Former President Donald Trump was injured and rushed off stage by the U.S. Secret Service on Saturday evening in Butler, Pennsylvania, after shots were fired and a bullet struck Trump’s upper right ear.
Follow along here on Breitbart News for live breaking updates.
UPDATE: JULY 14 – 2:11 p.m. ET
UPDATE 1:49 a.m. ET
The FBI has officially confirmed that the dead shooter’s name was Thomas Matthew Crooks. They released the following statement:
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, and anyone with information that may assist with the investigation is encouraged to submit photos or videos online at FBI.gov/butler or call 1-800-CALL-FBI.
UPDATE 12:56 a.m. ET
Next week’s Republican convention will be held two blocks away from the site where President Teddy Roosevelt survived an assassination attempt in 1912. Trump’s defiant raised fist in the face of a killer calls to mind the manly swagger of that earlier Republican populist president who famously said, “It takes more than that to kill a Bull Moose.”
Former President Donald Trump, surrounded by U.S. Secret Service agents, raises his fist defiantly after surviving an assassination attempt at a campaign rally on July 13, 2024, in Butler, Pa. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Theodore Roosevelt speaks from a car in Milwaukee on October 14, 1912, shortly before a gunman shot and wounded him in front of the Gilpatrick Hotel. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Files)
Even the left-wing and Trump hating New York Times acknowledged the iconic image Trump presented today:
“Wait, wait, wait, wait,” the former president instructed, his voice a harried — but startlingly clear — command. Reluctantly, they halted. He peered out into the crowd.
And then his arm reached toward the sky, and he began punching the air.
The crowd started to chant — “U-S-A! U-S-A!” — as the agents inched Mr. Trump toward the stairs. When they reached the top step, they paused once more, so Mr. Trump could lift his arm a little higher, and pump his fist a little faster. The crowd roared a little louder.
[…]
Mr. Trump would not leave the stage without signaling to his fans that he was OK — even as some were still wailing in fear. And he did not just wave or nod, he raised his fist in defiance above his bloodied face — making an image history will not forget.
UPDATE 12:51 a.m. ET
Trump’s plane has arrived in Newark, New Jersey.
UPDATE 12:50 a.m. ET:
Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-TX) provided an update about his nephew who was injured during the shooting today.
UPDATE 12:23 a.m. ET:
The FBI says the shooter did not have identification on him, so the agency is using biometrics and DNA technology to confirm his identity.
UPDATE 12:21 a.m. ET:
Trump has endorsed a GoFundMe account raising money for the families of the victims of the assassination attempt:
UPDATE 12:17 a.m. ET:
TMZ has unearthed footage of the shooter:
UPDATE 12:06 a.m. ET:
Rojek is asked why Secret Service is not there and does not have a solid answer. “Secret Service was not available for a press conference at this time,” he said.
UPDATE 12:04 a.m. ET:
The FBI special agent leading the press conference, Kevin Rojek, refuses to make an assessment whether this was a security failure that led to this.
Rojek adds that “as soon as we’ve confirmed 100 percent we should be able to do that” in terms of releasing the shooter’s identity, and says that should come within “the next few hours.”
UPDATE 12:02 a.m. ET:
While the FBI is currently not releasing the name of the shooter, the New York Post is reporting the man’s name was Thomas Matthew Crooks.
Breitbart’s Rebecca Mansour contributed to this livewire.