WASHINGTON — What began as a jubilant rally Saturday for Donald Trump days before he becomes the official Republican presidential nominee ended in mere minutes with the former president bloodied and a suspected would-be assassin shot dead by the Secret Service.
There was also one spectator killed and two others who were critically injured in the shooting at the rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
The former president was showing off a chart of border crossing numbers when the shots, at least five, were fired. Trump was seen holding his ear and got down on the ground. Agents quickly created a shield around him. When he finally stood, his face bloodied, he pumped his fist to cheering supporters. Trump and his motorcade left the scene and he was checked into a medical facility.
The attack was the most serious attempt to assassinate a president or presidential candidate since Ronald Reagan was shot in 1981.
Here’s a look at what we know so far:
What is Trump’s condition?
Steven Cheung, a spokesman for the Trump campaign, released a statement Saturday evening that Trump was fine and being looked at at a medical facility.
Trump also released a statement on his Truth Social platform thanking the Secret Service and all law enforcement.
“I was shot with a bullet that pierced the upper part of my right ear. I knew immediately that something was wrong in that I heard a whizzing sound, shots, and immediately felt the bullet ripping through the skin,” he wrote. “Much bleeding took place, so I realized then what was happening. GOD BLESS AMERICA!”
Trump also extended his condolences to the family of the person killed at the rally.
Trump flew to New Jersey after visiting the Pennsylvania hospital, landing shortly after midnight at Newark Liberty International Airport.
Who is handling the investigation?
The FBI is set to lead the investigation and said its working with the Secret Service and local and state law enforcement.
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and U.S. Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle briefed President Joe Biden and are working with law enforcement partners to respond to and investigate the shooting, Mayorkas said on X.
“We are engaged with President Biden, former President Trump, and their campaigns, and are taking every possible measure to ensure their safety and security.”
Republican U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson also said the House will conduct a full investigation of the attack on Trump’s campaign rally. “The American people deserve to know the truth,” Johnson said. “We will have Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle and other appropriate officials from DHS and the FBI appear for a hearing before our committees ASAP.”
What do we know about the shooter?
The FBI early Sunday identified the shooter as Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania.
The Secret Service said it killed the suspected shooter, who fired from an elevated position outside the rally venue, a farm show.
The shooter had fired multiple shots from “an elevated position outside of the rally venue,” the U.S. Secret Service said in a statement.
Two officials who spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity to discuss the ongoing investigation said the shooter was engaged by members of the U.S. Secret Service counterassault team. The heavily armed tactical team travels everywhere with the president and major party nominees and is meant to confront any active threats while other agents focus on safeguarding and evacuating the person at the center of protection.
Law enforcement recovered an AR-style rifle at the scene, according to a person familiar with the matter. The person was not authorized to discuss details of the investigation.
Why was Trump in Butler?
Trump was holding his final rally ahead of the Republican National Convention that begins Monday in Milwaukee.
Pennsylvania is one of the most important states in the presidential race and Trump has had at least two rallies in the state this year so far.
The convention is slated to continue despite the shooting and Trump advisers said he looks forward to attending.
What has been the reaction to the shooting?
The overall response from both sides of the aisle was one of gratitude that Trump wasn’t hurt. President Joe Biden spoke in a press briefing roughly three hours after the shooting. He said “everybody must condemn” the suspected assassination attempt. He said he had been unable to reach Trump before his remarks but did speak to him several hours later, according to the White House.
“There’s no place in America for this type of violence,” the president said in public remarks. “It’s sick. It’s sick.”
Former lawmakers and presidents including Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama, as well as the foundation set up by 99-year-old President Jimmy Carter, were also appreciative that the outcome wasn’t worse.
Several of Trump’s fellow party members sent well wishes and prayers. Trump’s possible running mates — North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and Ohio Sen. JD Vance — also sent statements.
Even as the motivation behind the shooting wasn’t clear, Vance and some other Republicans assigned blame to the Biden campaign’s anti-Trump rhetoric.
“Today is not just some isolated incident,” Vance wrote on X. “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.”
Story by Ayanna Alexander, The Associated Press
