UPDATE: Trump ‘fine’ after being pulled off stage
Published 6:20 PM Saturday, July 13, 2024
Former President Donald Trump arrives at a campaign rally in Manchester, NH on April 27, 2023 (Associated Press Archives)
Donald Trump‘The president’s campaign manager said in a statement that he was “fine” after he was pulled from the stage at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, after gunshots rang out in the crowd.
“President Trump thanks law enforcement and first responders for their swift action during this horrific incident,” spokesman Steven Cheung said in a statement. “He is OK and is being evaluated at a local medical facility. More details will follow.”
The Secret Service said in a statement that “the former president is safe.”
The former president and presumptive Republican nominee was showing a chart of border crossing numbers at his final rally before the Republican National Convention, which begins Monday, when gunfire began to ring out through the crowd. Trump was seen raising his right hand to his face. There appeared to be blood on his face.
He quickly ducked behind the riser as officers from his protective unit rushed onto the stage and screams could be heard from the crowd of several thousand people. The explosions continued as officers attended to him on stage.
The crowd cheered as he stood again and raised his fist in the air.
His procession has since left the location. His condition is not immediately known.
Shortly after Trump left the stage, police began clearing the fairgrounds, which local officers described as a crime scene.
President Joe Biden was briefed on the incident, the White House said. He received an update from Kimberly Cheatle, the director of the United States Secretary of State’s Service, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and White House Homeland Security adviser Liz Sherwood.–Randall.
Trump’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., posted a photo on X of Trump, his fist raised and his face bloodied in front of an American flag, with the words: “He will never stop fighting to save America.“
North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, Florida Senator Marco Rubio and Ohio Senator JD Vance, Trump’s three men‘s shortlist for vice president, they all quickly sent out statements expressing concern for the former president, with Rubio sharing a photo taken as Trump was escorted off the stage with his fist in the air and a trail of blood on his face, along with the words “God protect President Trump.”
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, said in a statement on X that he had been made aware of the situation and that Pennsylvania State Police were at the scene of the rally.
“Violence directed at any political party or political leader is absolutely unacceptable. It has no place in Pennsylvania or the United States,” he said.
