Trump survives assassination attempt at campaign rally, as it unfolded

Donald Trump spent much of Sunday on the phone with friends, news hosts and local and foreign officials the day after he was injured in an assassination attempt.

Ohio Pastor Darrell Scott, a longtime ally, said Trump “was in great spirits” when they spoke Sunday morning, hours after the shooting.

“He was great, like he always is. He didn’t even make a big deal of it,” Scott said. “He was actually trying to downplay it somewhat, asking how I was doing.”

Former RNC chair Reince Priebus, who also served as Trump’s White House chief of staff, told ABC’s “This Week” that Trump was “grateful for the miracle of what happened, in his case. ... One quarter inch turned the other direction and we’re obviously talking about something very different this morning.”

Tony Perkins, among the most influential Christian conservatives in the Republican Party, was preparing to mount a confrontation with convention planners over his disdain for how debate during the RNC’s platform committee was shut down on Monday, all but eliminating objections to the Trump campaign’s desire to soften language on abortion.

The attempted assassination changed all that, Perkins told The Associated Press after a prayer service in suburban Milwaukee Sunday evening.

“We live in a violent society. And we run the risk of becoming callous to it. And if we become callous to it, we’re going to have more of it,” Perkins said. “I’m hoping and praying it’s a wake-up call in many ways.”

“So, as a result, I’m stepping back from forcing the issue on the platform,” he added. “More divisiveness would not be healthy.”

Perkins called social media “a contagion” for toxic rhetoric passed along by people who do not feel that they’re heard by their government or leaders, and attributed the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol in part to the notion of overheated online rage.

“We need to stop,” he said.

And while thanking God during the service for Trump’s survival, Perkins told more than 100 in the Pewaukee church, “Lord, I believe that our nation is at such a volatile moment that yesterday could have torn this nation right in half.”

The 20-year-old man who tried to assassinate former President Donald Trump first came to law enforcement’s attention at Saturday’s rally when spectators noticed him acting strangely outside the campaign event. The tip sparked a frantic search, but officers were unable to find him before he managed to get on a roof, where he opened fire.

In the wake of the shooting that killed one spectator, investigators are hunting for any clues about what may have drove Thomas Matthew Crooks, of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, to carry out the shocking attack. The FBI said they were investigating it as a potential act of domestic terrorism, but the absence of a clear ideological motive by the man shot dead by Secret Service allowed conspiracy theories to flourish.

The FBI said it believes Crooks, who had bomb-making materials in the car he drove to the rally, acted alone. Investigators have found no threatening comments on social media accounts or ideological positions that could help explain what led him to target Trump.

Crooks graduated from Bethel Park High School in 2022. His senior year, Crooks was among several students given an award for math and science, according to a Tribune-Review story at the time.

He tried out for the school’s rifle team but was turned away because he was a bad shooter, said Frederick Mach, a current captain of the team who was a few years behind Crooks at the school.

Jason Kohler, who said he attended the same high school but did not share any classes with Crooks, said Crooks was bullied at school and sat alone at lunch time. Other students mocked him for the clothes he wore, which included hunting outfits, Kohler said.

▶ Read more about what’s known about the shooter

Former President Donald Trump told The Washington Examiner that he has rewritten the speech he was set to deliver at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee on Thursday after being the target of an attempted assassination at his rally Saturday.

“The speech I was going to give on Thursday was going to be a humdinger,” he told the news outlet in an article posted Sunday evening.

In the interview, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee says he will now call for a new effort at national unity, noting that people from different political views have called him.

“This is a chance to bring the whole country, even the whole world, together. The speech will be a lot different, a lot different than it would’ve been two days ago,” he said.

Trump also reflected on the moment a bullet pierced the upper part of his right ear. He said he was saved from death because he turned from the crowd to look at a screen showing off a chart he was referring to.

“That reality is just setting in,” he told the news outlet as he boarded his plane in Bedminster, New Jersey, for Milwaukee. “I rarely look away from the crowd. Had I not done that in that moment, well, we would not be talking today, would we?”

Biden says that during the Republican National Convention, he has “no doubt” Republicans will “criticize my record and offer their own vision for this country.” But he promised in campaigning to lay out “our vision.”

He used the address to urge all Americans not to accept an escalation in political violence as normal.

