Videos circulating on X The video shows two Secret Service snipers positioned on a rooftop near former President Donald Trump responding to gunfire from an unknown gunman, both of whom quickly took aim and fired their shots.
The gunman, identified only as a white man, shot and wounded Trump after climbing to the roof of the AGR International building, about 130 yards from where the 45th president was speaking at the Butler Farm Show.
A senior law enforcement source told The Post that Trump was “close to being shot in the face” before Secret Service snipers responded.
Another spectator was killed, local prosecutors said, and the US Secret Service confirmed that two others were seriously injured.
“A bullet penetrated the upper part of my right ear,” the 78-year-old Republican presidential candidate said in his first statement since being rushed to a Pittsburgh-area hospital late Saturday night.
“I heard the whoosh and the gunshot and felt the bullet go through my skin so I knew right away something was wrong. I was bleeding profusely and I knew what was going on,” Trump said on his Truth social account.
“I want to thank the United States Secret Service and all law enforcement agencies for their swift response to the shooting that occurred in Butler, Pennsylvania,” he added.
“Most importantly, I would like to express my condolences to the families of those who died at the rally and to those who were seriously injured. I cannot believe that such acts could happen in our country.”
Sources said the shooter did not have any identification and was not at the rally.
The suspect’s AR-style rifle was recovered at the scene, sources told The Associated Press.
After the shooting, as Secret Service agents surrounded Trump, he stood, pumped his fist in the air and shouted “Fight! Fight! Fight!” to erupted cheers.
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House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) later announced that his committee would investigate the shooting and hold hearings with the director of the Secret Service.
“I have already contacted the Secret Service to request clarification and have asked Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle to attend the hearing, and the Oversight Committee expects to send a formal invitation shortly,” Comer said in a statement.
“My prayers are with President Trump and the victims of today’s assassination attempt at his rally in Pennsylvania. I am grateful to the brave Secret Service agents who risked their lives to protect President Trump and to the American patriots in the audience who helped those who were injured,” he added.
“It’s a miracle that Donald Trump is alive. I call this an assassination attempt that resulted in at least one innocent bystander being killed,” Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Missouri) said on X. “The public needs to know who did this and why, and we need a full, public investigation by Congress.”
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Politicians from all parties were quick to condemn the violence.
“I ask everyone to join me in praying for President Trump and everyone at the rally. I hope you are all safe,” Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio), the first lawmaker to speak out about the shooting, posted on X.
President Biden delivered a brief speech near his vacation home in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, and said he planned to speak with President Trump later that evening.
“We have no place in America for this kind of violence. This is sick. This is sick,” said Biden, 81. “This is one of the reasons we have to unite our country. We cannot allow this to happen. This is unacceptable. It is unacceptable.”
“While we still don’t know exactly what happened, we can all be relieved that former President Trump was not seriously injured and should take this opportunity to recommit ourselves to civility and respect in politics,” former President Barack Obama added via X. “Michelle and I wish him a speedy recovery.”
“Now is the time for all Americans who love our country to turn away from division, renounce all violence and unite in prayer for President Trump and his family,” said independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
A spokesman for the U.S. Secret Service did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
