July 13, 2024: Assassination Attempt - A Dark Prelude to the Convention

Donald J. Trump for President 2024, Inc.
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.

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.

GOD BLESS AMERICA!



Donald J. Trump
45th President of the United States

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Donald J. Trump for President 2024, Inc./RNC COA

 Statement from Trump Campaign and RNC

As was communicated earlier this evening, President Trump is doing well and grateful to law enforcement and first responders for their fast action.
 
President Trump looks forward to joining you all in Milwaukee as we proceed with our convention to nominate him to serve as the 47th President of the United States. As our party's nominee, President Trump will continue to share his vision to Make America Great Again.
 
Sincerely,
 
Donald J. Trump for President 2024 Senior Advisors Susie Wiles & Chris LaCivita 
 
Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley and Co-Chairman Lara Trump

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@realDonaldTrump
Thank you to everyone for your thoughts and prayers yesterday, as it was God alone who prevented the unthinkable from happening. We will FEAR NOT, but instead remain resilient in our Faith and Defiant in the face of Wickedness. Our love goes out to the other victims and their families. We pray for the recovery of those who were wounded, and hold in our hearts the memory of the citizen who was so horribly killed. In this moment, it is more important than ever that we stand United, and show our True Character as Americans, remaining Strong and Determined, and not allowing Evil to Win. I truly love our Country, and love you all, and look forward to speaking to our Great Nation this week from Wisconsin.
DJT

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July 14, 2024

I am thinking of you, now, my fellow Americans.

We have always been a unique union. America, the fabric of our gentle nation is tattered, but our courage and common sense must ascend and bring us back together as one.

When I watched thal violent bullet strike my husband, Donald. I realized my life, and Barron's life, were on the brink of devastating change. I am grateful lo the brave secret service agents and law enforcement officials who risked their own lives to protect my husband.

To the families of the innocent victims who are now suffering from this heinous act, I humbly offer my sincerest sympathy. Your need to summon your inner strength for such a terrible reason saddens me.

A monster who recognized my husband as an inhuman political machine anempted to ring out Donald's passion – his laughter, ingenuity, love of music, and inspiration. The core facets of my husband's life – his human side – were buried below the political machine. Donald, the generous and caring man who I have been with through the best of times and the worst of times.

Let us not forget that differing opinions, policy, and political games are inferior lo love. Our personal, structural, and life commitment – until death – is at serious risk. Political concepls arc simple when compared to us, human beings.

We are all humans, and fundamentally, instinctively, we want to help one another. American politics are only one vehicle that can uplift our communities. Love, compassion, kindness and empathy are necessities.

And let us remember that when the time comes to look beyond the left and the right, beyond the red and the blue, we all come from families with lhe passion to fight for a better life together, while we are here, in this earthly realm.

Dawn is here again. Let us reunite. Now.

This morning, ascend above the hate, the vitriol, and the simple-minded ideas that ignite violence. We all want a world where respect is paramount, family is first, and love transcends. We can realize this world again. Each of us must demand to get it back. We must insist that respect fills the cornerstone of our relationships, again.

I am thinking of you, my fellow Americans.

The winds of change have arrived. For those of you who cry in support, I thank you. commend those of you who have reached out beyond the political divide – thank you for remembering that every single politician is a man or a woman with a loving family.

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President Joe Biden

Roosevelt Room

The White House

July 14, 2024

2:05 P.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT:   Good afternoon.  Last night, I spoke with Donald Trump.  I’m sincerely grateful that he’s doing well and recovering.  And we had a short but good conversation.

Jill and I are keeping him and his family in our prayers.

We also extend our deepest condolences to the family of the victim who was killed.  He was a father.  He was protecting his family from the bullets that were being fired, and he lost his life.  God love him.

We’re also praying for the full recovery of those who were injured.  And we’re grateful to the Secret Service agents and other law enforcement agencies who — and individuals who risked their lives, literally, for our nation.

As I said last night, there is no place in America for this kind of violence or for any violence for that matter.

An assassination attempt is contrary to everything we stand for as a na- — as a nation.  Everything.  It’s not who we are as a nation.  It’s not America, and we cannot allow this to happen.

Unity is the most elusive goal of all, but nothing is important than that right now — unity.

We’ll debate, and we’ll disagree.  That’s not — that’s not going to change.  But it’s going to — we’re going to not lose sight of the fact of who we are as Americans.