“We debate and disagree, we compare and contrast ... but in America we resolve our differences at the ballot box,” Biden said in his address.

He added: “Politics must never be a literal battlefield. God forbid a killing field.”

Biden spoke for about five minutes from the Oval Office and noted that the Republican National Convention was opening in Milwaukee on Monday, while he himself would be traveling the country to campaign for reelection.

He said passions would run high on both sides and that the stakes of the election were enormous.

But the president added, “it’s time to cool it down” and noted not just the weekend attack on Trump but also the possibility of election-year violence on multiple fronts.

President Joe Biden says “we can’t, we must not go down” the road of political violence in American after Saturday’s attempted Trump assassination.

In a prime-time national address, Biden said that political passions can run high but “we must never descend into violence.”

“We can do this,” Biden implored, saying the nation was founded on a democracy that gave reason and balance a chance to prevail over brute force. “American democracy — where arguments are made in good faith. American democracy where the rule of law is respected. Where decency, dignity, fair play aren’t just quaint notions, they’re living, breathing realities.”

The president is planning to deliver extended remarks to the nation in an address from the Oval Office starting at 8 p.m. EDT.

His campaign said the president would touch on “the need for every American to come together” to end political violence in the U.S.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke with former President Trump on Sunday.

“The Prime Minister condemned yesterday’s appalling assassination attempt and reiterated there’s no place for political violence. The Prime Minister wished the former President well and offered condolences to the shooting victims and to the family of Corey Comperatore,” Trudeau’s office said in a statement.

The former president said earlier Sunday that he was going to delay his trip because of the attempted assassination, but then decided he didn’t want it to force a change in his schedule.

Trump is not expected to speak at the RNC until Thursday night.

Democratic U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson says one of his staff members is no longer employed after he learned of a post she made on social media.

Screenshots of her apparent Facebook post, which was related to the attempted assassination of Trump, circulated on social media after the shooting.

The screenshots showed a post in which the staffer appeared to say she does not condone violence but suggested the shooter should get “shooting lessons” and should not have missed.

The AP was not able to view the user’s private Facebook profile to identify whether the post was still up.

Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers is asking officials to revisit a prior decision that allows people to bring guns within blocks of the Republican National Convention after an assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump, a person familiar with the matter told the Associated Press on Sunday.

Evers believes additional steps need to be taken to keep the convention’s attendees, law enforcement and the local community safe, the person said. The person could not discuss details of the request publicly and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity.

The request was made to the U.S. Secret Service, which would bring it to the Republican National Committee, the person said.

The Secret Service said at a news conference Sunday that they were confident in their existing security plan and hadn’t made any changes following the shooting.

The cloudburst of speculation and conjecture as Americans turned to the internet for news about the Trump rally shooting is the latest sign of how social media has emerged as a dominant source of information — and misinformation — for many, and a contributor to the distrust and turbulence now driving American politics.

Mentions of Trump on social media soared up to 17 times the average daily amount in the hours after the shooting, according to PeakMetrics, a cyber firm that tracks online narratives. Many of those mentions were expressions of sympathy for Trump or calls for unity. But many others made unfounded, fantastical claims.

“We saw things like ‘The Chinese were behind it,’ or ‘Antifa was behind it,’ or ‘the Biden administration did it.’ We also saw a claim that the RNC was behind it,’” said Paul Bartel, senior intelligence analyst at PeakMetrics. “Everyone is just speculating. No one really knows what’s going on. They go online to try to figure it out.”

▶ Take a look at some of the unsubstantiated claims that surfaced online following the shooting

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Helmets rest on the locker of firefighter Corey Comperatore at the Buffalo Township Fire Company 27 in Buffalo Township, Pa., Sunday, July 14, 2024. Comperatore was killed during a shooting at a campaign rally for Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump in Butler, Pa., on Saturday. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

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Logan Check, left, junior firefighter, and Randy Reamer, right, president and rescue captain at the Buffalo Township Fire Company 27, hang bunting on the fire station in memory of fellow firefighter Corey Comperatore, in Buffalo Township, Pa., Sunday, July 14, 2024. Comperatore was killed during a shooting at a campaign rally for Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump in Butler, Pa., on Saturday. The flag at the station house flies at half staff at left. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

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An automobile license plate at the Buffalo Township Fire Company 27 is wrapped in black bunting in Buffalo Township, Pa., Sunday, July 14, 2024. Firefighter Corey Comperatore was killed during a shooting at a campaign rally for Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump in Butler, Pa., on Saturday. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

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Corey Comperatore’s quick decision to use his body as a shield against the bullets flying toward his wife and daughter rang true to the close friends and neighbors, who loved and respected the proud 50-year-old Trump supporter.

