Former United States President Donald Trump was seen with blood on his ear and cheek as he was rushed off the stage, moments after he was shot at, at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday evening.
The chaotic scene unfolded in front of a stunned audience, capturing the panic and urgency of the moment. Audio recordings from the event revealed the tension and quick actions taken to ensure Trump’s safety.
Trump was addressing the crowd when several shots were fired. He immediately clasped his ear and ducked as Secret Service agents rushed to his side. “Get down, get down, get down,” one agent ordered. As another shot echoed through the venue, a woman’s scream pierced the air.
Hereunder is a transcript of the audio capturing the chaotic moments during and after the shooting at the podium with Trump and the Secret Service:
18:11:33: Shots fired.
18.11:34: Trump touches the right side of his face.
18:11:35: Trump takes cover as agents rush to the podium.
Male agent 1: “Get down, get down, get down.”
More shots heard as Trump surrounded by agents.
18:11:41: Female agent: “What’re we doing, what’re we doing.” “Where are we going…”
Man indistinctly yelling.
18:11.50: Gunshot, then woman screams.
18:11:58: Male agent 2: “Go around to the spare, go around to the spare.”
18:12:00: Male agent 3 says something like: “Move to the spare, hold, hold, when you’re ready, on you.”
(“Spare” refers to a spare limousine.)
18:12:01: Male agent 2: “Ready”
18:12:02: Male agent 3: “Move!”
18:12:03: Male agent 2: “Up!”
18:12:03: Male agent 3: “Move!”
18:12:04: Male agent 4: “Go, go, go.”
18:12:06: Male agent 2: “Hawkeye’s here.”
18:12:06: Female agent 1: “Hawkeye’s here, moving to the spare.”
(“Hawkeye” is the code name for the counter assault team.)
18:12:09: Male agent 4: “Spare get ready, spare get ready.”
18:12:10: Male agent 2: “You ready?”
18:12:16-21: Agents: “Shooter’s down, shooter’s down, are we good to move?”
18:12:21: Male agent: “Shooter’s down. We’re good to move.”
18:12:22: Female agent: “Are we clear?”
18:12:23: Agents: “We’re clear, we’re clear, we’re clear.”
18:12:23: Male agent: “Let’s move, let’s move.”
Agents start to stand up, lifting Trump.
18:12:33: Trump: “Let me get my shoes, let me get my shoes.”
18:12:35: Male agent 2: “I got you sir, I got you sir.”
18:12:36: Trump: “Let me get my shoes on.”
18:12:37: Another male agent: “hold on, your head is bloody.”
18:12:39: Male agent 2: “Sir we’ve got to move to the car sir.”
18:12:42: Trump: Let me get my shoes.”
18:12:43: Female agent: “OK, [inaudible].”
18:12:47: Trump: “Wait, wait, wait” then fist pumps to crowd. He mouths “fight” three times – a move met with cheers by the crowd.
18:12:54: Agent: “We got to move, we got to move.”
LEADERSHIP reports that the incident occurred at the start of Trump’s rally after a day of intense campaigning for both him and President Joe Biden in the 2024 presidential race. Loud bangs were heard before Trump fell to the ground. Secret Service agents quickly assisted him, and he was seen with blood on his face as he was escorted off the stage and evacuated from the scene.
LEADERSHIP also reports that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) identified the shooter as Thomas Matthew Crooks. Crooks, who was registered as a Republican voter, was armed with an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle. Witnesses reported seeing him before the shooting and alerted authorities. Positioned on the roof of a building approximately 130 yards from the stage, Crooks was shot dead by Secret Service agents after the attack.
Trump also reacted to the failed assasination on social media, revealing that the bullet hit his upper ear.He also expressed his condolences to the victims of the attack while thanking the secret service and other law enforcement agencies.
