Former President Trump was rushed off stage after shots rang out at his rally in Butler, Pa., on Saturday, an incident that plunged the election into uncharted territory just days before the Republican National Convention.
The FBI has identified the suspect involved in what it called an assassination attempt against Trump as Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, of Bethel Park, Pa.
Trump said later in a post on Truth Social that his ear was grazed by a bullet.
At least one rally attendee was killed and another one was injured, according to the local district attorney. The suspected shooter was also killed, he said.
Follow The Hill’s live updates on the incident here.
Trump hustled off stage after loud bangs ring out at rally
Trump campaign says former president is ‘fine’ after apparent shooting at rally
Trump allies react to apparent shooting at Pennsylvania rally
FBI identifies suspect in Trump rally shooting
The FBI has identified the suspect in the Saturday shooting at former President Trump’s rally in Butler, Pa.
The FBI, in a statement obtained by The Hill, said 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks of Bethel Park, Pa., is the suspect involved in the incident that authorities have labeled an assassination attempt against Trump.
“The FBI has identified Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, as the subject involved in the assassination attempt of former President Donald Trump on July 13, in Butler, Pennsylvania. This remains an active and ongoing investigation,” the FBI said.
— Mychael Schnell
Trump has left rally area
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said around 11 p.m. that Trump had left the area of the rally.
“Under the protection of US Secret Service and with the assistance of the Pennsylvania State Police, former President Trump has now left the Butler area. Lori and I are thankful that his team reports that he is fine and we continue to wish him a full and speedy recovery,” he posted to X.
The governor also expressed his condolences for those who had been critically injured.
“We mourn the loss of life and pray for the two victims who are being treated at this time.”
FBI ‘close’ to identifying shooter in ‘assassination attempt’
Kevin Rojek, the special agent in charge at the FBI field office in Pittsburgh, told reporters at a press briefing that officials are calling the shooting at the rally an assassination attempt against Trump.
Rojek said law enforcement is not yet prepared to identify who the shooter is.
“We are close to that identification, and as soon as we are 100 percent confident in who that individual is we will share it with the press. We do not currently have an identified motive,” he said.
— Brett Samuels
Former FBI deputy director predicts shooter will be identified within hours
Former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe predicted on CNN Saturday night that the suspect behind the shooting at the Trump rally in Pennsylvania will be identified soon.
McCabe noted that certain procedures can be done to attempt to identify the shooter, including fingerprint and dental record analysis if the shooter was not carrying identification.
“They will have this person identified, I would think, within the next few hours,” McCabe said.
— Tara Suter
Secret Service to brief House Oversight
The Secret Service has agreed to brief the House Oversight Committee about the apparent assassination attempt against former President Trump, a spokesperson confirmed.
The panel’s chairman, Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.), has also publicly called on Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle to appear for a hearing.
— Emily Brooks
Biden and Trump speak
Biden and Trump spoke on Saturday night, according to a White House official.
The official said that Biden spoke to Trump just before the president left Rehoboth, Del., where he was on Saturday, to make an unexpected return to the White House.
Biden delivered remarks earlier on Saturday evening and said that he had tried to get ahold of Trump and hoped to speak with the former president.
— Alex Gangitano
Rep. Ronny Jackson says nephew grazed with bullet at rally
Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-Texas) said on Saturday that his nephew had been grazed with a bullet while attending Trump’s rally.“My nephew was at the event tonight,” Jackson told Fox News’ Sean Hannity, explaining he was in the “friends and family pen.”
“They heard the shots, and everybody dropped to the ground,” Jackson explained.
“And I don’t know if you guys have the picture or not, but he was grazed in the neck. A bullet crossed his neck, cut his neck, and he was bleeding.”Jackson explained that his sister-in-law had encouraged his nephew to go to the triage tent after the incident.