“He’s a literal hero,” said Mike Morehouse, who lived next to Comperatore for the last eight years.

At least two other people were injured at the rally: David Dutch, 57, of New Kensington, Pennsylvania, and James Copenhaver, 74, of Moon Township, Pennsylvania, according to the Pennsylvania State Police. Both were listed in stable condition as of Sunday.

▶ Read more on the Trump rally shooting victims

The shooter at the Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, was able to get astonishingly close to the stage where the former president was speaking, according to an AP analysis of more than a dozen photos and videos from the scene, as well as satellite imagery of the site.

Here’s some of the key moments in the timeline of the shooting:

6:02 p.m. EDT

— Trump takes the stage to the strains of “God Bless the U.S.A.” He waves at the cheering crowd and begins his regular rally speech, with spectators both in front of him and behind him on risers.

Around 6:10 p.m.

— After rally-goers notice a man climbing on the top of the roof of a nearby building, a local law enforcement officer climbs to the roof, according to two law enforcement officials.

— A man identified by the FBI as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks points his rifle at the officer, who retreats down the ladder, the officials said.

— Crooks then quickly fires, according to the officials who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation.

— As the first pop rings out, Trump says, “Oh.” He raises his hand to his right ear and looks at it before quickly crouching to the ground behind his lectern.

— Secret Service agents rush to the stage and pile atop the former president to shield him.

— Corey Comperatore, a 50-year-old former fire chief attending the rally, is shot and killed. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said Sunday that Comperatore used his body as a shield to protect his wife and daughter.

— Secret Service counter snipers fire back and shoot Crooks.

About 1 minute after the shots

— Video shows Trump getting to his feet and reaching with his right hand toward his face, which was smeared with blood. As Trump stands up, he pumps to the crowd with his right fist.

6:50 p.m.

— Secret Service says “the former president is safe.”

▶ Read the full timeline of the assassination attempt on Trump

The apparent assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump at a rally Saturday did not prompt any changes to the U.S. Secret Service’s security plan for the Republican National Convention that starts Monday, said Audrey Gibson-Cicchino, the Secret Service’s coordinator for the convention, at a press briefing Sunday.

“We are fully prepared and have a comprehensive security plan in place and are ready to go,” Gibson-Cicchino said.

The FBI has seen no known “specific and articulated threats” against the Republican National Convention or anyone attending the event, said Michael Hensle, the FBI special agent in charge of the agency’s Milwaukee field office

The FBI is the lead intelligence agency for the RNC.

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A motorcade with Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump arrives at a campaign event in Butler, Pa., on Saturday, July 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

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People watch from the side of the road as a motorcade, presumably transporting Donald Trump to the airport, passes by in Bedminster, N.J., Sunday, July 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

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In a post shared on social media, Trump campaign adviser Dan Scavino said the former president was “so grateful for all of your prayers, support and well wishes” as he heads to Milwuakee for the Republican National Convention.

Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley will speak Tuesday at the Republican National Convention in what will be a highly anticipated speech by former President Donald Trump’s last major challenger in this year’s GOP primary.

Haley, who was also elected twice as South Carolina governor, initially was not among the list of speakers but has since been added to the schedule, according to Haley spokesperson Chaney Denton.

The schedule change was confirmed by a Republican official who is familiar with the convention plans but was not authorized to speak publicly.

▶ Read more about Haley’s scheduled RNC appearance

The shooter’s family is cooperating with federal investigators, according to an FBI official.

Relatives of Thomas Matthew Crooks of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, have not returned multiple messages from The Associated Press seeking comment.

Attorney General Merrick Garland told reporters that the Justice Department has “no tolerance for such violence and as Americans we must have no tolerance for it.”

“This must stop,” he said.

FBI Director Christopher Wray says authorities “will leave no stone unturned” in their investigation of the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump.

