BUTLER, Pennsylvania – Former President Donald Trump was the apparent target of an assassination attempt during a campaign rally on Saturday, two law enforcement officials reported.

Trump, whose ear was covered in blood from what he described as a gunshot wound, was swiftly escorted away by Secret Service agents. His campaign later confirmed he was “fine.”

A local prosecutor announced that the suspected gunman and at least one rally attendee were killed. The Secret Service noted that two spectators were critically injured.

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

The attack, carried out by a shooter who was subsequently killed by the Secret Service, marks the most serious attempt to assassinate a president or presidential candidate since Ronald Reagan was shot in 1981.

This incident occurs in a deeply polarized political climate, just four months before the presidential election and days before Trump is to be officially named the Republican nominee at his party’s convention.

Despite the attack, Trump’s aides announced late Saturday that the convention would proceed as planned, with Trump “looking forward to joining you all in Milwaukee.”

The shooting took place as Trump began his speech at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. Shots rang out, prompting Trump to grab his right ear before being swiftly covered by Secret Service agents.

Emerging moments later, Trump, his red "Make America Great Again" hat knocked off, was heard saying "wait, wait" before being ushered into a vehicle.

The shooter’s identity and motive remain unclear. Leading Republicans and Democrats quickly condemned the violence.

“There’s no place for this kind of violence in America. We must unite as one nation to condemn it,” President Joe Biden said in a statement.

Ron Moose, a Trump supporter at the rally, described the chaos: “I heard about four shots and saw the crowd go down. Trump ducked real quick, and the Secret Service protected him within a second.”
Moose added that he saw a man running, chased by officers in military uniforms, and heard additional shots. By then, snipers had set up on a roof behind the stage.

A BBC interview with an eyewitness described seeing a man armed with a rifle crawling up a roof near the event. The witness and others attempted to alert security.
The shots appeared to come from outside the secured area, the Secret Service said.

“This horrific act of political violence at a peaceful campaign rally has no place in this country and should be unanimously and forcefully condemned,” Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson posted on social media.

Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer expressed relief that Trump was safe. “Political violence has no place in our country,” he said.
Biden’s campaign paused its television ads and halted all other outbound communication, a campaign official said.

Recent Reuters/Ipsos polling shows two out of three Americans fear violence could follow the upcoming election.

Trump, who served as president from 2017-2021, has unified the Republican party despite legal troubles, including four separate criminal prosecutions. He was found guilty in May of covering up hush money payments to a porn star, while other prosecutions have stalled due to a Supreme Court decision granting him partial immunity.

Trump claims, without evidence, that the prosecutions are orchestrated by Biden to prevent his return to power.

Republican U.S. Senate candidate David McCormick, who was seated in the front row at the rally, recounted: “Within a minute or two, I heard the shots. It was clear it was gunfire. It felt like it was an assassination attempt... It was terrifying.”