Look, Vice President Harris and I were just briefed in the Situation Room by my homeland security team, including the director of the FBI, the secretary of Homeland Security, the attorney general, the director of the Secret Service, my homeland security advisor, the national security advisor.  And we’re going to continue to be briefed.

The FBI is leading this investigation, which is still in its early stages.  We don’t yet have any information about the motive of the shooter.  We know who he is.  I urge everyone — everyone, please, don’t make assumptions about his motives or his affiliations.

Let the FBI do their job, and their partner agencies do their job.  I’ve instructed that this investigation be thorough and swift.  And the investigators will have every resource they need to get this done.

Look, as this investigation continues, here’s what we’re going to do.

First, Mr. Trump, as a former president and nominee of the Republican Party already receives a heightened level of security, and I have been consistent in my direction to the Secret Service to provide him with every resource, capability, and protective measure necessary to ensure his continued safety.

Second, I’ve directed the head of the Secret Service to review all security measures for the — all security measures for the Republican National Convention, which is scheduled to start tomorrow.

And third, I’ve directed an independent review of the national security at yesterday’s rally to assess exactly what happened.  And we’ll share the results of that independent review with the American people as well.

And, finally, I’ll be speaking more about this tonight at greater length from the Oval Office: We must unite as one nation.  We must unite as one nation to demonstrate who we are.

And so, may God bless you all.  And may God protect our troops.

Thank you very much.

2:08 P.M. EDT

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REMARKS BY PRESIDENT BIDEN IN ADDRESS TO THE NATION

Oval Office

July 14, 2024

8:02 P.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT:  My fellow Americans, I want to speak to you tonight about the need for us to lower the temperature in our politics and to remember, while we may disagree, we are not enemies.  We’re neighbors.  We’re friends, coworkers, citizens.  And, most importantly, we are fellow Americans.  And we must stand together.

Yesterday’s shooting at Donald Trump’s rally in Pennsylvania calls on all of us to take a step back, take stock of where we are, how we go forward from here.

Thankfully, former [President] Trump is not seriously linjured [injured].  I spoke with him last night.  I’m grateful he’s doing well.  And Jill and I keep him and his family in our prayers.

We also extend our deepest condolences to the family of the victim who was killed.  Corey was a husband, a father, a volunteer firefighter, a hero, sheltering his family from those bullets.  We should all hold his family and all those injured in our prayers.

Earlier today, I spoke about an ongoing investigation.  We do not know the motive of the shooter yet.  We don’t know his opinions or affiliations.  We don’t know whether he had help or support or if he communicated with anyone else.  Law enforcement professionals, as I speak, are investigating those questions.

Tonight, I want to speak to what we do know: A former president was shot.  An American citizen killed while simply exercising his freedom to support the candidate of his choosing.

We cannot -- we must not go down this road in America.  We’ve traveled it before throughout our history.  Violence has never been the answer, whether it’s with members of Congress in both parties being targeted in the shot, or a violent mob attacking the Capitol on January 6th, or a brutal attack on the spouse of former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, or information and intimidation on election officials, or the kidnapping plot against a sitting governor, or an attempted assassination on Donald Trump.

There is no place in America for this kind of violence or for any violence ever.  Period.  No exceptions.  We can’t allow this violence to be normalized.

You know, the political rhetoric in this country has gotten very heated.  It’s time to cool it down.  And we all have a responsibility to do that.

Yes, we have deeply felt, strong disagreements.  The stakes in this election are enormously high.

I’ve said it many times that the choice in this elect- -- that we make in this election is going to shape the future of America and the world for decades to come.  I believe that with all my soul.  I know that millions of my fellow Americans believe it as well.

And some have a different view as to the direction our country should take.  Disagreement is inevitable in American democracy.  It’s part of human nature.  But politics must never be a literal battlefield and, God forbid, a killing field.

I believe politics ought to be an arena for peaceful debate, to pursue justice, to make decisions guided by the Declaration of Independence and our Constitution.  We stand for an America not of extremism and fury but of decency and grace.

All of us now face a time of testing as the election approaches.  And the higher the stakes, the more fervent the passions become.  This places an added burden on each of us to ensure that no matter how strong our convictions, we must never descend into violence.

The Republican convention will start tomorrow.  I have no doubt they’ll criticize my record and offer their own vision for this country.  I'll be traveling this week, making the case for our record and the vision -- my vision of the country -- our vision.

