Trump stands 'stronger than ever' one year after surviving Pennsylvania assassination attempt, staffers say
Eight shots rang out at the Butler Farm Show Grounds at about 6:11 p.m. Eastern Time, roughly six minutes after Trump took the open-air rally's stage. The rally began on its typical lively note, with the former and upcoming president swaying to Lee Greenwood's "God Bless the USA" and engaging with supporters by pointing at them as they clapped and held up signs declaring, "Joe Biden, you're fired."
The rally came to a screeching halt after Trump began his address and was seen grabbing the side of his head before abruptly dropping to the ground. Rally-goers were also seen ducking for cover as confusion gripped the small fairgrounds located just north of Pittsburgh.
Secret Service agents threw their bodies over Trump as shields as they worked to get him off of the stage and to a secure location.
Acting Secret Service Director Sean M. Curran, one of the agents who rushed to protect Trump that day, told Fox News Digital that July 13, 2024, has remained at the top of his mind since he was tapped to lead the Secret Service.
"One year ago, I was by President Trump's side when a lone gunman attempted to assassinate him in Butler, Pennsylvania," Curran said. "My heart will always be with all those impacted on that day, especially Corey Comperatore, who lost his life while protecting those around him."
"Since President Trump appointed me as director of the United States Secret Service, I have kept my experience on July 13 top of mind, and the agency has taken many steps to ensure such an event can never be repeated in the future," he continued. "Nothing is more important to the United States Secret Service than the safety and security of our protectees. As director, I am committed to ensuring our agency is fully equipped, resourced and aligned to carry out our important mission each and every day."
Trump emerged into the camera's view with a trail of blood streaked across his cheek and famously raised a fist before defiantly chanting, "Fight, fight, fight" as law enforcement escorted him from the stage.
White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, who served as Trump campaign manager in 2024 and witnessed the harrowing attempt, told the New York Post's Miranda Devine earlier in July in a podcast interview that she "100%" believes divine intervention protected Trump from a greater tragedy that day.
"The way the rally itself unfolded, the chart he had them put up on the screens… it was always the last chart in the rotation. And it was always on the other side" of the stage, Wiles told Devine in an interview that published Wednesday. "To have him ask for that chart eight minutes in and to have it come on the side that is opposite caused him to look in a different direction... I believe God wanted him to live."
Pennsylvania Sen. Dave McCormick, who was in the midst of his election cycle to unseat longtime Democrat Sen. Bob Casey, said in comment to Fox News Digital that he was just feet from Trump when the gunshots rang out.
"I was sitting just 15 feet from the stage at the Butler rally when the shots rang out. Moments before the attempted assassination, President Trump asked me to come on stage to give my remarks. As I was headed onstage, he prompted me to wait until after he spoke to the crowd about an immigration chart. Returning to my seat, I watched as President Trump turned his attention and head towards the chart—a decision that likely saved his life," McCormick said.
"Moments later, a bullet meant for his head struck his ear. He went down, then stood up and raised his fist in defiance. That moment captured who he is at his core—a strong leader—and marked a turning point in the 2024 election. Strong leadership sets a tone -- like a ripple effect. President Trump didn't panic and stood strong and so did the crowd. Instead of chaos, chants of 'USA' rang out."
The shooting injured three people, including Trump, and killed local father and former fire chief Corey Comperatore.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt reflected on Comperatore's tragic death in a comment to Fox Digital, underscoring that the president "will never forget Corey and his beautiful family."
"One year ago in Butler, Pennsylvania, we tragically lost an American hero, Corey Comperatore, who selflessly laid down his life to protect those around him," she said. "President Trump will never forget Corey and his beautiful family. On that dark day, God spared President Trump's life by a miraculous millimeter. Now one year later, President Trump is standing stronger than ever as he continues to 'fight, fight, fight' for the American people."
Comperatore's widow, Helen, spoke to Fox News in an emotional interview about her husband's death earlier in July, demanding accountability from the Secret Service over how a gunman was able to fire off shots without intervention.
"We were all sitting ducks that day," Helen Comperatore told Fox News. "Our blood is all over their hands. I am angry. I lost the love of my life. They screwed up."
"Why Butler? Why was that such a failure? Why weren't they paying attention? Why did they think that that roof didn't need covered?" she asked. "I want to sit down and talk to them. I have the right to. They need to listen to me."
McCormick remembered Comperatore as a heroic dad and husband who died protecting his family.
"Corey Comperatore—a Pennsylvanian, volunteer firefighter, and father—was sitting behind me. He died shielding his family. I'm remembering Corey and praying for the Comperatore family on this one-year anniversary," the Republican Senator said.
Longtime political reporter Salena Zito published a book in July detailing her recollections of the day, and said in an interview earlier this month with Fox Digital that she refused to duck for cover as gunshots rang out.
"I didn't get down," Zito said in an interview ahead of the book's release Tuesday. "There was this inner voice that told me, 'You have a job to do, continue doing it.'"
Zito was located near the stage and the Secret Service's secure permitter when the gunman opened fire on Trump and the crowds.
"Time has these layers that happen," Zito added while reflecting on the 2024 events. "It's not remembering them. It's experiencing them. It's this interesting thing that happens. I see a sea of navy blue suits immediately surround him. Then, I hear the second four shots. I still didn't get down."
McCormick told Fox Digital that recent politically-motivated attacks, including the targeted attacks and murder of a Minnesota state lawmaker in June, need to end and be replaced with civility that protects democracy.
