UPDATE 2 (930 pm):
Multiple eyewitness accounts have come forward, including one man who spoke to the BBC (the full interview is on X), and said that he and his friends were outside the rally in the tree line, and they saw the shooter on a building with a white roof. He said the man’s rifle was clearly visible, and they spotted him crawling across the roof.
Shortly after, a video claiming to be of the shooter’s dead body on the roof of a building across the field surface on X.
The video seems to be confirmed with multiple photos circulating on social media showing law enforcement on the roof collecting the body:
Based on the video and photos, a map of the rally area was put up on X, showing the shooter’s location with respect to Trump.
Sean Davis from the Federalist reported that Trump’s team has been asking DHS (which controls the Secret Service) to beef up Trump’s security for weeks, but Biden’s DHS has ignored their requests.
Donald Trump released a statement on Truth Social:
SIDENOTE: If we are going to play by the Gabby Giffords Rules the Democrats used to blame Palin for the Giffords shooting in 2011, then Biden should be held to account for this one. Politico reported on July 8 that Biden said, “I have one job, and that’s to beat Donald Trump. I’m absolutely certain I’m the best person to be able to do that. So, we’re done talking about the debate, it’s time to put Trump in a bullseye.”
Meanwhile, they finally woke Biden up and gave him enough meds to get him in front of a camera. He said he had been fully briefed, and condemned the shooting, but when asked if he thought it was an assassination attempt on Trump, he said, “I have an opinion, but I don’t have any facts.”
UPDATE 1 (805 pm):
The shooter is dead, which tracks with the audio heard in the aftermath of Secret Service Agents yelling, “Shooter Down!” Unfortunately, one of the rally-goers who was in the bleachers behind the former president is also deceased, according to Bulter County Prosecutor Richard Goldinger.
NBC has been interviewing witnesses from the rally who said that there were two people shot in the bleachers. They had an interview with an OB/GYN named Joesph, who said the guy standing next to him was shot in the head and died instantly, and a woman nearby took a shot to the forearm.
Trump spokesman Steven Cheung said, “President Trump thanks law enforcement and first responders for their quick action during this heinous act. He is fine and is being checked out at a local medical facility. More details will follow.”
The Secret Service also confirmed, “The former President is safe.”
CNN has a live update thread here.
ORIGINAL STORY:
At a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, this afternoon, shots rang out. On video, Donald Trump can be seen grabbing his ear before ducking under the podium as the Secret Service swarmed.
In all, eight shots can be heard on the rally video. Because this is a breaking story, it is not clear if all eight shots were from the shooter or if he was confronted by law enforcement.
Trump made sure to let the crowd know he was ok by pumping his fist in the air several times as the Secret Service hustled him out and stuffed him into his SUV.
You can watch the whole rally here; the shooting occurred about 8 and a half minutes into Trump’s speech:
Stay tuned for more information as it becomes available.
Lorraine Yuriar is a wife, mother, and lifelong conservative, currently stuck in a very blue state.
Charles Krauthammer used to say “Conservatives think liberals are wrong, but liberals think conservatives are evil. Therefore giving them (libs) legitimacy for eradicating evil.”
Sad day - but now Trump is on his way! 2024!
Saw this one coming . . . a long way off.