Exactly one year ago, a gunman opened fire on presidential candidate Donald Trump during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, prompting a host of reforms from the Secret Service.
Presidential candidate Donald Trump took the stage at a routine campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, exactly a year ago, on July 13, 2024, one of hundreds he’d appeared at since announcing his first presidential campaign in 2015.
But this rally turned out unlike any other of his political career.
As Trump stood at the podium, with supporters holding signs that said «Joe Biden, you’re fired!» directly behind him, the president pointed to a chart detailing low illegal immigration numbers at the end of his first term and how they’d risen under the Biden administration.
«That chart’s a couple of months old, and if you want to really see something that’s sad, take a look at what happened», Trump said, halting as the sound of gunshots pierced the air.
Moments later, Trump ducked, and Secret Service agents rushed to his side. More gunshots followed, and attendees fearfully screamed while Trump remained covered, waiting for the all-clear sign.
Once given the green light, Secret Service personnel rose alongside Trump to escort him from the stage. But Trump didn’t hide himself from his supporters. Instead, he emerged from the huddle, raised his fist high in the ai, and said «fight» three times, prompting the audience to erupt and chant «U-S-A!» as he exited.
Ultimately, 20-year-old gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks fired eight bullets at Trump from a rooftop during the rally, with a bullet grazing Trump’s ear. The gunman also killed Corey Comperatore, a 50-year-old firefighter, father and husband attending the rally, and injured two others.
A Secret Service sniper killed Crooks during the shotting, and an FBI investigation remains in progress.