"From the attempts on President Trump's life, to arson at the Pennsylvania Governor's Residence, to the murder of Minnesota State Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, these politically-motivated attacks are an assault on democracy itself. Regardless of party, we must choose to engage civilly. This anniversary serves as a solemn reminder that for our country, violence borne from political disagreement is never the answer," he said.Following the assassination attempt, Trump quickly was whisked away from the rally to receive medical attention. Just a day later, June 14, 2024, the Republican National Convention was set to kick off in Milwaukee, with concern initially mounting that Trump might not be able to attend the convention due to the injury.
The president, however, made his public return in Milwaukee that week while wearing a bandage over his ear. Trump officially accepted the party's nomination for him to serve as president, and delivered a 93-minute speech that was underscored by how the attempt on his life changed him.
"There was blood pouring everywhere, and yet, in a certain way I felt very safe, because I had God on my side," Trump told the crowds of supporters on the final night of the RNC. "The amazing thing is that prior to the shot, if I had NOT moved my head at the very last instant, the assassin's bullet would have perfectly hit its mark, and I would not be with you tonight."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
9 minutes ago
- Yahoo
1 Killed in Shooting at University of New Mexico Dorm Building, Suspect in Custody
Students were allowed to return to their dorms, but police remain at the scene A suspect is reportedly in custody after a shooting at the University of New Mexico left one person dead and another injured. On Friday, July 25, UNM informed students that the Albuquerque school was still part of 'an active crime scene on the central corridor of the central campus' following a shelter-in-place issued earlier in the day. 'Evacuation is not mandatory. Dorm students will be able to eat in La Posada and return to their dorm rooms. Please avoid the crime scene shown in the attached image and follow the directions of officers on scene,' the college said in a final emergency update shared to their website at 4:14 p.m. local time. U.S. Marshals in Los Lunas arrested the suspect that afternoon, KOB 4 reported. Neither the suspect nor the two victims were identified. The UNM Police Department responded to a report of gunshots at the Casas del Rio student housing complex that morning, according to the outlet. The shooting took place around 3:00 a.m. local time Friday morning, KRQE added, citing a Lobo Alert. However, students in the Gila building said they heard about 'four or five shots' just before midnight and sheltered in place, KOB 4 reported. The UNM Police Department did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment. 'I just heard like three pops, three loud pops, and then, uh, we thought it was like gunshots or something, so then we checked out the window and then, like, we just seen like random people running around,' Jubilee Tasi, a freshman from Seattle told KRQE. 'We heard another popping, and then after that, we were just confused on what was going on, so we just called it a night, and then I went to sleep.' The student said they'd been watching a movie with friends at the time of the shooting, and also said they hadn't witnessed any other disturbances since moving in on June 13. 'What happened last night is just crazy, cause I mean, I'm still trying to get used to the environment over here, so for that to happen it's just kinda crazy,' Tasi said. President Garnett Stokes shared a message to the school's social media channels saying 'law enforcement confirmed that multiple shots were fired in the early morning in our Casas del Rio student housing.' 'The shooting resulted in the death of one individual and the injury of another, who is currently being cared for at a local hospital. The identities of both the deceased and the injured individual have not yet been released,' Stokes continued in the lengthy post, which was one of several updates. Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. School officials urged students and staff to 'Continue to monitor your UNM email, text messages, and LoboGuardian for real-time updates.' The university also said multiple law enforcement agencies were present and actively investigating. Read the original article on People
Yahoo
9 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Maxwell is talking 'about everybody' in meetings with the deputy attorney general.
Revelations could be near at hand in the Jeffrey Epstein saga as Ghislaine Maxwell has been granted limited immunity to speak freely in her meetings with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche. Blanche traveled to the Tallahassee, Florida, prison where the convicted accomplice of late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein is serving a 20-year sentence, for a nine-hour interview over two days. ABC News first reported on the limited immunity, meaning Maxwell can disclose information without criminally implicating herself. 'She answered questions about everybody,' attorney David Oscar Markus told reporters on Friday evening. The meetings were reportedly initiated by Maxwell herself.
CBS News
11 minutes ago
- CBS News
More than 20% of NASA's workforce requests to leave agency
Nearly 4,000 employees, or more than 20% of NASA's workforce, have applied to leave the agency, NASA confirmed to CBS News Friday. About 3,870 employees have applied to depart NASA over two rounds through the Trump administration's deferred resignation program, NASA disclosed. The deadline for applications to the program is midnight Friday. With those deferred resignations, NASA's civil servant workforce would shrink from about 18,000 to 14,000 personnel. This figure also includes about 500 employees who were lost through normal attrition, the agency said. "Safety remains a top priority for our agency as we balance the need to become a more streamlined and more efficient organization and work to ensure we remain fully capable of pursuing a Golden Era of exploration and innovation, including to the Moon and Mars," NASA spokesperson Cheryl Warner said in a statement. According to NASA, about 870 employees applied to leave during the first round of the Deferred Resignation Program, and about 3,000 employees during the second round. The deferred resignation program was a buyout program introduced across the federal government by the White House's Department of Government Efficiency at the onset of the Trump administration in an effort to slash costs and reduce the size of the federal workforce. A White House budget proposal issued in May would see NASA's funding cut by about 25% for fiscal year 2026, from about $24 billion to $18 billion. NASA has also been roiled by a leadership crisis in recent months. In December, President Trump nominated billionaire private astronaut Jared Isaacman, a friend of former DOGE head Elon Musk, to serve as NASA's next administrator. Musk's SpaceX has several NASA contracts. However, in late May, Mr. Trump pulled Isaacman's nomination just ahead of the Senate confirmation vote, which was followed days later by a public fallout between Mr. Trump and Musk. Earlier this month, the president announced that Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy would temporarily lead the agency. Miles Doran contributed to this report.
