Trump target of assassination attempt; says he was shot in ear at rally (2024)

BUTLER, Pa. — Former President Donald Trump was injuredin an assassination attemptSaturday when a gunman opened fire at his campaign rally, killing one spectator and bloodying Trump’s ear.

The shooter, who appeared to take an elevated position on a rooftop outside the venue, is dead. Another two spectators were critically injured. Trump’s campaign said he was safe.

The FBI identified the shooter as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania. A motive was not immediately clear.

In a harrowing and chaotic scene, Trump was about six minutes into his remarks in western Pennsylvania when pops of gunfire rang out. The Republican presidential contender grabbed his right ear and then got to the floor, where he was immediately swarmed by Secret Service agents who piled on top of him to protect him.

The agents then helped Trump to his feet, surrounded him and rushed him offstage to a waiting vehicle. Trump — with blood on the side of his head and ear — repeatedly pumped his fist in the air and waved as the crowd cheered.

Trump said in a post on Truth Social about 2½ hours later that a bullet “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,” Trump wrote. “Much bleeding took place, so I realized then what was happening.”

Trump thanked law enforcement in his online statement and extended condolences to the families of the people killed and injured.

“It is incredible that such an act can take place in our Country,” he wrote.

The shots were fired from outside the Secret Service security perimeter for the rally, according to three senior U.S. law enforcement officials.

Reporters saw smoke and heard what they initially thought were fireworks before everyone ducked and law enforcement encircled Trump.

Screams rang out from the audience as the scene unfolded.

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said in a statement shortly after 11 p.m. that Trump “has now left the Butler area.”

Follow live updates on the Trump rally shooting

A doctor attending the event told NBC News that he saw a man suffer a gunshot wound to the head and helped carry him from the site of the rally. Speaking in a parking lot near the event, a mother and her son who were attending the rally told NBC News that they saw people in the crowd who were injured and carried away. And in the hours after the shooting, Rep. Ronny Jackson, R-Texas, said in an interview on Fox News that his nephew was grazed on his neck by a bullet at the rally.

Trump target of assassination attempt; says he was shot in ear at rally (1)

People remained at the scene for 10 to 15 minutes after Trump was taken away, after which they were told it was an active crime scene and all attendees were escorted out.

Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung said 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,” Cheung said. “More details will follow.”

Trump senior advisers and leaders of the Republican National Committee released a statement later Saturday night saying that the former president “looks forward to joining you all in Milwaukee as we proceed with our convention to nominate him to serve as the 47thPresident of the United States.”

The Republican National Convention, where Trump is set to officially become the GOP presidential nominee, is set to begin on Monday.

FBI leads investigation

The FBI is leading the investigation into the shooting, according to a statement from the bureau. Agents are working alongside the Secret Service, as well as state and local law enforcement, and they are treating the rally site as an active crime scene, officials said at the press conference late Saturday night.

Law enforcement used DNA to help confirm the suspect’s identity, as he did not have identification on him during the shooting, FBI Special Agent Kevin Rojek said at the press conference in Butler, without identifying Crooks.

In the aftermath of the shooting, the FBI deployed investigative agents, bomb technicians and evidence response personnel.

Rojek asked that witnesses to the shooting contact the FBI.

There is no sign that the attack has any link to a foreign actor, a U.S. official said earlier on Saturday.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said in a statement on X that he has been briefed by law enforcement. He condemned the attack as a “horrific act of political violence at a peaceful campaign rally,” saying it “has no place in this country and should be unanimously and forcefully condemned.”

Johnson said in a later post that the House would conduct a “full investigation of the tragic events today.”

House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer, R-Ky., said in a statement on X that he was “calling on Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle to appear for a hearing.”

In a letter to Cheatle, Comer requested that she voluntarily appear at a committee hearing on July 22.

Biden, political world react

President Joe Biden spoke with Trump later on Saturday, according to a White House official. He also spoke with Shapiro andButler Mayor Bob Dandoy.

In remarks delivered from Delaware, Biden called the attack “sick” and thanked law enforcement in remarks delivered on camera.

“There’s no place in America for this kind of violence. It’s sick. It’s sick,” Biden said. “It’s one of the reasons why we have to unite this country. We cannot allow for this to be happening.”

“Everybody must condemn it,” Biden added.

Asked by a reporter whether he believed that the attack on Trump was an assassination attempt, Biden responded that he didn’t “know enough” to say at the time.

“I have an opinion, but I don’t have any facts,” he said, adding that he wanted to gather all of the facts first.

Biden also said in a statement that he is praying for Trump. He said he has been briefed on the shooting.

“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,” Biden’s statement said. “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.”

Biden learned about the attack when he was coming out of church services, according to a person familiar with the timeline of events. He wanted to address the nation as soon as he was fully briefed, the source added.

Vice President Kamala Harris has also been briefed, she said in a statement.

She said she her husband, Doug Emhoff, “are relieved that he is not seriously injured. We are praying for him, his family, and all those who have been injured andimpacted by this senseless shooting.”

She added that “violence such as this has no place in our nation,” urging everyone to “condemn this abhorrent act.”

In the minutes after the incident unfolded, politicians began posting on social media that they were praying for Trump, including three vice presidential contenders, Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum.

Donald Trump Jr., one of the former president’s children, wrote on X that his father will “never stop fighting to Save America.” His message was accompanied by a photo of his father pumping his fist with blood on his face.

