US Presidential Elections 2024: Trump survives assassination attempt

Former President Donald Trump was shot in the ear Saturday evening during his rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, in what the FBI says was an assassination attempt.

The gunman and at least one audience member are dead, the Secret Service said, and two other attendees are critically injured. Agents said the former president is safe after they rushed him off the stage with blood on his face.

The FBI has identified the gunman as Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania. Authorities say he fired multiple shots from a building rooftop just outside the rally venue, before he was killed by Secret Service agents.

Eyewitnesses described a “bloody” and chaotic scene. “It’s pure insanity,” said one rally attendee.

President Joe Biden spoke with Trump after the shooting and denounced the violence in remarks Saturday night. Biden returned to the White House from Delaware earlier than planned so he can continue receiving briefings from law enforcement.

Secret Service agents rushed former President Donald Trump off the stage after he fell to the ground amid loud bangs at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.

After the bangs, Trump fell to the ground and was covered by Secret Service agents. He was stood back up by security personnel and had blood on his face. He was yelling back to the crowd and raising his fist before being was whisked away by security personnel.

Trump was then taken to a vehicle and evacuated from the scene. The incident took place moments after he took the stage at the rally.

“We heard a bunch of … loud cracking noises. At first I thought: Is that fireworks? All of a sudden everyone started screaming,” said CNN’s Alayna Treene, who was reporting from the rally.

In another development,House speaker notes heated political discourse but says "we shouldn't be targeting people"

House Speaker Mike Johnson urged Americans to treat one another with dignity and respect despite the country’s “heated” political environment in an interview with NBC’s “Today” show Sunday, following the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump.

“We’re all Americans, and we have to treat one another with dignity and respect. We can have heated political discourse and debates, but it shouldn’t be personal, and we shouldn’t be targeting people,” Johnson said.

CNN