BUTLER, Pennsylvania — When former President Donald Trump arrived at the Butler Farm Show around 6 p.m. Saturday, I found myself crammed onto the press steps, just a few feet from the stage.
As he waited for Trump to appear to the tune of Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the USA,” he took selfies with hundreds of rally attendees lying on the ground behind him, holding only his cellphone.
This photo was meant for posterity, just as a record of my campaign.
I had no idea how significant that night would become.
Less than 30 minutes after taking this photo, I heard three gunshots somewhere to my left.
It is now known that the shots were fired by 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks of nearby Bethel Park from a rooftop in clear view of the stage.
President Trump’s right ear was grazed by a bullet and one attendee in the line of fire was killed.
What happened next can only be described as a feeling of confusion.
Some rally attendees hugged each other and cried, while others just stood there in shock, showing little sign of urgency to flee.
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Several men vented their grief to reporters on the steps, blaming the media for fueling the narrative they believed led the would-be assassin to open fire.
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With the extent of Trump’s damage still unclear, some complained that it was the start of a “civil war.”
Shortly before he was shot, Trump said he never needed to run for president and that he might be better off retiring somewhere with a great view of the ocean.
But the New York real estate mogul was in rural Pennsylvania just two days before the Republican National Convention, which will likely nominate him for a third consecutive presidential nomination.
After the shooting, Trump was treated at Butler Memorial Hospital, where I and other reporters headed just before dark. We were not allowed on the hospital grounds, and a sniper on the rooftop kept a close watch on us all in the gravel parking lot across the street.
One woman on the sidewalk near the hospital entrance held up an offensive sign that read, “We are praying for President Trump’s long and hard recovery!”
Positive news is likely to come from the Trump campaign and Secret Service, who will each issue statements saying Trump is “in good spirits” and “safe.”
Around 9 p.m., I photographed a large helicopter leaving the hospital. Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro later confirmed that Trump had left the area.
The next morning, on Sunday, the atmosphere at the Butler Farm Show was unexpectedly calm.
Just before 8 a.m., Pennsylvania State Police troopers blocked the entrances to the rally, causing a handful of reporters to gather along Meridian Road, due east of the rally.
The other entrance to the fairgrounds, on the south side of Buttercup Lane, was much less regulated and allowed entry a little later.
A large grassy area used as a parking lot for rally participants was littered with trash and several cars. There were few journalists in the area, but several large white trucks were seen entering and exiting a gated area close to the rally site.
Looking west from the gate, a makeshift helipad used to evacuate people wounded in the shooting still stood intact.
The fact that the site is home to dozens of small airport hangar-style buildings with rooftops like the one Crooks used has raised, and is likely to continue to raise, concerns about the safety of venues chosen for such events.
Speaking with my colleagues, I told them I had just witnessed history.
It was one of those “where were you then” moments, and I happened to be there.