In a call with reporters Sunday, Wray called the shooting an “attack on democracy and our democratic process.”

“An attempt to assassinate a presidential candidate can only be described as absolutely despicable and will not be tolerated in this country,” Wray said.

The FBI says they believe the AR-style rifle the Trump rally shooter used was legally purchased by the gunman’s father.

Kevin Rojek, special agent in charge of the Pittsburgh Field Office, told reporters that authorities don’t yet know how the shooter gained access to the weapon, and whether he took it without his father’s knowledge.

“These are facts that we’ll flesh out as we conduct interviews,” Rojek said. Authorities recovered the weapon at the scene of the shooting.

FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbate says threatening online rhetoric has been “ticking up” since the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump.

He says people are going online to pose as the shooter, who was killed by U.S. Secret Service.

Abbate says they are aware of the increased activity and monitoring it closely.

FBI officials say they believe the Trump rally shooter acted alone.

They have not yet identified an ideology, but they are combing through his social media feeds and the shooter’s weapons. So far, they have not found any threatening writing or social media posts.

FBI officials said they have located a suspicious device and defused it. They have received more than 2,000 tips.

The FBI says it is investigating the Trump rally shooting as an attempted assassination and also an act of domestic terrorism.

The gunman was not previously on the radar screen of the FBI. He’s believed to have acted alone.

The FBI defines domestic terrorism as acts inside the U.S. that are intended to intimidate or coerce civilians or influence government policy.

A crew was power-washing the front of the Buffalo Township Volunteer Fire Company on Sunday with plans to install memorial drapery to honor the slain former chief, Corey Comperatore.

Assistant Chief Ricky Heasley of Sarver, who knew Comperatore for more than a decade, remembers him as very outgoing and full of life.

“He never had a bad word,” Heasley said.

A GoFundMe launched to support Comperatore’s family had already surpassed more than $180,000 in donations as of Sunday.

▶ Read more on what’s known about the Trump rally shooting victim

Biden said he and first lady Jill Biden extend their “deepest condolences” to the family of the man who was killed in the assassination attempt on Trump.

The president said Corey Comperatore was protecting him family from the bullets that were being fired “and he lost his life.”
“God love him,” Biden said.

Trump posted a brief message on social media after Biden spoke, saying ‘UNITE AMERICA!’

Not long before shots rang out, rally goers noticed a man climbing to the top of a roof of a nearby building and warned local law enforcement, according to two law enforcement officials.

One officer climbed to the roof and encountered Crooks, who pointed his rifle at the officer. The officer retreated down the ladder and Crooks quickly took a shot toward former President Donald Trump, and that’s when the U.S. Secret Service counter snipers shot him, said the officials who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation.

Former President Donald Trump says he’ll travel to Milwaukee on Sunday afternoon ahead of the Republican National Convention.

Trump said on his Truth Social platform that he was going to delay his trip after Saturday’s apparent assassination attempt, but decided he cannot “allow a ‘shooter,’ or potential assassin, to force change to scheduling, or anything else.”

President Biden said he’s directed an independent review of the security at the rally Saturday where a gunman apparently tried to assassinate Donald Trump.

Biden said he has also directed the U.S. Secret Service to review all security measures for the Republican National Convention which begins Monday in Milwaukee.

Biden urged Americans not to make assumptions about the motive of the shooter, who was killed by U.S. Secret Service. He says they’re working swiftly to investigate the incident.

“Unity is the most elusive goal of all,” he added, while urging the public to strive for it.

President Joe Biden says he’ll address the nation from the Oval Office on Sunday evening at 8 p.m. following the apparent assassination attempt of Donald Trump at a political rally.

Biden spoke briefly Sunday afternoon saying he and Jill Biden were praying for the family of the person killed at the rally and that he was sincerely grateful that Trump is “doing well and recovering.”

Biden says: “There’s no place in America for this kind of violence, or any violence for that matter.”

An NBC News interview between President Joe Biden and anchor Lester Holt on Monday will now occur at the White House, the network said Sunday.

Initially, the interview was scheduled to take place in Austin, Texas, but the White House announced earlier Sunday that Biden’s trip there has been postponed in the wake of the shooting at a rally for former President Donald Trump.