Trump assassination attempt: Follow live updates
“Thank you for your love and prayers for my father and for the other victims of today’s senseless violence in Butler, Pennsylvania.I am grateful to the Secret Service and all the other law enforcement officers for their quick and decisive actions today,” Ivanka said in a post on X.
“I continue to pray for our country. I love you Dad, today and always,” she added.
‘Sounded like July 4 pops’: Witnesses recount chaos at rally
As Trump’s security detail swiftly formed a protective barrier around him, a supporter from the audience called out, “They won’t take you down.” The guardsmen escorted the former president to a waiting vehicle, his fist defiantly raised in the air despite the apparent danger.
Erin Autenreith, a front-row attendee, recounted her initial reaction to the incident. “I was so excited. I just looked at him. Then I heard these pops. It sounded like a July 4 thing, pop, pop, pop.”
It wasn’t until the agents surrounded Trump and brought him to the ground that Autenreith realised the severity of the situation. As a sixth-time rally attendee and an all-day volunteer, she noticed a small amount of blood on Trump’s right cheek as he stood back up. Later, Trump shared on his social media platform, Truth Social, that he was “shot with a bullet that pierced the upper part of my right ear.”
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has taken over the investigation, affirming their lead role in a statement: “The FBI has assumed the role of the lead federal law enforcement agency in the investigation of the incident involving former President Donald Trump that occurred earlier today in Butler, Pennsylvania.”
