Former president Donald Trump appeared to have been grazed by a bullet at a campaign rally outside Butler, Pa., about 30 miles north of Pittsburgh, on Saturday.
Trump, while speaking at the rally, grabbed at his right ear and dropped to the ground amid a flurry of shots coming from his right.
Secret Service agents and local and state authorities quickly ran to his aid and to provide cover, and after securing the scene, helped Trump to a waiting vehicle.
He was transported to a local hospital.
The Secret Service, in a statement posted to Twitter, has reported that the former president is “safe.”
“This is now an active Secret Service investigation, and further information will be released when available,” Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said in the statement.
Update: Saturday, 7:36 p.m. Butler County District Attorney Richard Goldinger has confirmed that there were two fatalities in the incident at the Trump rally – a rallygoer was shot and killed, and the shooter was killed.
A third person is in serious condition.
Update: Saturday, 7:48 p.m. Sixth District Republican Congressman Ben Cline issued this statement on social media:
“Elizabeth and my thoughts and prayers are with President Trump and his family. Thank you to the brave Secret Service agents who risked their lives to protect our President.”
Update: Saturday, 7:50 p.m. Fifth District Republican Congressman Bob Good issued this statement on social media:
“Pray for President Trump.”
Update: Saturday, 7:52 p.m. U.S. Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., issued this statement on social media:
“There is no place for political violence in a democracy. I’m monitoring this terrible situation and praying for all those at the Pennsylvania rally.”
Update: Saturday, 7:54 p.m. U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., issued this statement on social media:
“I’m deeply concerned by this situation and am praying for President Trump and everyone at today’s event.”
Update: Saturday, 7:55 p.m. More comments from Virginia political leaders.
Congressman Gerry Connolly: “Praying for the safety of everyone in attendance at Donald Trump’s rally. While we await more information, we know that political violence is never acceptable.”
Congressman Don Beyer: “My prayers are with former President Trump and his family, and with the people who were with him in Pennsylvania. As we wait for more information, I’m grateful to law enforcement for their swift response to protect the public. Political violence is totally unacceptable.”
Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger: “I’m praying for everyone who was at the former president’s rally this evening, and I’m relieved that he is reportedly doing well. Political violence is never acceptable.”
Congressman Bobby Scott: “I unequivocally condemn any form of political violence. As we wait for more information, my thoughts and prayers are with former President Trump and everyone else at the rally today.”
Update: Saturday, 8:02 p.m. More reaction from Virginia leaders.
Gov. Glenn Youngkin: “Suzanne and I are praying for President Trump, praying for his family, and praying for America.”
Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears: “It is to our shame that the hatred we are experiencing in America has been allowed to fester to the violent attack on Pres Trump today. Turn down the noise! We can disagree without being disagreeable. So proud to see that across the political spectrum everyone is calling for prayer and civility.”
Attorney General Jason Miyares: “This is not Cuba. An attack on a U.S. presidential candidate is an attack on American democracy itself.”
Update: Saturday, 8:06 p.m. President Joe Biden issued the following statement on today’s shooting:
“I have been briefed on the shooting at Donald Trump’s rally in Pennsylvania. I’m grateful to hear that he’s safe and doing well. I’m praying for him and his family and for all those who were at the rally, as we await further information. Jill and I are grateful to the Secret Service for getting him to safety. There’s no place for this kind of violence in America. We must unite as one nation to condemn it.”
Update: Saturday, 8:14 p.m. Congressman Morgan Griffith issued the following statement:
“Any and all forms of political violence are unacceptable. The event in Butler, Pa., involving President Trump is a deeply concerning development. As we wait to hear more from authorities, I urge all Americans to pray for the victims of this incident, the people of Pennsylvania and President Trump.”
Update: Saturday, 8:19 p.m. Butler County District Attorney Richard Goldinger told CNN that the shooter was not inside the grounds of the campaign rally.
Update: Saturday, 8:58 p.m. Donald Trump posted this statement to his Truth Social account:
Update: Saturday, 9:05 p.m. Fox News is reporting that an AR-style rifle was found at the scene where the shooter was neutralized by law enforcement.
In one post, Musk wrote that “(t)he Reid Hoffman’s of the world got their dearest wish … but then the martyr lived,” referencing Hoffman, a fellow billionaire who is a prominent Democratic Party donor.
Next, in a retweet of a report from the BBC of a rally attendee who claimed that he saw the shooter climbing the roof of a building with a rifle, Musk tweeted this:
“The head of the Secret Service and the leader of this security detail should resign.”
That’s actually reasonable, if what the man in the interview says is true.
But this …
“Extreme incompetence or it was deliberate. Either way, the SS leadership must resign.”
It was “deliberate”?
Musk, supposedly the world’s richest man, is suggesting very publicly that the Secret Service might have conspired with a plot to assassinate a former president.
“Today is not just some isolated incident. The central premise of the Biden campaign is that President Donald Trump is an authoritarian fascist who must be stopped at all costs. That rhetoric led directly to President Trump’s attempted assassination.”
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Chris Graham
