- Evan Vucci is an AP photographer who documented the aftermath of the assassination attempt on Trump.
- Vucci said he understood the significance of the moment as soon as the shots rang out.
- He took several photos of the assassination attempt, including the now-famous photo of Trump with his fist raised.
The Associated Press photographer who took the now-reshared image of former President Donald Trump’s clenched fist explained how he covered Saturday’s shooting from multiple angles in the heat of the moment.
Evan Vucci, who has covered Trump for years, said he understood the significance of the incident after hearing “a couple of pops” on his left shoulder.
“I knew right away it was gunshots,” Vucci said in a video posted on the AP website. “So I looked up at the stage and saw Secret Service agents rushing toward President Trump.”
Vucci said he then ran to the rally stage and took several photos of agents piling on top of Trump and the arriving Secret Service counter-assault team.
That’s when he snapped the now-infamous photo of Trump, blood splattered across his face, pumping his fist in the air as Secret Service agents escorted the former president off the stage.
“In my mind, it all happened so fast,” Vucci said. “The moment I heard the gunshots, I knew this was a moment in American history that had to be documented.”
Vucci’s photo of Trump has become a rallying cry on social media among Republicans and MAGA figures, who say the photo is a symbol of the former president’s strength and resistance.
Trump was speaking at a rally on Saturday when he was interrupted by gunshots. His right ear was bleeding.
In a statement released after he was escorted away, the former president said the bullet had hit his ear and he was “fine.”
The FBI has classified the incident as attempted murder and identified the shooting suspect as a 20-year-old man from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania.
Authorities said the suspect was shot dead. A bystander in the crowd was killed in the assassination attempt, and two others were seriously injured.
