Donald Trump says he was shot at Pennsylvania campaign rally
Trump appeared to be bleeding from the ear when he was escorted off stage following loud pops that rang out during a rally in Pennsylvania
Former President Donald Trump says he was shot during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday.
Video of the rally, held in Butler, Pennsylvania, shows Trump ducking and appearing to move his hand near his face. Agents can be seen running to cover him.
Photos from the incident also show the former President with blood on his face. He can be seen defiantly raising his fist before being whisked off stage by Secret Service agents.
The Secret Service said in a statement that a “suspected shooter” opened fire toward the stage from an “elevated position” outside the venue where Trump was holding his rally.
A bystander at the rally died in the shooting, the Secret Service said, while two others were critically injured. The Secret Service said its agents killed the gunman.
In a post on Truth Social posted several hours after the shooting, Trump thanked the Secret Service “and all of Law Enforcement, for their rapid response on the shooting that just took place in Butler, Pennsylvania.”
“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.”
Trump wrote that he 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,” Trump wrote. “Much bleeding took place, so I realized then what was happening. GOD BLESS AMERICA!”
A Trump spokesperson called the shooting a “heinous act” but said the former president and presumptive GOP nominee was “fine.”
NBC News correspondent Darren Botelho reported security at the event could be heard saying, “The shooter is down,” following the incident.
Dave McCormick, the Republican nominee for Senate in Pennsylvania, had been seated in the front row of the rally and told Politico it appeared a member of the crowd behind him had been shot.
“All the sudden shots started to crack, someone behind me appears to have been shot,” McCormick told Politico. “There’s lots of blood, and then the Secret Service were all over President Trump.”
Representatives for the Butler Township Police Department and District Attorney’s office did not respond to requests for comment from B-17.
Politicians from across the aisle were quick to condemn political violence and wish Trump a speedy recovery.
In a statement issued following the shooting, President Joe Biden said he was “grateful to hear” that Trump is 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 continued. “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 later addressed the nation, saying the shooting was “sick” and calling on Americans to stop political violence.
“It’s one of the reasons we have to unite this country,” Biden said. “We cannot allow for this to be happening. We cannot be like this. We cannot condone this.”
Biden’s campaign later said it was pulling down TV ads in the wake of the shooting.
“Laura and I are grateful that President Trump is safe following the cowardly attack on his life,” former President George W. Bush said in a statement. “And we commend the men and women of the Secret Service for their speedy response.”
President Barack Obama said in a statement, “There is absolutely no place for political violence in our democ
