The assassination attempt on former President Trump shocked the political world.
Trump was left bloody at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday after he said a bullet had hit him in the ear, killing the shooter and one other attendee. The incident sparked questions about security procedures and the gunman’s motives and came just days before thousands gathered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, for the Republican National Convention.
Here’s what we know about the shooting.
Trump was shot at a campaign rally on Saturday.
The former president held a campaign rally Saturday in Butler, Pennsylvania, about 30 miles north of Pittsburgh.
Less than 10 minutes after Trump took the stage, there was a series of popping sounds. As Secret Service agents stormed onto the stage, Trump grabbed him around his ears and neck. As agents helped him to his feet, Trump pumped his fist into the crowd. Trump’s campaign and family announced shortly afterwards that he was fine.
President Trump posted on Truth Social about two and a half hours after the shooting, confirming that he had been shot in the ear.
“I was shot above my right ear. I knew immediately something was wrong as I heard the whoosh, the gunshot and felt the bullet break through my skin,” he posted. “I was bleeding profusely and realized what was going on. God Bless America!”
Authorities are calling it an assassination attempt.
Law enforcement officials briefing reporters late Saturday described the incident as an “assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump.”
Another participant dies
One rally attendee was killed in the shooting. Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro (Democrat) identified the victim as the area’s former fire chief, Corey Comperatore, who he said “died a hero” protecting his family.
President Trump, President Biden, and numerous members of Congress offered condolences to the families of the victims.
Two other people were injured, authorities said. A GoFundMe for the shooting victims shared on social media by advisers to President Trump had raised more than $2.5 million as of Sunday evening.
The perpetrator has been identified and the investigation is ongoing.
Police identified the shooter as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania.
Crooks opened fire from a rooftop near the rally before being shot by Secret Service agents, and the Associated Press reported that explosives were found in Crooks’ car and home near the rally.
Butler County District Attorney Richard Goldinger told The Associated Press on Sunday that Crooks was not previously known to investigators in the area.
Authorities are still working to determine a motive for the shooting.
A senior FBI official said at a briefing on Sunday that the FBI is also investigating the shooting as a “potential” act of domestic terrorism, and that the bureau believes the suspect acted alone.
Authorities said the weapon recovered during the shooting was a “legally purchased AR-style 556 rifle.” Authorities said they believe the weapon was purchased by the suspect’s father.
The Secret Service is under scrutiny
Lawmakers have grilled the Secret Service over the transcript of the rally, questioning how the gunman was able to climb to the roof in clear view of the former president.
Republican senators Promise to investigate Hold at least one public hearing on the shooting at the rally.
“The American people deserve to know the truth, and we will be sending Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle and appropriate officials from the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI to appear before the committee as soon as possible,” House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) posted on the social platform X.
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) quickly requested that Cheatle testify at a hearing on the July 22 shooting. The House Homeland Security Committee also said in a post on X that it had contacted the Secret Service to request a formal briefing for committee members.
After the rally, a former Secret Service official spoke about the challenges of ensuring security at large outdoor events.
But rally attendees also reportedly called police after a man climbed onto the roof of a nearby building. The Associated Press reported that one officer climbed onto the roof and found the shooter, but the suspect pointed a rifle at officers, forcing them to climb down a ladder and retreat.
Biden spoke with President Trump and ordered a security review.
Biden has been regularly briefed by top federal law enforcement officials since Saturday night’s shooting, and the president has spoken on camera multiple times, including in an Oval Office address to the nation on Sunday night.
Biden said he had a “short but good” conversation with Trump by phone on Saturday night.
The president called for unity and condemned the shootings as un-American. He also said he had instructed the director of the Secret Service to review all security measures before and after this week’s Republican National Convention and ordered an independent national security investigation “to assess exactly what happened” at Saturday’s rally.
A Secret Service spokesman said Saturday Called it He said claims that requests from Trump’s team for additional security resources were denied were “categorically false” and that the agency had recently added protective resources and capabilities.
Republican convention will go on as scheduled, Trump will attend
The Republican National Convention is scheduled to take place in Milwaukee from Monday through Thursday and will proceed as scheduled with no changes to the schedule.
Trump posted on Truth Social that he had planned to postpone his trip to Wisconsin for two days because of the shooting, but decided to leave on Sunday afternoon because he “cannot allow a ‘shooter’ or potential assassin to force me into making schedule or other changes.”
A senior Trump campaign official said in a memo to staff on Sunday that the Republican Convention “will proceed as scheduled in Milwaukee and will nominate the party’s courageous and fearless nominee for president.”
Trump will formally accept the nomination on Thursday night and will likely choose his running mate at the party’s convention on Monday.
A Secret Service official coordinating the convention said at a press conference on Sunday that there were no plans to change the convention’s security plans in light of the assassination attempt.
“We are confident in our security plan for this event and we are well prepared,” Audrey Gibson Cicchino said at the press conference. “This has been an 18-month process. We have been working together for those 18 months to develop an operational security plan for all aspects of security related to this event.”