Democratic leaders also released statements expressing horror.

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

Shapiro, Pennsylvania’s Democratic governor, condemned the attack on X, as well.

“Violence targeted at any political party or political leader is absolutely unacceptable,” Shapiro said. “It has no place in Pennsylvania or the United States.”

Shapiro added that he has been briefed on the situation and that state police were on the scene, working with federal and local partners.

Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. urged Americans to pray for Trump.

“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,” Kennedy said.

Former Rep. Gabby Giffords, D-Ariz., who was shot in 2011, released a statement condemning political violence.

“Political violence is terrifying. I know,”she said.“I’m holding former president Trump, and all those affected by today’s indefensible act of violence in my heart. Political violence is un-American and is never acceptable — never.”

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., who was shot and injured in 2017 when a gunman opened fire on Republicans during a baseball practice, condemned “incendiary rhetoric” ahead of the attack about a second Trump term being a threat to the country.

“That incendiary rhetoric needs to stop, because all it takes is one person who’s just unhinged to hear that and go act on it, and think that that’s their signal to go take somebody out,” Scalise said during a Fox News interview.

Trump’s campaign is in a “complete communications lockdown,” according to a message sent to staff members by James Blair, the political director for the Trump campaign and the Republican National Committee.

“Everything is OK,” Blair wrote. “We have no details to share at this time but will follow up soon with more information.”

A Biden campaign official told NBC News that the campaign is also “pausing all outbound communications and working to pull down our television ads as quickly as possible.”

This is a breaking news story and will continue to be updated.

Dasha Burns and Jake Traylor are reporting from Butler, Pa.; Megan Lebowitz from Washington, D.C.; and Chloe Atkins, Tom Winter and Jonathan Dienst from New York City.

Dasha Burns

Dasha Burns is a correspondent for NBC News.

Jake Traylor

Jake Traylor is a 2024 NBC News campaignembed.

Megan Lebowitz

Megan Lebowitz is a politics reporter for NBC News.

Chloe Atkins

Chloe Atkins reports for the NBC News Investigative Unit, based in New York.She frequently covers crime and courts, as well as the intersection of reproductive health, politics and policy.

Tom Winter

Tom Winter is a New York-based correspondent covering crime, courts, terrorism and financial fraud on the East Coast for the NBC News Investigative Unit.

Jonathan Dienst

Jonathan Dienst is chief justice contributor for NBC News and chief investigative reporter for WNBC-TV in New York.

Monica Alba

,

Kelly O'Donnell

,

Amanda Terkel

,

Jonathan Allen

,

Dan De Luce

and

Michael Kosnar

contributed

.

Trump target of assassination attempt; says he was shot in ear at rally (2024)

FAQs

Trump target of assassination attempt; says he was shot in ear at rally? ›

Trump said in a post on Truth Social about 2½ hours later that a bullet “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,” Trump wrote.

Who was the shooter at president Trump's rally? ›

The FBI identified the shooter, who is dead, as Thomas Matthew Crooks of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania. A motive wasn't clear. The man who authorities said attempted to assassinate former President Donald Trump at a rally in Pennsylvania was a member of a local gun club and worked as a dietary aide at a nursing facility.

When was the last presidential assassination attempt? ›

The moment took me back to March 1981, when I was just three months into my first term in the U.S. Senate. That's when President Ronald Reagan survived an assassination attempt, undergoing surgery and spending 12 days in the hospital.

Where was the shooter when he shot Trump? ›

The shooter appears to have been on a nearby rooftop. Law enforcement officials found a number of suspicious canisters or containers in Crooks' vehicle, which was left near the rally, but it unclear if their were functional as incendiary or explosive devices, two officials say.

Who is the boy that shot Trump? ›

Thomas Matthew Crooks pictured in his high school year book from 2022. The small Pittsburgh suburb of Bethel Park in Pennsylvania is reeling after the FBI named a young local man, Thomas Matthew Crooks, as the person who shot at Donald Trump during a campaign rally and shocked the nation.

Who was the last American President to be assassinated? ›

Four sitting presidents have been killed: Abraham Lincoln (1865, by John Wilkes Booth), James A. Garfield (1881, by Charles J. Guiteau), William McKinley (1901, by Leon Czolgosz), and John F. Kennedy (1963, by Lee Harvey Oswald).

Who was the youngest President of the US? ›

Age of presidents

The median age at inauguration of incoming U.S. presidents is 55 years. The youngest person to become U.S. president was Theodore Roosevelt, who, at age 42, succeeded to the office after the assassination of William McKinley. The oldest person inaugurated president was Joe Biden, at the age of 78.

Which President had two assassination attempts? ›

Ford had survived a previous assassination attempt 17 days earlier, and after the second attempt President Ford would wear a bulletproof trench coat while out in public.

Who ran Trump's campaign? ›

Brad Parscale was chosen as Trump's 2020 campaign manager in February 2018. On February 25, the Drudge Report announced that the president had chosen Brad Parscale as the campaign manager for his re-election campaign.

Who was Trump's first secretary of defense? ›

Jim Mattis
Personal details
BornJames Norman Mattis September 8, 1950 Pullman, Washington, U.S.
Political partyIndependent
SpouseChristina Lomasney ​ ( m. 2022)​
36 more rows

How tall is Trump? ›

Donald Trump's height has consistently been reported as 6'3" during his public appearances and medical assessments. This height has been a part of his public image, contributing to his imposing presence.

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