Former President Donald Trump released a statement via his social media platform Truth Social after the shooting at his Pennsylvania rally on Saturday.
He described feeling “a bullet that pierced the upper part of my right ear.”
In his post, Trump said, “I want to thank The United States Secret Service, and all of Law Enforcement, for their rapid response on the shooting that just took place in Butler, Pennsylvania. Most importantly, I want to extend my condolences to the family of the person at the Rally who was killed, and also to the family of another person that was badly injured.”
He continued, “It is incredible that such an act can take place in our Country. Nothing is known at this time about the shooter, who is now dead. I was shot with a bullet that pierced the upper part of my right ear. I knew immediately that something was wrong in that I heard a whizzing sound, shots, and immediately felt the bullet ripping through the skin. Much bleeding took place, so I realized then what was happening.”
BREAKING: Former Pres. Trump appears to grab his ear and drops to the ground on stage after possible shots are heard at a rally in Pennsylvania. https://t.co/t5Ql71ecwn pic.twitter.com/sPHGVdX60h
— ABC News (@ABC) July 13, 2024
Trump was escorted off stage at a rally in Butler, Pa., on Saturday after gunshots rang through the crowd. Secret Service agents covered Trump, who appeared to have blood on his face, as they headed to his motorcade and left the venue.
Butler County district attorney told the Associated Press that the shooter is dead and a rally attendee has been killed at the Trump event in Pennsylvania.
President Joe Biden addressed the shooting, saying he had tried to connect with Trump, who was receiving treatment. Biden said he would try to talk with him later on in the evening.
“There’s no place in America for this kind of violence — it’s sick, it’s sick. The bottom line is, the Trump rally is a rally that should have been able to have been conducted peacefully without any problem.” Biden said in a statement. “The idea – the idea – that there’s political violence or violence in America like this is just unheard of, it’s not appropriate. Everybody – everybody – must condemn it. Everybody.”