User:ElijahPepe/Attempted assassination of Donald Trump

On July 13, 2024, former U.S. president Donald Trump and at least four others were shot during a rally held by Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania. One attendee was killed and two others were critically injured.

Pennsylvania rally
The Trump campaign announced on July 4 that Trump would hold a rally at the Butler Farm Show grounds in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13 at 5:00 p.m. EDT. Preparations for the event began on July 11. The rally was the final event scheduled prior to the 2024 Republican National Convention beginning on July 15; speculation emerged that Trump could announce his nominee for the vice presidency at the event. Security measures at Trump's rallies, including the rally in Butler, include tents staffed with security officers, metal detectors, and local law enforcement. The rally was attended by U.S. Senate candidate David McCormick and representative Mike Kelly of Pennsylvania.

Shooting
At 6:11:33 p.m. EDT, Thomas Matthew Crooks fired an AR-15–style rifle towards the stage Trump was speaking at from an elevated position on an office building outside of the cordoned off area for attendees. According to The Washington Post, AGR International, the company based in the building, said it spoke with law enforcement about security concerns prior to the rally. A witness told BBC News that he informed police of a gunman ascending the building minutes before the shooting. Trump was shot in the upper portion of his right ear and hurried off-stage by Secret Service officers. As the Secret Service moved him away from the stage, Trump pumped his fist at the crowd. He was escorted into his motorcade. One person was killed and two others were critically injured. Representative Ronny Jackson said his nephew was among those who suffered a non-serious injury in a Fox News interview. An assessment by The New York Times and Montana State University firearm acoustics expert Robert C. Maher determined the gunman fired a round of three shots and an additional round of five shots.

Corey Comperatore, the attendee who was killed, died attempting to save his family members. An emergency room physician attempted to provide him a cardiopulmonary resuscitation as two Pennsylvania State Police officers lifted him onto a bench and a third applied pressure to his ear. Trump was taken to a local medical facility. A medical helicopter arrived at approximately 6:35 p.m. and departed nineteen minutes later. Trump was visited by advisors Susie Wiles, Dan Scavino, Steven Cheung, and Walt Nauta. Two victims were taken to Allegheny General Hospital and remained in critical condition through the night. Trump's plane left Pittsburgh at approximately 11:35 p.m. An aide posted a video of Trump arriving in New Jersey an hour later with his right ear obscured.

Immediate response
The Secret Service requested members of the press leave the rally. Fifty thousand attendees were evacuated on a singular road, according to Butler County Republican Committee chairman James E. Hulings. Pennsylvania State Police responded to the event with federal authorities, including the Department of Justice, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The Secret Service initially led the response.

Senator Bob Casey Jr. of Pennsylvania offered his support to state police.

Domestic reactions
President Joe Biden left church minutes after the shooting occurred; he was not initially informed of the shooting, but later received a briefing from Secret Service director Kimberly Cheatle, Department of Homeland Security secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, and homeland security advisor Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall. Vice president Kamala Harris was additionally briefed. Biden condemned the shooting at an address. Following Biden's remarks, Harris and her husband Doug Emhoff issued similar sentiments. Biden returned to Washington, D.C. from his home in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, early. He spoke with Trump that night, in addition to Pennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro and Butler mayor Bob Dandoy.

In New York, dozens of supporters of Trump gathered at Trump Tower.

International reactions
In Russia, the shooting was cited as apparent evidence of democracy faltering in the United States. Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova wrote on Telegram that democracy in the U.S. has been "driven to a suicidal condition by liberalism." Russian officials attributed the shooting to Biden's rhetoric.

Disinformation
Disinformation about the shooting was disseminated on platforms such as X, Telegram, Facebook, and Instagram. Users on alt-tech platforms such as Gab, Parler, and Trump's Truth Social posited conspiracy theories. Culpability of the shooting was given to the "deep state", a political term invoked by Trump to suggest his political aspirations have been inhibited by the federal government, blaming government agencies such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Representative Mike Collins of Georgia wrote on X, "Joe Biden sent the orders." Claims that the Secret Service did not grant a request to increase Trump's security detail were rebuked by spokesman Anthony Guglielmi. On Truth Social, accusations of Hillary Clinton's responsibility emerged while praising Trump as a heroic figure. Individuals, organizations, and countries accused of perpetrating the shooting include China, Mossad, philanthropist George Soros, and former president Barack Obama. In QAnon Telegram channels, users said a Trump supporter who appeared at the rally alleged to be John F. Kennedy Jr. orchestrated the shooting, citing his rigidity. Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones urged businessman Elon Musk to seek refuge in a bunker, believing the shooting to be the beginning of a coup d'état.

Theories circulated alleging the perpetrator was transgender or was a member of Antifa. The perpetrator was misidentified in several instances on social media, including posts on Threads claiming the gunman was a California resident and posts on Facebook claiming the gunman was an Italian sports journalist, falsely stated to have been a member of Antifa. A member of Antifa continued to be falsely accused in posts on X after the perpetrator was identified. A user on X intentionally claimed he was the shooter, garnering attention from figures such as political activist Laura Loomer, before revealing that he had lied.

Rhetoric
Attempts to reduce incendiary political rhetoric mounted following the shooting. Senate candidate David McCormick for Pennsylvania noted rhetoric contributed to the Congressional baseball shooting and the attack on Paul Pelosi; his opponent, incumbent senator Bob Casey Jr., issued a similar sentiment.

Extremism
On Patriots.win and Telegram channels for militias such as the Proud Boys, rhetoric foreboding a civil war and calls for political violence increased.

Political
Businessman Elon Musk endorsed Trump as he was taken to the hospital, comparing him to former president Theodore Roosevelt, who was shot during a campaign event in 1912; Musk donated an unspecified but purportedly substantial amount to Trump's political action committee the day before the shooting, according to Bloomberg News. Additionally, hedge fund manager Bill Ackman offered his endorsement.

Governmental effects
The Wall Street Journal wrote that the shooting marked the most significant security crisis for the Secret Service since the attempted assassination of Ronald Reagan in 1981. Questions of how the Secret Service's countersnipers failed to identify a gunman emerged from former law enforcement officials, such as former Secret Service agent Robert E. McDonald.

Security increases
Trump's campaign offices in Washington, D.C. and West Palm Beach were assessed for security following the shooting. According to Republican National Committee chairman Michael Whatley, forty law enforcement agencies will ensure the security of the 2024 Republican National Convention. Department of Homeland Security officers, wearing ballistic gear, were photographed at Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport.

Representatives Mike Lawler and Ritchie Torres of New York drafted legislation to expand Secret Service security to Robert F. Kennedy Jr., whose father was assassinated while campaigning in 1968.

Cultural influence
A photograph of Trump with a clenched fist circulated on social media by conservative figures, including representatives Marjorie Taylor Greene and Rich McCormick of Georgia, speaker of the House Mike Johnson, senator Marco Rubio and representative Matt Gaetz of Florida, former national security advisor Keith Kellogg, and Donald Trump Jr. Former Fox News host Tucker Carlson and the National Republican Senatorial Committee posted the photograph without a caption. Former consultant Michael Ledeen praised Trump in the photograph, speaking to Politico.

Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation initiated an assassination investigation into the shooting. Special agent Kevin Rojek, in a press conference, described the shooting as an assassination attempt against Trump.

House of Representatives
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson wrote on X that the House of Representatives would conduct its own investigation. House Committee on Oversight and Accountability chairman James Comer requested that Secret Service director Kimberly Cheatle testify before the committee on July 22.