I'll continue to speak out strongly for our democracy, stand up for our Constitution and the rule of law, to call for action at the ballot box, no violence on our streets.  That's how democracy should work.

We debate and disagree.  We compare and contrast the character of the candidates, the records, the issues, the agenda, the vision for America.

But in America, we resolve our differences at the battol [ballot] box.  You know, that's how we do it, at the battol [ballot] box, not with bullets.  The power to change America should always rest in the hands of the people, not in the hands of a would-be assassin.

You know, the path forward through competing visions of the campaign should always be resolved peacefully, not through acts of violence.

You know, we're blessed to live in the greatest country on Earth.  And I believe that with every soul -- every power of my being.  So, tonight, I'm asking every American to recommit to make America so -- make America what it i- -- think about it.  What's made America so special?

Here in America, everyone wants to be treated with dignity and respect, and hate must have no safe harbor.

Here in America, we need to get out of our silos, where we only listen to those with whom we agree, where misinformation is rampant, where foreign actors fan the flames of our division to shape the outcomes consistent with their interests, not ours.

Let's remember, here in America, while unity is the most elusive of gol- -- goals right now, nothing is more -- more important for us now than standing together.  We can do this.

You know, from the beginning, our founders understood the power of passion, and so they created a democracy that gave reason and balance a chance to prevail over brute force.  That's the America we must be, an American democracy where arguments are made in good faith, an American democracy where the rule of law is respected, an American democracy where decency, dignity, fair play aren't just quaint notions, but living, breathing realities.

We owe that to those who come before us, to those who gave their lives for this country.  We that -- we owe that to ourselves.  We owe it to our children and our grandchildren.

Look, let's never lose sight of who we are.  Let's remember we are the United States of America.  There is nothing, nothing, nothing beyond our capacity when we do it together.

So, God bless you all.  And may God protect our troops.

8:08 P.M. EDT

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Federal Bureau of Investigation

Update on the FBI Investigation of the Attempted Assassination of Former President Donald Trump

Update: July 15, 2024, 3:05 p.m. EDT:

The FBI continues to investigate the shooting incident at the July 13 rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, as an assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump and as potential domestic terrorism. The investigation is still in the early stages, and the FBI is providing the following updates:

• FBI technical specialists successfully gained access to Thomas Matthew Crooks’ phone, and they continue to analyze his electronic devices.
• The search of the subject's residence and vehicle are complete.
• The FBI has conducted nearly 100 interviews of law enforcement personnel, event attendees, and other witnesses. That work continues.
• The FBI has received hundreds of digital media tips which include photos and videos taken at the scene, and we continue to review incoming tips. We encourage anyone with information that may assist with the ongoing investigation to continue to submit it online at tips.fbi.gov or call 1-800-CALL-FBI. 
• While the investigative work continues, FBI victim services personnel have offered assistance to the victims of Saturday's incident.

Original Statement: July 14, 10 p.m. EDT:

The FBI is investigating the shooting incident at the July 13 rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, which resulted in one victim's death and injuries to former President Trump and other spectators, as an assassination attempt and potential domestic terrorism. 

While the investigation to date indicates the shooter acted alone, the FBI continues to conduct logical investigative activity to determine if there were any co-conspirators associated with this attack. At this time, there are no current public safety concerns.

The FBI has not identified a motive for the shooter’s actions, but we are working to determine the sequence of events and the shooter’s movements prior to the shooting, collecting and reviewing evidence, conducting interviews, and following up on all leads. We have also obtained the shooter’s telephone for examination.

The FBI has searched the shooter’s home and vehicle to collect additional evidence. Suspicious devices found at both locations have been rendered safe by bomb technicians and are being evaluated at the FBI Laboratory.

The firearm used in the shooting was purchased legally.

The shooter was not known to the FBI prior to this incident.

The FBI investigation is being led by the FBI's Pittsburgh Field Office in coordination with our local, state, and federal partners. Anyone with information that may assist with the ongoing investigation is encouraged to submit it online at tips.fbi.gov or call 1-800-CALL-FBI. 

Previous official statements about this incident can be found at fbi.gov/news/press-releases/fbi-statement-on-incident-in-butler-pennsylvania.

Director Wray's Remarks at Press Briefing on Butler, Pennsylvania, Assassination Attempt

Butler, PA

July 14, 2024

Thank you, Attorney General Garland.