— Caroline Vakil
Congressional baseball game shooting survivor reflects after Trump shot in ear
Rep. Roger Williams (R-Texas), a survivor of the 2017 Congressional baseball game shooting, told The Hill Saturday evening that the apparent assassination attempt against Trump made him immediately think of the baseball shooting – and that he had the same reaction then as he does now.
“I was shocked, but I wasn’t surprised,” Williams said.
“This is the world we live in right now,” he continued. “The anger that some people … [have toward] conservative values and Donald Trump is pretty unbelievable.”
“For people to be so angry and so hateful to do deeds like this, I think it shows that our country, in some way, we have to be able to take a deep breath and get a hold of ourselves,” Williams said. “It’s not good for either party. It’s not good for our country.”
Williams predicted the shooting would earn Trump more support.
“I frankly think he’ll get a lot more support now,” Williams said. “Here’s a guy, that they tried to take his livelihood away. They tried to put him in jail. The list goes on and on and on, and now that someone tries to assassinate him, I’d say he’s one tough son of a gun, and I think a lot of people that weren’t with him are going to stand with him now.”
— Emily Brooks
Biden to return to White House after Trump shooting
Biden is leaving Rehoboth, Del., where he was slated to stay for the whole weekend.
Hours after he gave remarks from Rehoboth, he made plans to return to Washington, D.C. late Saturday.
The president is expected to leave Rehoboth at 10:30pm and arrive at the White House just after midnight.
— Alex Gangitano
Garland briefed, says DOJ will support investigation
Attorney General Merrick Garland has been briefed on the shooting and said the FBI, ATF and other federal agents are assisting Secret Service and local law enforcement.
“My heart is with the former President, those injured, and the family of the spectator killed in this horrific attack,” Garland said in a statement.
“We will not tolerate violence of any kind, and violence like this is an attack on our democracy,” he added. “The Justice Department will bring every available resource to bear to this investigation.”
— Brett Samuels
Tiffany Trump: ‘As you saw today, my father is a fighter’
Tiffany Trump thanked the public for the outpouring of “love and support” her family received after former President Trump was injured Saturday after being shot in the ear.
“The outpouring of love and support for my dad is deeply appreciated. Thank you God for keeping my father alive,” the 30-year-old daughter of Trump and his ex-wife Marla Maples wrote on X.
“Political violence is never the answer. God bless the secret service and law enforcement who fearlessly intervened.”
“Please include the families of the victims in your prayers,” she added.
“As you saw today, my father is a fighter and he will continue to fight for you and the USA.”
— Steff Danielle Thomas
Ocasio-Cortez says shooting at Trump rally in Pennsylvania “horrific”
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) said in a post on the social media platform X Saturday that the recent shooting at the Trump rally in Pennsylvania was “horrific.”
“There is no place for political violence, including the horrific incident we just witnessed in Pennsylvania,” Ocasio-Cortez said in her post.
“It is absolutely unacceptable and must be denounced in the strongest terms,” she added.
“My heart goes out to all the victims and I wish the former President a speedy recovery.”
— Tara Suter
FBI leading investigation into shooting
The FBI said it is leading the investigation into the shooting.
“The FBI has assumed the role of the lead federal law enforcement agency in the investigation of the incident involving former President Donald Trump that occurred earlier today in Butler, Pennsylvania. Special agents of the FBI Pittsburgh Field Office responded immediately, to include crisis response team members and evidence response technicians.,” the agency said in a statement.
“We will continue to support this investigation with the full resources of the FBI, alongside our partners at the U.S. Secret Service and state and local law enforcement.”
“Anyone with information that may assist with the investigation is asked to call our tip line at 1-800-CALL-FBI.”
Trump senior adviser says ‘high time’ ‘leftist activists, democrat donors’ be held accountable at ballot box
Trump campaign senior adviser Chris LaCivita said “leftist activists” and “democrat donors” should be held accountable at the ballot box in November.
“[F]or years, and even today,leftist activists, democrat donors and now even @JoeBiden have made disgusting [remarks and] descriptions of shooting Donald Trump it’s high time they be held accountable for it the best way is through the ballot box,” LaCivita said in a post on X.
