washington — Former U.S. President Donald Trump said late Saturday that a bullet clipped his right ear after shots were fired in his direction at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania and the nation’s top law enforcement agency said it had taken the lead in the investigation.
“This evening, we had what we are calling an assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump. It’s still an active crime scene,” Kevin Rojek, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Pittsburgh field office, said during a press conference.
The shooter is dead, one rally attendee was killed and two other spectators were injured, according to a statement from the Secret Service.
The shooting happened just after Trump took the stage at 6 p.m. local time at a rally in the town of Butler.
“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,” the FBI said earlier in a statement.
The event prompted President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Barack Obama to issue strong statements condemning political violence.
Late Saturday, the White House said Biden had spoken to Trump – though they did not immediately give details of the conversation – and also to Pennsylvania’s governor and Butler’s mayor. The administration also said he was returning to the White House in the early hours of Sunday, instead of remaining at his Delaware home as planned.
The incident threatens to further intensify and complicate an already tough presidential race and inflame rhetoric around an already tense national debate.
On Saturday, in a statement on social media site X, the Republican National Committee said that Trump still intended to appear at the party’s convention in Milwaukee on Monday.
Trump also confirmed, in a statement on his social media site, that the shooter was killed, and that one spectator at the rally was killed and another wounded. In a statement published on X, the Secret Service said two people attending the rally were wounded, not one.
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Trump also thanked the Secret Service and law enforcement for their work.
“Most importantly,” he said, “I want to extend my condolences to the family of the person at the rally who was killed, and also to the family of another person that was badly injured. It is incredible that such an act can take place in our country. Nothing is known at this time about the shooter, who is now dead.”
“I was shot with a bullet that pierced the upper part of my right ear,” he continued. “I knew immediately that something was wrong in that I heard a whizzing sound, shots, and immediately felt the bullet ripping through the skin. Much bleeding took place, so I realized then what was happening. GOD BLESS AMERICA!”
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He gave no further details on his condition or whether the act was being investigated as an assassination attempt.
In a statement published on X, Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi did not use the term “assassination,” saying only “the incident is currently under investigation.”
Shortly after the event, Biden released a statement saying, “I’m praying for him and his family and for all those who were at the rally.” He continued: “There’s no place for this kind of violence in America. We must unite as one nation to condemn it.”
Vice President Harris also issued a statement wishing Trump well and saying, “We must all condemn this abhorrent act and do our part to ensure that it does not lead to more violence.”
Minutes later, Biden spoke to reporters.
“There is no place in America for this kind of violence,” he said. “It’s sick. It’s sick. It’s one of the reasons why we have to unite this country. We cannot allow for this to be happening. We cannot be like this. We cannot condone this.”
The Biden campaign also said, in a statement, that it is “pausing all outbound communications and working to pull down our television ads as quickly as possible.”
When asked if the events constituted an assassination attempt, Biden demurred.
“I have an opinion, but I don’t have any facts,” he replied.
Former President Barack Obama echoed Biden’s concerns.
“There is absolutely no place for political violence in our democracy,” his statement read. “Although we don’t yet know exactly what happened, we should all be relieved that former President Trump wasn’t seriously hurt and use this moment to recommit ourselves to civility and respect in our politics. Michelle and I are wishing him a quick recovery.”
Analysts say this is a historic event.
“Today the world changed,” said Professor Casey Burgat of the George Washington University. “The attempted assassination of former President Trump will not only have profound consequences on this election but also on the broader state of American politics.
“The incident will further deepen partisan divides while also sparking a critical dialogue on the nature of political discourse and violence in modern American politics,” he added.
“There will be partisan finger-pointing about how and why this happened, but across the political spectrum, we will rightfully hear a unified rejection of all political violence. I can only hope the latter wins out.”
The shooting took place shortly after Trump took to the stage. The crowd heard several small pops similar to small-arms fire before the former president reached for the side of his face and ducked. He was immediately swarmed by his Secret Service detail and could be heard saying “let me get my shoes,” before he stood back up, a ring of agents surrounding him tightly.
Then, bleeding from his right ear, he said, repeatedly, “wait.” He then raised his right fist and gestured angrily at a spot in the middle distance and repeated the same one-syllable word three times. It appeared to be “fight, fight, fight.”
Trump’s Republican supporters quickly reacted.
Senator J.D. Vance of Ohio – considered a front-runner choice to be Trump’s vice president – tweeted: “Everyone join me in praying for our President Trump and everyone at that rally. I hope everyone is ok.”
Another VP contender, Senator Marco Rubio of Florida, tweeted “God protected President Trump.”
World leaders also began to react.
“Sara and I were shocked by the apparent attack on President Trump,” said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “We pray for his safety and speedy recovery.”
In Milwaukee, where delegates, candidates and media were preparing to descend come Monday for the convention where Trump is expected to be officially named as his party’s presidential nominee, those in the thick of things sounded their frustration at the bitter state of American politics.
“I think that we need to lower the rhetoric, and the anger,” said Laura Baiger, an alternate delegate from Tennessee. “Why can’t we just talk to each other? There’s so much of everybody ramping and amping it up, it’s just crazy. And there’s no reason for it. We need unity. We need to start talking to each other. Speaking with each other, listening to each other.”
Katherine Gypson, Steve Herman, Mykhailo Komadovsky, Sayed Aziz Rahman, Jeff Seldin and Patsy Widakuswara contributed to this report from Washington. Jorge Agobian contributed from Milwaukee.
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