- President Donald Trump was escorted off the stage after shots were heard during a rally.
- Video shows Trump with blood on his face, holding his ear, in front of a screaming crowd.
- The former president is safe according to the Secret Service.
Secret Service agents escorted former President Donald Trump off the campaign stage Saturday after gunshots were heard from the crowd.
Video footage of the rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, showed Trump looking down and appearing to move his hands near his face. Agents were seen running to protect him.
Online images also showed the former president with blood on his face, raising his fist defiantly before being dragged off the stage by Secret Service agents.
“President Trump would like to thank law enforcement and emergency responders for their swift response during this heinous act,” Trump’s spokesman said after the incident. “He is doing well and is being evaluated at a local medical facility. More information to come.”
NBC News correspondent Darren Botelho reported that security officers at the event were heard saying, “The shooter is down,” after the incident.
A Secret Service spokesperson directed Business Insider to a statement posted on X, which confirmed “an incident” at the demonstration but did not specify whether a firearm was discharged.
“The Secret Service has implemented protective measures and the former President is safe,” the statement said. “This is now an ongoing Secret Service investigation and more information will be released as it becomes available.”
Dave McCormick, a Republican candidate for Senate in Pennsylvania, sat in the front row of the demonstration and told Politico that it appeared a member of the crowd behind him had been shot.
“All of a sudden there were gunshots, someone behind me apparently got shot,” McCormick told Politico. “There was a lot of blood, and then the Secret Service attacked President Trump.”
The Associated Press, citing the Butler County District Attorney, reported that a protester and a suspected “shooter” were killed in the incident.
Representatives from the Butler Township Police Department and the District Attorney’s office did not immediately respond to Business Insider’s requests for comment.
A joint report suggests President Joe Biden received an initial briefing about the incident at former President Trump’s rally, though the White House did not respond to a request for comment from the BI.
Politicians from across party lines were quick to condemn the political violence and wish Trump a speedy recovery.
“Laura and I are grateful that President Trump is safe after the cowardly attack that took his life,” former President George W. Bush said in a statement. “And we commend the men and women of the Secret Service for their swift response.”
New York Times reporter Katie Rogers reported former President Barack Obama as saying in a statement, “There is absolutely no place for political violence in our democracy. While we do not yet know exactly what happened, we should all take comfort that former President Trump was not seriously injured, and use this moment to recommit to civility and respect in our politics. Michelle and I wish him a speedy recovery.”
This is a story still in development. Please check back for updates.