— Caroline Vakil
Trump plans to attend GOP convention in Milwaukee
Top Trump aides said the former president will still attend the GOP convention scheduled for this week in Wisconsin.
“As was communicated earlier this evening, President Trump is doing well and grateful to law enforcement and first responders for their fast action,” Trump campaign senior advisers Chris LaCivita and Susie Wiles said in a statement.
“President Trump looks forward to joining you all in Milwaukee as we proceed with our convention to nominate him to serve as the 47th President of the United States. As our party’s nominee, President Trump will continue to share his vision to Make America Great Again,” they added.
— Brett Samuels
House sergeant at arms monitoring Trump shooting
House Sergeant at Arms William McFarland said he is monitoring the situation, and urged members of Congress to utilize security programs provided.
“I am continuing to monitor the shooting that occurred at the rally for Former President Trump,” McFarland said in a statement. “While our law enforcement partners investigate this incident, my focus is on the safety and security of House Members, their families, and staff. I continue to work with Chief Manger and the U.S. Capitol Police to ensure a robust security posture for the Congressional community.”
“I highly encourage all Members to utilize the programs offered by SAA and USCP to ensure our team can assist with your security needs,” he added. “Specifically, this includes notifying us regarding any upcoming events or travel by utilizing the Member Security Portal.”
— Mychael Schnell
Man says he yelled at officers about man with gun on roof near Trump rally
A man who was just outside Trump’s rally said he tried alerting officers about a man who was armed with a gun on a roof near where the event was occurring.
The man said in an interview with the BBC that he and some others noticed the man “bear-crawling” on the roof 50 feet away and yelled over to police about him, but they didn’t seem to “know what was going on.” He said he was pointing at the person on the roof for two or three minutes while Trump was speaking.
“Next thing you know, five shots ring out,” the man said.
— Jared Gans
RFK Jr. ‘optimistic’ Trump rally shooting will shift the country’s direction
Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said that he is “optimistic” that the shooting at Saturday’s Trump rally in Pennsylvania will change the country’s direction.
“I’m optimistic that Americans can use this moment to, to shift direction, to shift toward the… what Abraham Lincoln called… ‘the angels of light’ instead of the darker angels on our shoulder,” Kennedy said on NewsNation Prime Saturday night.
“When my father was killed, the same thing happened… the country came together, at least for a short while,” Kennedy added.
— Tara Suter
House Homeland Security Committee requests briefing
The House Homeland Security Committee has requested a briefing into the apparent assassination attempt against Trump.
“The Committee has been in contact with the United States Secret Service and has just requested an official briefing for our members on the attempted assassination of President Trump this evening in Pennsylvania,” the GOP-led committee said in a post on X.
“We are grateful for the bravery and quick response of the Secret Service agents. We will be conducting thorough oversight to ensure the American people receive answers.”
— Emily Brooks
DHS working with Biden, Trump campaigns to ensure safety
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas condemned Saturday’s shooting and said in a statement his agency is working with the Trump campaign and Biden campaign “and are taking every possible measure to ensure their safety and security.”
“Maintaining the security of the Presidential candidates and their campaign events is one of our Department’s most vital priorities,” Mayorkas said.
— Brett Samuels
Ivanka Trump: ‘I love you Dad, today and always’
Ivanka Trump says she’s praying for the country after her father said he was shot in the ear Saturday.
“Thank you for your love and prayers for my father and for the other victims of today’s senseless violence,” Trump’s 42-year-old daughter said in a statement on X.
“I continue to pray for our country,” Trump, who was a senior adviser in her father’s administration, wrote, adding “I love you Dad, today and always.”
— Judy Kurtz
Lloyd Austin: ‘This is not the way that we resolve our differences’
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin denounced the idea of using violence to solve differences following the shooting at Trump’s Butler, Pa., campaign stop.