What we witnessed yesterday was nothing short of an attack on democracy and our democratic process.

An attempt to assassinate a presidential candidate can only be described as absolutely despicable and will not be tolerated in this country. 

I want to start by offering my deepest condolences to all the victims of yesterday’s shooting and their families.

Our hearts go out to the family of the individual who was killed, the two others who were critically wounded, and, of course, former President Trump and his family.

I want to make sure they know—and the American people know—that the men and women of the FBI are working tirelessly to get to the bottom of what happened.

The shooter may be deceased, but the investigation is very much ongoing. And, because of that, we are limited in what we say at this point.

But, what I can say is that we have committed the full force of the FBI to this investigation:

• Both criminal and national security resources
• Tactical support
• Evidence response teams to help process the crime scene
• Victim services specialists
• The FBI Lab and our Operational Technology Division to process the physical evidence recovered

We also continue to operate our FBI Tip Line and encourage anyone with information to reach out to us as soon as possible.

Both in our FBI field office in Pittsburgh and in our command post at FBI Headquarters, we continue to work closely with our federal, state, and local partners, as we did throughout the night last night to ensure there was no ongoing threat to former President Trump or to the people of Pennsylvania.

The American people can rest assured that we will leave no stone unturned as we work to get to the bottom of what happened yesterday.

Thank you again to all those who are hard at work on this investigation.

And, with that, I’ll go ahead and hand the floor over to FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbate.

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Alternative Views

Drew Westen
July 14, 2024

"After 2 and 1/2 weeks of doing everything possible to Make Joe Biden appear as weak as possible, the media are now posting the pictures taken by the Trump campaign as a slideshow against the video to make him look heroic. There's no mention of the frightening images of his shaking his fist in the air like a rageful strongman, yelling, as best I could make it out, "fight, fight, fight!" the way he did on January 6th, as if his gladiators should run out of the ring and begin the revolution today. There's no mention of the fact that he created the atmosphere that has fueled political violence like we have not seen since 1861, or the concern that he and his rabid acolytes are more than likely now going to embark upon what they perceive as retribution, which the media will no doubt treat as a matter of moral equivalence.

I normally would never speak out, particularly this quickly, in response to what appears to have been an assassination attempt, and in a way that appears partisan. But my response is not that of a partisan. I did not like many of the policies of Ronald Reagan, but I felt as much concern for his health when a gunman tried to assassinate him as I would have if he had been my choice for president because he was my, and our, president. 

The media are digging their own graves. They are lionizing a man who has promised to kill his political enemies. They are turning him into a folk hero 2 days before he has the largest megaphone on Earth, and his photographers have already turned this around into not just an opportunity for what will no doubt be his largest day ever of fundraising but an opportunity to make him into a fearless freedom fighter with his shaking fist, as opposed to the man who has unleashed this hellfire and fury on our Republic. 

Since when do the media take still photos from one of the campaigns at a moment like this, designed to make their gladiator appear heroic? Don't they have their own still photos to show? Don't they have their own narrative to tell, independent of the heroic narrative the Trump team wants to tell? They are repeating that spin, as if the only possible interpretation of Trump repeatedly shaking his fist was that he was just letting his supporters know he was okay, as I have just heard repeatedly but was not what I saw. I don't recall Ronald Reagan shaking his fist defiantly after the attempt on his life. He was truly heroic, using the opportunity to quell public concern, and he did so with his characteristic humor. In fact, I cannot imagine any other President in our history who would have repeatedly responded with that gesture.

Thank God Trump is not president right now, or there would be a massive sweep of a million Democrats tonight and tomorrow, with claims that they were responsible for a coup attempt, beginning with the "Biden crime family," and the Supreme Court just determined that were Trump currently in office, he could torture or kill as many as he saw fit. But the media acquiescence to a narrative of heroic defiance, as if Trump knew who he was defying, may well make irrelevant who the Democratic nominee is for president. And it virtually guarantees that we will not have a peaceful transfer of power if Trump does not win or is not installed by his Supreme Court as the next president.

I, for one, was not "reassured"  by Trump's shaking fist, which he made a point of standing up to show after the shooting was over, and then shook wildly like an angry infant. I saw those as fists of retribution to come."

Drew Westen, Ph.D. Professor Emeritus of Psychology and Psychiatry Emory University
President, Westen Strategies, LLC. www.westenstrategies.com

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