By Ben Johnson

An armed assailant attempted to assassinate President Donald Trump Saturday evening at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, apparently superficially wounding the president and apparently killing a Trump supporter before being killed by Secret Service agents.

The president was showing attendees a chart of the record-breaking number of illegal immigrants who have entered the United States during the Biden administration when approximately eight gunshots rippled through the enormous crowd at 6:13 p.m. local time. The president grabbed his ear as Secret Service agents piled on him, driving him down onto the stage behind his podium. The words “shooter down!” sounded through his microphone.

Trump promptly rose, blood spattered on the right side of his face, and began pumping his fist to reassure the crowd, saying, “Fight, fight, fight!” Tens of thousands of observers responded by chanting “USA!” as security led him from the stage.

“President Trump thanks law enforcement and first responders for their quick action during this heinous act,” said Trump 2024 campaign spokesman Steven Cheung in a statement shortly after the shooting. “He is fine and is being checked out at a local medical facility. More details will follow.”

The shooter and a Trump supporter attending the rally died, according to the county’s district attorney, Richard Goldinger. “All the sudden shots started to crack, someone behind me appears to have been shot,” said Pennsylvania Republican Senate candidate David McCormick. “There’s lots of blood.” As of this writing, officials have not revealed the shooter’s identity.

“[T]he former [p]resident is safe. This is now an active Secret Service investigation,” confirmed Secret Service Spokesman Anthony Guglielmi. Law enforcement officials announced the shooting, which took place at Trump’s final campaign stop before the Republican National Convention opens Monday, is being investigated as an attempted assassination.

“God protected President Trump,” said Senator Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) shortly after the shooting.

Joe Biden appeared to have learned about the violent outburst from a reporter, who asked him if he had been briefed about it. As he left Mass at a Roman Catholic parish in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, Biden replied tersely, “No.” He subsequently received an update from three Cabinet officials.

The White House released a statement in President Biden’s name at 7:58 p.m., 97 minutes after the shooting.

“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,” the statement said. “There’s no place for this kind of violence in America. We must unite as one nation to condemn it.”

Rev. Franklin Graham immediately called on his followers to pray for the president. News of the shooting touched off prayers and well wishes from across the political spectrum.

Family Research Council President Tony Perkins urged, “Folks, we need to pray. Pray for Donald Trump and pray for our nation.”

“Everyone join me in praying for our President Trump and everyone at that rally,” said Senator J.D. Vance (R-Ohio). “Thank God,” Vance replied after the campaign announced the president emerged without serious injury.

“Kelly and I are praying for President Trump and all the attendees of the campaign rally today in Pennsylvania, and we send our gratitude to the law enforcement who responded at the scene,” Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-La.) posted on the social media platform X. “I have been briefed by law enforcement and am continuing to monitor the developments. This horrific act of political violence at a peaceful campaign rally has no place in this country and should be unanimously and forcefully condemned.”

“Praying for President Trump,” said Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.), who was shot by a fanatical Bernie Sanders supporter at a congressional baseball game in June 2017. 

Democrats also offered prayers and condemnations of the violence. “I thank God that former President Trump is safe,” said former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), who tore up the text of Trump’s State of the Union address in 2020. 

“I am horrified by what happened at the Trump rally in Pennsylvania and relieved that former President Trump is safe,” said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.). His Republican counterpart, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), declared, “Tonight, all Americans are grateful that President Trump appears to be fine after a despicable attack on a peaceful rally.”

“Lori and I are praying for President Trump, the Secret Service officers who protected him, those attending the event, and all of the first responders still on the scene,” said Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, who is Jewish and increasingly named as a possible replacement for Joe Biden as the Democratic presidential nominee.

Trump’s supporters said gunshots would not deter the presumptive Republican presidential candidate from trying to make America great again. “He’ll never stop fighting to [s]ave America,” promised the former president’s son, Donald Trump Jr., in an online social media post. He added that he had spoken to his father by phone, and the president is “in good spirits.”

“President Trump won’t be stopped. America can’t be broken,” stated Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R). “Pray for our country.”

Ben Johnson is senior reporter and editor at The Washington Stand.