trump endorsements began flowing in. These include professional wrestler Logan Paul, actor Jake Paul, Billionaire Bill Ackman, and entrepreneur Elon Musk.
In recent years, there have been assassination attempts against various political leaders around the world, many happening in broad daylight. In 2018, Brazil’s Jair Bolsonaro was stabbed during a campaign rally. That attack energized his supporters and helped him win the election. Experts predict that, like Bolsonaro’s attack, Trump’s assassination attempt might propel him across the finish line.
As Logan Paul wrote in a social media post, “To survive an assassination attempt by mere millimeters then stop your security so you can raise your fist in defiance of death is the most badass thing I’ve ever seen in my life.”
Only time will tell if America agrees.