Witnesses say they saw Trump and another man covered in blood.
NBC News reporter Dasha Barnes spoke with a witness at the scene in Butler, who said he was in the front row, directly in front of Trump, when shots appeared to ring out.
The woman, who gave her name only as Erin, said she heard four pops about three or four minutes into the rally, and Secret Service agents quickly stormed onto the stage, she recalled.
When Trump stood up, Erin said she saw blood in his ear. “Nobody was worried about us. We were only worried about him,” Erin said of Trump.
She also said she saw a bloody person next to someone who was “bleeding profusely” and appeared to have been shot.
Erin said a man sitting next to her in the crowd told her he saw a shooter at a nearby water tower.
“If you don’t like the guy, don’t vote for him,” she said, again referring to the former president. “Don’t kill him. … What is the violence about?”
President Obama says there is no room for political violence in the US
Former President Barack Obama said in a statement that there is no place for political violence in the United States and that everyone should be reassured that President Trump is reportedly safe.
“Political violence has no place in our democracy. While we still don’t know exactly what happened, we are relieved that former President Trump was not seriously injured and should take this opportunity to recommit ourselves to civility and respect in politics,” Obama said. “Michelle and I wish him a speedy recovery.”
Wisconsin governor considers beefing up security for Republican National Convention
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers, a Democrat, said his “thoughts are with President Trump and all those who attended today’s rally in Pennsylvania,” and said he and his staff were in contact with the Republican National Committee about security for the party’s convention in Milwaukee next week.
“My staff and I have been in contact with those coordinating security planning for the Republican National Convention and will continue to do so closely as we learn more about this situation,” Evers said in a statement. “We should not be a country that tolerates political violence of any kind. That is not who we are as Americans.”
Butler County District Attorney says one spectator and the shooter were killed, and one spectator was “critically injured”
The Butler County District Attorney’s Office has announced that the shooter at the Trump rally has died.
One spectator also died and another was in “serious condition,” according to prosecutors.
According to two witnesses, two people collapsed.
Two witnesses told NBC News’ Dasha Barnes that they saw the two men collapse, but the accounts have not been verified.
The mother and son witnesses said it made them “more than ever” want Trump to win and “send a message to people”.
“They can’t stop us,” one witness said.
Vice President Kamala Harris was first briefed on the incident.
The vice president’s office said Vice President Kamala Harris had been initially briefed on the incident at President Trump’s rally.
Threats against public officials are on the rise
Violent threats against public servants have skyrocketed in recent years, according to data from the Combating Terrorism Center at West Point.
“Federal prosecutions have soared from an average of 38 cases per year between 2013 and 2016 to an average of 62 cases per year between 2017 and 2022,” the West Point report, released in May, said. “Across the timeline, ideologically motivated threats made up nearly half of the cases on average, and that share has increased steadily year over year. A preliminary review of cases in 2023 and 2024 indicates that federal prosecutions are on pace to reach new records.”
Biden has been briefed by senior officials, including the director of the Secret Service and Secretary of Homeland Security Mayorkas.
According to a White House official, Biden is receiving updates from the following people:
- Kimberly Cheatle, Director of the United States Secret Service
- Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas
- Liz Sherwood Randall, Assistant to the President and Homeland Security Advisor
The following staff members participated in the information session:
- Jeff Zients, Assistant to the President and Chief of Staff
- Steve Ricchetti, Assistant to the President and Counsellor to the President
- Annie Tomasini, Assistant to the President and Deputy Chief of Staff
Police investigating whether 2 more people shot at Trump rally, threat ‘contained’
Three senior US law enforcement officials told NBC News they were investigating whether two other people in the crowd at the Trump rally were also shot.
Officials told NBC News the threat had been “contained.”
Georgia Republican Sen. Mike Collins slams Biden
Minutes after the attack, Rep. Mike Collins (R-Ga.) posted on X that “Biden gave the order,” baselessly implying that the president was to blame for Saturday’s incident.
Collins quote-retweeted a screenshot of a recent Politico article in which Biden was quoted as saying in a private conference call with donors that Democrats needed to bounce back from his poor performance in the debates and focus on Trump. “Enough talk about the debates. It’s time to target Trump,” Biden was quoted as saying.
