Donald Trump ‘fine’ after gunfire erupts at Western Pa. rally; Authorities say two, including apparent shooter, dead

» READ MORE: The Latest: Thomas Matthew Crooks identified by FBI as gunman behind attempted assassination of Trump at Western Pa. rally

Donald Trump was the target of what authorities described Saturday as an assassination attempt by a gunman who fired toward the stage, slightly wounding the former president, during a campaign rally attended by thousands of spectators.

The suspected shooter and at least one member of the audience were killed as the gunfire rang out around 6:15 p.m., shortly after Trump took the stage. Two spectators were also critically injured by shots the Secret Service said were fired from an elevated platform outside the rally.

Trump’s campaign reported that he was “fine” and that he was being checked over for injuries at a local medical facility. In a post on his social media site, Truth Social, Trump said a bullet “pierced the upper part of my right ear.”

“I knew immediately that something was wrong in that I heard a whizzing sound, shots, and immediately felt the bullet ripping through the skin,” he wrote. “Much bleeding took place, so I realized then what was happening. GOD BLESS AMERICA.”

The suspected shooter was killed by Secret Service agents, the agency said. And, according to the Associated Press, an AR-style rifle was recovered at the scene.

» READ MORE: What we know about the deadly shooting at the Trump rally in Butler, Pa.

Law enforcement officials said the incident at the Butler Farm Show in Butler County, which occurred just two days before the start of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, was being investigated as an attempted assassination of the presumptive GOP nominee. The identity of the spectator who died was not immediately released and further details surrounding the investigation, which was being led by the FBI, remained sparse.

As authorities probe how a gunman managed to get near enough to the stage to fire at Trump, an election that has already fractured a deeply divided country was thrown into further disarray by the harrowing moment of political violence in Pennsylvania.

The last time a U.S. president or former president was wounded in an assassination attempt was in 1981, when President Ronald Reagan was shot outside the Washington Hilton Hotel. Reagan was seriously wounded in the shooting, and three others were injured but survived.

» READ MORE: Donald Trump wounded after shots fired at Pa. rally; at least two dead, including shooter, Secret Service says

Trump had just started his speech Saturday when the loud popping noise rang out.

He grabbed his neck and appeared to say, “Oh.” Two more shots could be heard as someone on the stage shouted, “Get down.” The president crouched down behind the lectern and Secret Service agents rushed to the stage to whisk him away.

With what appeared to be blood on his face from a slight wound on his right ear, Trump pumped his fist in the air as he was guided to a waiting armored SUV.

President Joe Biden said in a statement he was “grateful to hear” that Trump was safe and doing well. His campaign said it would pull down television ads as quickly as possible and halt campaign-related communication until further notice. In brief comments to reporters Saturday night, Biden said he had not yet spoken to Trump.

“I’m praying for him and his family and for all those who were at the rally, as we await further information,” Biden said. “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.”

Thousands attended the rally in the 90-degree heat at the fairgrounds about 40 miles from Pittsburgh, including several Republican members of Congress. Attendees described a chaotic scene.

» READ MORE: Attendees at Trump’s rally Saturday walked through metal detectors, were prohibited from bringing weapons

U.S. Rep. Dan Meuser (R., Pa) was in the first row of the rally with Rep. Mike Kelly (R., Pa) and Republican Senate candidate Dave McCormick.

“It was hard to determine the first couple of shots. I mean, it just sounded not necessarily like gunfire. But after the third and fourth shot, it was clear that it was in fact gunfire,” Meuser said.

He said someone on the bleachers behind him was hit.

GOP Senate candidate David McCormick, who was slated to speak later in the rally, was seated in the front row.

“All the sudden shots started to crack, someone behind me appears to have been shot,” he said. “There’s lots of blood, and then the Secret Service were all over President Trump.”

Jon David Longo, a Trump delegate from Butler, who was a warm-up speaker at the rally, told The Inquirer he heard something ping off the side of the bleachers and realized it was gunfire.

He threw himself over his wife, who is pregnant, and told everyone to get down.

“I noticed there was a guy, a gentleman, unfortunately, who lost his life behind us in the bleachers,” Longo said.

Corey Check, another Trump delegate from Butler, was in a VIP section near the stage chanting “USA” with the crowd when the gunfire started.

Check said that when he realized the popping was gunshots, he grabbed a few strangers’ hands and said the Lord’s Prayer five times. He said a Secret Service agent pulled his gun and told everyone to get down.

“I think I’m going to be traumatized after this,” Check said in an interview on his drive home from the rally. He said his next thought was, “if we survive this s— hallelujah and America is not defeated.”

Dylan Paulson, 19, and his brother Nick aren’t huge fans of Trump politically but live seven minutes away from the Butler fairgrounds and wanted to witness history.

Paulson said they were about 50 to 100 feet away from the former president when they heard the gunfire and ducked.

“When you’re laying on the ground, and you don’t know what’s going on, all you’re thinking is ‘Oh, my gosh, there’s a shooter in here, my life is in actual danger,’” Paulson said.

Attendees described long lines to get into the event that included security checkpoints with bag checks, metal detectors, and hand wands.

Butler County, a largely rural and predominantly white area, supported Trump with almost 66% of the vote in 2020 and 61% of the vote in 2016. Trump visited Butler County in 2020, delivering remarks at the Butler County Regional Airport.

The visit to Butler was Trump’s fifth stop this year in Pennsylvania, a critical battleground in the November election. It was the first time this year that Trump has visited a Pennsylvania county that he won in 2020 and anticipation for the moment was high as Trump is expected to announce his vice presidential running mate any day now.

Trump’s campaign and the RNC released a joint statement late Saturday confirming he would still attend the convention in Milwaukee starting Monday “as we proceed with our convention to nominate him to serve as the 47th President of the United States.”

And while the high-stakes campaign will soon resume, condemnations of the shooting and prayers for the victims poured in from both sides of the political aisle on Saturday.

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, said that he had been briefed on the situation in Butler.

“Violence targeted at any political party or political leader is absolutely unacceptable,” Shapiro said. “It has no place in Pennsylvania or the United States.”

U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R., Pa.), a former FBI agent, posted on X: “Political violence has no justification or any place in America—against anyone, for any reason, at any time.”

North Dakota Sen. Doug Burgum, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, and Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, the three men on Trump’s shortlist for vice president, all sent out statements expressing concern for the former president.

Rubio shared an image taken as Trump was escorted offstage with his fist in the air and a streak of blood on his face along with the words: “God protected President Trump.”

Trump’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., said he had spoken to his father on the phone and “he is in great spirits.”

“He will never stop fighting to save America, no matter what the radical left throws at him,” Trump Jr. said in a statement.

In New York, a spokesperson for New York Mayor Eric Adams said that out of “an abundance of caution,” police increased their presence across the city Saturday night, including at Trump Tower and 40 Wall Street.

Past and current members of Congress who had been personally affected by political violence also sent well wishes to Trump, including former Rep. Gabby Giffords (D., Ariz.), who was shot in the head in 2011 at a meeting with her constituents. “Political violence is terrifying, I know,” she said in a statement.

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) said “As one whose family has been the victim of political violence, I know firsthand that political violence of any kind has no place in our society I thank God that former President Trump is safe.”

Staff writers Gillian McGoldrick, Rob Tornoe, and Michelle Myers contributed to this article, which contains information from the Associated Press.