“The entire Department of Defense condemns this violence, which has absolutely no place in our democracy,” he wrote on X. “This is not the way that we resolve our differences in America—and it must never be.
“I’m relieved that reports indicate former President Trump is safe, and I am praying for him and his family and everyone affected by this appalling incident,” Austin added.
— Steff Danielle Thomas
Trudeau ‘sickened’ by Trump shooting
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau extended his prayers to the former president Saturday evening, while condemning the shooting in the Pittsburgh suburb.
“I’m sickened by the shooting at former President Trump,” Trudeau wrote on X.
“It cannot be overstated — political violence is never acceptable,” he added.
“My thoughts are with former President Trump, those at the event, and all Americans.”
— Steff Danielle Thomas
Carter Center calls on Americans to ’embrace civility’ after rally shooting
The Carter Center, founded by former President Carter called for Americans to “embrace civility” in the political process in the wake of Saturday’s violence.
“While we don’t know all the facts, we do know that all Americans should be able to gather peaceably without fear of violence,” the center wrote on X.
“Our thoughts are with President Trump and all those affected by this horrific act, and we call on all Americans to embrace civility in our democratic processes.”
— Steff Danielle Thomas
Comer says he’ll ask Secret Service director to appear before Oversight panel
House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) says he has asked the Secret Service for a briefing and called on Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle to appear before the panel for a hearing.
“I thank the brave Secret Service members who put their lives at risk to protect President Trump and for the American patriots in the audience who helped innocent victims, he also said in a statement. “Political violence in all forms is unamerican and unacceptable.”
Georgia Republican points blame at Biden
Rep. Mike Collins (R-Ga.) is blaming President Joe Biden for the shooting at former President Trump’s rally — going beyond the prayers being offered in initial statements from most of his colleagues.
“Joe Biden sent the orders,” Collins posted on X.
Collins referenced comments from Biden to his donors in a private call that Politico reported on Monday: “We’re done talking about the debate, it’s time to put Trump in a bullseye.”
“The Republican District Attorney in Butler County, PA, should immediately file charges against Joseph R. Biden for inciting an assassination,” Collins said in a subsequent post.
— Emily Brooks
Secret Service confirms one spectator killed, two critically wounded
The Secret Service has confirmed that a “suspected shooter fired multiple shots toward the stage from an elevated position outside of the rally venue.”
Anthony Guglielmi, the agency’s chief of communications, also said one rally attendee was killed and two were critically wounded.
Agents “neutralized the shooter, who is now deceased,” he added.
Trump says he was shot in ear
Trump, in his first public remarks after the shooting, said he had been hit in the ear by a bullet.
“I knew immediately that something was wrong in that I heard a whizzing sound, shots, and immediately felt the bullet ripping through the skin,” the former president said in a statement on Truth Social.
“Much bleeding took place, so I realized then what was happening.”
— Brandon Conradis
Trump ‘in great spirits’ after shooting, son says
Donald Trump Jr. spoke to his father Saturday after he was bloodied in a shooting at a campaign rally, saying the former president is “in great spirits.”
“I just spoke to my father on the phone and he is in great spirits,” Trump Jr. said in a statement. “He will never stop fighting to save America, no matter what the radical left throws at him.”
Trump was on stage for just a short time at a rally in Butler, Pa., before gunshots rang out and Secret Service agents stormed the stage. Trump’s ear was bloodied, and some blood had run onto his face.
The former president pumped his first toward the crowd as he was escorted away by law enforcement.
The identity and motive of the shooter remain unknown.
— Brett Samuels
British PM ‘appalled’ by violence at Trump rally
British Prime Minster Keir Starmer, who stepped into the role just over a week ago, said he was “appalled” by the scene at Trump’s rally Saturday.
“I am appalled by the shocking scenes at President Trump’s rally and we send him and his family our best wishes,” British prime minster Keir Starmer wrote on X.
“Political violence in any form has no place in our societies and my thoughts are with all the victims of this attack,” he added.
— Steff Danielle Thomas