Last Update July 15, 2024 06:28am ET

Former President Trump survived an assassination attempt at his rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday. Gunshots rang out as the presumptive Republican presidential nominee addressed his supporters, striking Trump and three others. One spectator was killed, and two were critically injured. The FBI identified the shooter as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, a local resident.

Covered by: Chris Pandolfo, Gabriele Regalbuto, Anders Hagstrom, Andrea Vacchiano, Bradford Betz, Greg Wehner, Jamie Joseph, Julia Johnson, Louis Casiano, Landon Mion and Elizabeth Pritchett

Fast facts

•  Former President Trump was shot at his rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday, July 13, 2024 
•  Trump ducked to the ground and was surrounded by Secret Service agents, who evacuated him from the scene. He later posted on Truth Social that a bullet “pierced the upper part of my right ear” 
•  Three spectators were hit by gunfire. One person was killed and two others critically injured, authorities said 
•  The FBI is investigating the shooting as an assassination attempt. The shooter has been identified as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks 

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Coverage for this event has ended.

BREAKING NEWS7 hour(s) ago

PINNED

Trump reflects on surviving ‘surreal’ assassination attempt at PA rally: ‘I’m supposed to be dead’

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Former President Trump said he is “supposed to be dead” after surviving an assassination attempt at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, over the weekend.

Trump described the incident to the New York Postas a “very surreal experience” that nearly killed him as he prepares for the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

“The doctor at the hospital said he never saw anything like this, he called it a miracle,” Trump told the outlet.

“I’m not supposed to be here, I’m supposed to be dead,” the former president added. “I’m supposed to be dead.”

He also addressed confusion about his shoes, as the video of the incident showed agents attempting to rush him off the stage to safety while he says, “Wait, I want to get my shoes.”

“The agents hit me so hard that my shoes fell off, and my shoes are tight,” Trump said.

The former president also praised the Secret Service for their swift action and for killing the shooter.

“They took him out with one shot right between the eyes,” he said. “They did a fantastic job. It’s surreal for all of us.”

He spoke about the photo of him raising his fist and shouting “Fight” three times as the agents attempted to drag him off stage to safety.

“A lot of people say it’s the most iconic photo they’ve ever seen,” Trump told the NYP. “They’re right and I didn’t die. Usually, you have to die to have an iconic picture.”

Trump is scheduled to speak at the RNC on Thursday evening.

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7 hour(s) ago

Hero Trump rally victim Corey Comperatore died shielding family and ‘would’ve done it again’: friend

The volunteer firefighter who died shielding his family from a sniper’s bullets intended for former President Donald Trump during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, is being remembered as a selfless “girl dad” and churchgoing family man who regularly put others before himself.

Corey Comperatore, 50, died Saturday night while shielding his wife and family from gunfire after a 20-year-old man snuck onto a roof and started shooting at Trump during a rally in the Pennsylvania town.

“It’s just so typical of him, the way it all happened, with protecting his wife and his daughter and just throwing himself on top of them when they hear the shooting,” said Eileen Shamanski, whose children grew up playing soccer alongside Comperatore’s daughters.

“He was an all around good guy that was always there to lend a hand and support not just his own children but all the other kids who were friends of their girls and on the team,” she told Fox News Digital. “He had a just give it your all attitude, [and] a lot of kids respected him for that, just always being there supporting, giving those pep talks to get them going. It’s going to be a big loss.”

Their families have been close for years due to their girls’ common interest in travel soccer, she said. And although Comperatore worked long hours and was a volunteer firefighter in his downtime, he never missed a game or a practice, she said.

“We didn’t think it was true at first, when my daughters called me crying,” she said. “Then we saw his wife and daughter on the news, when they were tending to him – it was just a sad thing to see, so sad, but I know he would’ve done it again in a heartbeat if it came down to it.”

Fox News’ Michael Ruiz contributed to this report.

