Former president Donald Trump was dragged off stage by Secret Service, his face bloodied, after an assassination attempt during his rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, tonight.
Video footage from the incident suggests multiple shots were fired. Supporters behind him ducked for cover as they rang out. “Glass fragments not a bullet hit Trump,” a source familiar told Axios‘s Juliegrace Brufke.
Butler County District Attorney Richard Goldinger told the Washington Post‘s Meryl Cornfield that “Trump was grazed by gunfire but is safe. An audience member was killed and the shooter is dead. Another person is in serious condition.”
Law enforcement sources told ABC News’s Katherine Falders that the shooter fired as many as eight rounds “from an AR-style rifle” while on a roof “200-300 yards away.”
In the immediate aftermath of the shots, Trump pumped his fist at the crowd as his Secret Service detail surrounded him.
Trump spokesman Steven Cheung 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.”
The New York Times‘s Maggie Haberman wrote, “Some Trump aides I’ve talked to are both in shock and feeling an initial level of fury about what happened.”
A CBS reporter spoke to an ER doctor in attendance of the rally who treated one of the victims.
After the incident X CEO Elon Musk tweeted, “I fully endorse President Trump and hope for his rapid recovery.”
“There is absolutely no place for political violence in our democracy,” wrote former president Barack Obama. “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.”
A full hour after the incident, President Biden tweeted, “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.”
Biden then gave remarks for around four minutes just after 8 p.m.: “I have tried to get a hold of Donald. He’s with his doctors. Apparently he’s doing well. I plan on talking to him shortly, I hope, when I get back to the telephone. Look, there’s no place in America for this kind of violence. It’s sick. It’s sick. It is one of the reasons we have to unite this country.
Trump posted on Truth Social just before 9 p.m.
“I want to thank The United States Secret Service, and all of Law Enforcement, for their rapid response on the shooting that just took place in Butler, Pennsylvania,” he wrote. “Most importantly, I want to extend my condolences to the family of the person at the Rally who was killed, and also to the family of another person that was badly injured. It is incredible that such an act can take place in our Country. Nothing is known at this time about the shooter, who is now dead.
“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. Much bleeding took place, so I realized then what was happening. GOD BLESS AMERICA!”
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