MILWAUKEE — Outside the Fiserv Forum, a man who has become something of a celebrity in MAGA circles recounted his experience as a front-row witness to the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump.
San Diego’s Blake Marnell is better known as “Mr. Brick Suit” or simply “Brick Suit.”
He has attended numerous Trump rallies and Republican events, including the 2024 Republican National Convention, where he represented California, dressed in his trademark brick-red suit to show his support for President Trump’s long-promised border wall.
Marnell’s unique fashion sense first made headlines in May 2019, when Trump spotted him in a crowd and They put the man on stage at the rally. Central Pennsylvania.
But Marnell will likely remember Trump’s rally in western Pennsylvania last Saturday for a more solemn reason.
Marnell, who was sitting in the front row at the Butler Farm Show, said he was just 10 yards from Trump when the shots were fired.
“at that time [shots were fired]”I was looking at a slide about immigration,” Marnell told the Post.
“And then I turned around and I saw the president, and he was already on the ground, and I saw the Secret Service coming up onto the stage to cover him.”
Marnell began recording agents hiding Trump behind the podium and then watching him with concern for his condition when he emerged.
“I knew he was OK,” Marnell said.
“He pumped his fist in the air. I didn’t know what he was saying, but I knew he was fired up.”
Marnell said Trump’s defiant expression and raised fist after the gunshots rang out calmed any speculation in the crowd that feared the worst.
Here is the latest on the assassination attempt against Donald Trump:
“Without that act, there would have been a lot of speculation about what happened,” Marnell told the Post.
Marnell kept his camera rolling for several minutes after the shooting, but was so shaken by what he witnessed that he waited until Wednesday to watch the footage.
He told the Post he had watched video of people inside Butler Memorial Hospital, where Trump was taken for his injuries shortly after the shooting. Submit a recording About X.
“I saw a video yesterday that someone in the emergency room posted of President Trump arriving at the emergency room,” Marnell said.
“So I thought, if I can do that, I can go back and look at my stuff now. And I did… it’s just not something I wanted to take out of the box any earlier than yesterday.”
Asked if there were any issues with the security measures on Saturday, Marnell said there were no “deficiencies” and that he believed Secret Service agents responded appropriately to protect Trump.
What we know about the attempted assassination of President Trump
- 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks has been identified as the shooter who attempted to assassinate Donald Trump during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania.
- Crooks was shot and killed by a Secret Service agent.
- The gunman grazed President Trump’s ear, killed a 50-year-old former fire chief and wounded two other people at the rally.
- Investigators detailed Crooks’ search history to lawmakers, revealing that he sought out dates for speeches by President Trump and the Democratic National Convention.
- FBI officials said the criminal’s search history also revealed a broad interest in famous people and celebrities, regardless of political affiliation.
- “I was supposed to be dead,” Trump told The Washington Post exclusively at the rally, describing how he survived the “surreal” assassination attempt.
- Prominent politicians, including President Biden and Vice President Harris, addressed the nation about the shooting, calling it a “heinous, horrific and despicable act.”
He said there must have been some mistake but vowed to wait for the official report before making a final judgement.
“Obviously there were some mistakes, probably multiple mistakes,” Marnell told The Post.
“There may be some structural problem with how messages from local police get through to the Secret Service.”
Speaking outside the Republican National Convention, Marnell joked that the Fiserv Forum might not be a good fit for Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle, who made headlines this week when she told ABC News that agents were not on the building where the gunman was sitting because the roof was “sloped.”
“I don’t know. That roof is pretty sloped. I’m not sure how she gets in here,” Marnell said, pointing to the arena behind them.
“…I don’t know why she’s here. There’s a ramp and everything…how can she walk down the hallway!”
Marnell told The Post that he’d enjoyed the convention so far and even had a chance to speak briefly with Trump on Monday night, who he said remembered Bricksuit leading the rally.
“[Trump] “He came over to me, he reached over the Secret Service, we shook hands, and he said, ‘You’ve had a rough day today,'” Marnell said.
“I said, ‘Yes,’ but the truth is, he’s a really great guy and we’re all really lucky to have him.”