Posted by Landon Mion Share

7 hour(s) ago

Hero Trump rally victim Corey Comperatore died shielding family and ‘would’ve done it again’: friend

The volunteer firefighter who died shielding his family from a sniper’s bullets intended for former President Donald Trump during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, is being remembered as a selfless “girl dad” and churchgoing family man who regularly put others before himself.

Corey Comperatore, 50, died Saturday night while shielding his wife and family from gunfire after a 20-year-old man snuck onto a roof and started shooting at Trump during a rally in the Pennsylvania town.

“It’s just so typical of him, the way it all happened, with protecting his wife and his daughter and just throwing himself on top of them when they hear the shooting,” said Eileen Shamanski, whose children grew up playing soccer alongside Comperatore’s daughters.

“He was an all around good guy that was always there to lend a hand and support not just his own children but all the other kids who were friends of their girls and on the team,” she told Fox News Digital. “He had a just give it your all attitude, [and] a lot of kids respected him for that, just always being there supporting, giving those pep talks to get them going. It’s going to be a big loss.”

Their families have been close for years due to their girls’ common interest in travel soccer, she said. And although Comperatore worked long hours and was a volunteer firefighter in his downtime, he never missed a game or a practice, she said.

“We didn’t think it was true at first, when my daughters called me crying,” she said. “Then we saw his wife and daughter on the news, when they were tending to him – it was just a sad thing to see, so sad, but I know he would’ve done it again in a heartbeat if it came down to it.”

Fox News’ Michael Ruiz contributed to this report.

Posted by Landon Mion Share

8 hour(s) ago

Potential Trump VP picks react to attempted assassination: ‘Stronger than his enemies’

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The politicians who are rumored to be in consideration to serve as former President Donald Trump’s running mate in the 2024 election swiftly took to social media to show support for the presumptive GOP presidential nominee after an attempted assassination this weekend in Butler, Pennsylvania.

Sen. J.D. Vance, R-Ohio, who is considered a frontrunner to become the Republicans’ vice presidential nominee across three betting markets, blasted the rhetoric that had been emanating from the Biden campaign and its supporters.

“Today is not just some isolated incident,” Vance posted on X. “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.”

North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum also offered his support for the president on Saturday.

“We all know President Trump is stronger than his enemies. Today he showed it,” Burgum wrote on X.

Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., who has also been floated as a potential running mate, tweeted a picture of a bloodied Trump giving a fist-pump to the crowd on Saturday.

“God protected President Trump,” Rubio wrote.

Fox News’ Jamie Joseph contributed to this report.

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8 hour(s) ago

Law enforcement expert dismantles ‘cowardly act’ narrative, details moment cop confronted shooter

A law enforcement expert joined “Fox News @ Night” on Sunday to detail what happened when an officer at former President Trump’s Pennsylvania rally allegedly confronted the gunman on a rooftop before the deadly shooting on Saturday.

Retired Las Vegas Police Lt. Randy Sutton says the officer was alerted to the gunman, now identified as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, and was attempting to confront him on the roof, but there was “no ladder” or access point.

The officer decided to reach Crooks by climbing onto the back of another officer, according to Sutton’s sources.

“As he was lifting himself up over the roof line, suddenly the suspect pointed his gun at him, the officer ducked down, and when he did, he fell off the back of the other officer,” Sutton said.

Sutton explained that this was not a situation where an officer committed a “cowardly act,” dismantling an earlier report that the officer possibly retreated when he confronted Crooks.

“This is an officer who made an observation, saw that he was about to be shot, and fell off the back of the other officer,” Sutton said.

Posted by Elizabeth Pritchett Share

10 hour(s) ago

Dr. Sheila Nazarian says violence should not be normalized after assassination attempt

Dr. Sheila Nazarian spoke on how political rhetoric has impacted the country following the assassination attempt on former President Trumpat his campaign rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday.

Nazarian made the comments during a panel discussion on “Fox News @ Night” with fellow panelist Dr. Houman Hemmati.

