Donald Trump was standing on a stage behind a podium, six minutes into his speech at an outdoor rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, his head turned to the right, under a clear sky and in broiling heat.
Suddenly there was a volley of “pops” – what sounded like gunshots. Trump immediately clutched his right ear, looked at the blood on his hand and then quickly dropped to the ground behind the podium.
The crowd screamed and those in the bleachers behind him crouched.
Half a dozen Secret Service agents ran onto the stage and piled on and around Trump, who was kneeling behind the podium. Other law enforcement officers armed with rifles also took to the stage.
The crowd reacts after shots were fired.Credit: Getty Images
There was a second volley of apparent gunshots.
The Secret Service agents kept Trump on the ground for 25 seconds. Someone could be heard shouting: “Shooter is down!”
Someone else yelled “Move!” as many in the crowd continued to scream.
The agents raised Trump to his feet, his red “Make America Great Again” baseball cap no longer on his head, his hair dishevelled, his ear bloodied and streaks of blood smeared on his face.
A defiant Donald Trump after the shooting.Credit: AP
“Let me get my shoes. Let me get my shoes,” Trump said as the agents lifted him from the ground. He then said, “Wait, wait, wait”, before he started pumping his fist.
One agent raised his arm above Trump’s head, to shield it from more potential shots.
Trump continued to pump his fist towards the crowd, mouthing “Fight!” Many in the crowd began chanting “USA, USA!”
As the Secret Service agents surrounded Trump and moved him to a nearby black SUV, Trump continuously raised his fist as they pushed him into the vehicle, to more chants of “USA!”
Reuters
