This article first appeared in Vanity Fair.
Former President Donald Trump was rushed off the stage by the Secret Service during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on Saturday afternoon. According to Richard Goldinger, the District Attorney for Butler County, a person believed to be the shooter was killed by law enforcement following the attack, which left at least one rally attendee dead. In a statement, Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung says that Trump is “fine and is being checked out at a local medical facility.”
The shooting is being investigated as an attempted assassination of the former president and presumptive Republican nominee, said law enforcement officials told the Associated Press.
The presumptive Republican nominee was just minutes into his address when witnesses said they heard the shots. According to video from the scene, Trump fell to the ground, and was tackled by Secret Service agents. As he was carried from the scene, he grimaced and took a defiant pose, pumping his fist for the crowd. Blood was visible near one of his ears.
Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi said in a statement that the former president “is safe” and said only that “an incident occurred” at the rally. “This is now an active Secret Service investigation and further information will be released when available,” Guglielmi said.
The New York Times reports that a medical helicopter arrived at the scene before heading south, “likely to the medical center in Pittsburgh.”
Federal officials said that while the Secret Service is leading the investigation, ATF, the FBI, and the Justice Department are being briefed on the situation.
President Joe Biden said in a statement that he had been briefed on the situation at Trump’s rally and is “grateful to hear that he’s safe and doing well.” He continued, “I’m praying for him and his family and for all those who were at the rally, as we await further information. Jill and I are grateful to the Secret Service for getting him to safety.”
In remarks to reporters Saturday night, Biden said he has “tried to get a hold of Donald” and hopes to speak to him by phone. “There’s 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. It cannot be like this. We cannot condone this.”
“The bottom line,” Biden said, is the “rally should’ve been able to conducted peacefully without any problem.” The President said “everybody must condemn” political violence.
Vice President Kamala Harris confirmed in a statement that she had also been briefed and that she and husband Doug Emhoff “are relieved that he is not seriously injured.”
We are praying for him, his family, and all those who have been injured and impacted by this senseless shooting. We are grateful to the United States Secret Service, first responders, and local authorities for their immediate action,” Harris continued. “Violence such as this has no place in our nation. We must all condemn this abhorrent act and do our part to ensure that it does not lead to more violence.”
Former President Barack Obama said in a statement that “there is absolutely no place for political violence in our democracy.”
“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.”
This is a developing story and will be updated.
