‘Ripping Though My Skin’: Trump Speaks Out After Assassination Attempt (2024)

Donald Trump has spoken out about the apparent assassination attempt at his Pennsylvania rally on Saturday evening, writing in a post on Truth Social that he felt a bullet piercing the upper part of his right ear and “ripping through my skin.”

While several outlets cited Secret Service sources as saying Trump was hit by glass, not a bullet, the ex-president was nonetheless dragged off stage with blood pouring from his ear in astonishing scenes that will go down in history.

Shots echoed through the rally mere minutes into his speech, killing one attendee and leaving two in critical condition. The suspected shooter, who had crawled up on a roof outside the rally venue, was shot dead by Secret Service agents.

“During former President Trump's campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on the evening of July 13th at approximately 6:15 p.m., a suspected shooter fired multiple shots toward the stage from an elevated position outside of the rally venue,” Secret Service Chief of Communications Anthony Guglielmi said in a statement.

“US Secret Service personnel neutralized the shooter, who is now deceased.”

Trump could be seen reaching for his ear and grimacing, before ducking for safety behind the podium as shots rang out. He was dog-piled by security but still managed to pump his fist at his supporters in a show of vigor as agents made him exit stage left.

Trump is “fine and is being checked out at a local medical facility,” his spokesperson Steven Cheung told The Daily Beast shortly after the shooting. “More details will follow.”

The Trump campaign said the ex-president would still appear at the Republican National Convention on Monday in Milwaukee.

According to the Associated Press, Donald Trump Jr., said his father “is in great spirits” after speaking with him on the phone.

“He will never stop fighting to save America, no matter what the radical left throws at him,” he said in a statement.

President Biden posted a statement Saturday night, saying he has “been briefed” on the shooting and that “I’m grateful to hear that he’s safe and doing well. I’m praying for him and his family and for all those who were at the rally, as we await further information. Jill and I are grateful to the Secret Service for getting him to safety. There’s no place for this kind of violence in America. We must unite as one nation to condemn it.”

A statement from the White House on Saturday night confirmed Biden had spoken to Trump but did not disclose details of their conversation.

“It appears he's doing well,” Biden said in an earlier press conference of his political rival, adding he has an “opinion” but no “facts” on whether the incident was an assassination attempt.

“It’s sick. It’s sick,” he said.

Vice President Kamala Harris has also been briefed, according to The Hill.

The outlet noted the president is staying at his Delaware beach house for the weekend and was attending mass at St. Edmond’s Catholic Church when the incident happened.

According to CNN, Biden will return to the White House earlier than expected, arriving Sunday. His original schedule had him in Delaware until Monday and flying onto Texas.

Reps. Dan Meuser and Rep. Mike Kelly (R-PA) were both in the front row at the rally in Butler County, PA, as was Pennsylvania GOP Senate Candidate Dave McCormick.

Meuser told a Fox News correspondent that he heard eight to ten shots and that it appeared multiple people in the crowd may also have been hit with gunfire.

McCormick described the scene to Politico: “All the sudden shots started to crack, someone behind me appears to have been shot. There’s lots of blood, and then the Secret Service were all over President Trump.”

The incident will likely boost Trump’s standing amongst his supporters, as he has frequently leaned into calling his multiple criminal trials “witch hunts” and “political persecution.”

Billionaire tech mogul Elon Musk endorsed the former president on X shortly after the shooting occurred.“I fully endorse President Trump and hope for his rapid recovery,” Musk wrote, posting a photo of the bleeding president.

This is a breaking news story and will be updated.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

Get the Daily Beast's biggest scoops and scandals delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now.

Stay informed and gain unlimited access to the Daily Beast's unmatched reporting. Subscribe now.