Posted by Landon Mion Share

11 hour(s) ago

Corey Comperatore, Trump rally shooting victim, remembered by fire department

Buffalo Township Volunteer Fire Company

The victim who died in a shooting at former President Trump’s campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, Saturday night is being remembered by the fire department he had worked for.

Corey Comperatore was killed in the shooting while Trump survived an assassination attempt and other spectators were injured.

“As many of you have already heard, we lost one of our members, Corey Comperatore, in a senseless act of violence last evening,” Buffalo Township Volunteer Fire Company in Pennsylvania wrote Sunday on Facebook. “Corey was a lifetime volunteer firefighter within our company and will be greatly missed by all who knew him.”

“Corey, rest easy brother and we will take it from here,” the post continued. “Please pray and send good thoughts to Corey’s family and everyone that knew him.”

The fire department added in another post, “We remember and honor one of our own. A brother, son, husband, father and friend.”

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11 hour(s) ago

Sen. Rick Scott sending $50K to support victims of Pennsylvania shooting

Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., said he is donating $50,000 to a GoFundMe to support the victims of Saturday’s shooting at a campaign rally for former President Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania.

President Trump survived an assassination attempt at the rally while one spectator was killed and other spectators were injured.

The former president has authorized the GoFundMe page, which has raised more than $3.5 million as of Monday morning.

Scott joins singer Kid Rock, UFC president Dana White and others in donating to the fundraiser.

“I donate my Senate salary every quarter and am honored to join @KidRock, @danawhite, @ufc and others in supporting the victims of the Butler shooting,” Scott wrote on X. “I am sending $50K to this great cause.”

Posted by Landon Mion Share

12 hour(s) ago

Biden says politics must never be ‘a literal battlefield’ or ‘killing field’ in post-Trump shooting

President Biden addressed the nation from the Oval Office on Sunday night, saying the attempted assassination of former President Trump is forcing Americans to “take a step back” and calling on all sides to “lower the temperature in our politics.”

“My fellow Americans, I want to speak to you tonight about the need for us to lower the temperature in our politics,” Biden said. “Do remember, while we may disagree, we are not enemies. We’re neighbors, we’re friends, coworkers, citizens, and most importantly, we are fellow Americans. We must stand together.”

The attempted assassination of Trump “calls on all of us to take a step back, take stock of where we are,” he added.

Biden said he was “grateful” that Trump is “doing well” and said he is keeping “him and his family in our prayers.” He also extended “our deepest condolences” to the family of Corey Comperatore, who was fatally shot as he shielded his wife and daughters from the bullets.

The president linked several incidents of recent political violence to the attempt on Trump, pointing to the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021; the attack on former Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband; an attempted plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in 2020; and the “intimidation of election officials.”

“There is no place in America for this kind of violence or for any violence, ever, period. No exceptions,” Biden said.

Fox News’ Brooke Singman contributed to this report.

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13 hour(s) ago

Secret Service pushes back on claim resources were diverted to Jill Biden event: ‘Very wrong’

The Secret Service said allegations that its resources were diverted away from former President Trump for an event for first lady Jill Biden are inaccurate.

Questions about the Secret Service’s security of the former president’s campaign rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday have been raised following the assassination attempt against him at the event.

RealClearPolitics reporter Susan Crabtree claimed on X that Secret Service sources told her that resources were diverted to Jill Biden’s event and away from Trump’s rally because they followed agency protocol applying to Trump as a former president. Crabtree also said there were “many supplemental agents from different field officers (not Trump’s regular detail) providing security at the rally because Trump’s regular detail has been overworked (some working 7 days straight), and only two counter-snipers.”

But the Secret Service’s chief of communications Anthony Guglielmi responded that Crabtree’s claim was “very wrong.”

“Susan, this is very wrong,” he wrote. “We did not divert resources from FPOTUS Trump & protection models don’t work that way. As far as ‘field office teams’ these are the candidate nominee operations teams that are added during election years for the heavy travel tempo.