Donald Trump assassination attempt live updates: Blame flies in multiple directions over key security failures
As blame flies in multiple directions over the failure to stop the shooter from firing at Donald Trump, top officials are speaking out.
Investigations are continuing after former US president Donald Trump was shot in the ear during an assassination attempt at a campaign rally over the weekend.
Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, from Pennsylvania, fired at Trump during the rally in Butler, just outside Pittsburgh, on Saturday, local time. He was shot dead by the Secret Service.
Corey Comperatore, 50, who served as the fire chief for Buffalo Township, was shot and killed by Crooks while reportedly trying to protect his daughter from gunfire.
Two other victims, David Dutch, 57, and James Copenhaver, 74, were critically injured in the shooting. Both are in a stable condition, police said.
Here are the latest updates.
‘Should not occur’: Secret Service’s key blunder
The performance of Donald Trump’s Secret Service detail, specifically its failure to stop Thomas Matthew Crooks before he managed to fire multiple shots at the former president, continues to come under scrutiny.
There appears to be some dispute over which security or law enforcement agency was responsible for securing the building from whose roof Crooks shot at Mr Trump.
President Joe Biden has ordered an independent review of the incident to determine what, exactly, went wrong. The Secret Service has said it will “participate fully” in the review.
Speaking to America’s ABC News, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas was blunt about the security failure, saying “a direct line of sight like that to the former president should not occur”.
“We are going to analyze through an independent review how that occurred, why it occurred and make recommendations and findings to make sure it doesn’t happen again. I could not be clearer,” he said.
Speaking to The New York Times, Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said the agency routinely relies on local law enforcement to help with security for events like the rally in Pennsylvania.
Mr Guglielmi said the Secret Service is typically directly responsible for security within an event’s designated perimeter - in this case, the venue, the audience and Mr Trump himself.
The spokesman said Crooks had positioned himself outside that perimeter, and therefore his location should have been secured by local law enforcement.
Those remarks appear to contradict what the local District-Attorney, Richard Goldinger, told CBS News after the attack.
“We provided some snipers for them, some quick response teams, but we didn’t have any responsibility with securing the perimeter or anything outside of that venue,” Mr Goldinger said, further stressing that security for the rally “would have been under the purview of the Secret Service”.
There were four counter-sniper teams deployed on Saturday, whose job was to protect against potential snipers. One such counter-sniper eventually shot Crooks dead.
Experts are questioning why the security perimeter did not encompass the warehouse building from which Crooks attacked, why a security team was not stationed on its rooftop, and failing that why it was not being watched more closely by the counter-snipers.
“We’re not looking at any skyscrapers here,” a 20-year Secret Service veteran, Robert McDonald, told The Times.
“They should be able to see that. And if somebody is up there, they should be able to send law enforcement personnel up there to check that out.”
Ad featuring Trump shooter taken down
The New York Post reports that financial giant BlackRock, one of the world’s largest investment companies, has taken down an ad for its services that featured Trump shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks.
The commercial, from 2022, is spruiking BlackRock’s work managing pension plans for America’s public school teachers. It focuses on one teacher in particular, Brian DeLallo. In a scene from the 30-second clip, Mr DeLallo is shown teaching students economics - and Crooks is among them.
The shooter graduated from Bethel Park High School the same year the ad was filmed.
“In 2022, we ran an ad featuring a teacher from Bethel Park High School, in which several unpaid students briefly appeared in the background, including Thomas Matthew Crooks,” said BlackRock in a statement.
It said the ad had been removed from circulation, but was still available for investigators to review, should they so desire.
Changes made to Trump’s security detail
The director of the Secret Service, Kimberly Cheatle, has issued a statement confirming Mr Trump’s security will be beefed up, including for the Republican National Convention, which starts today.
“The Secret Service is working with all involved federal , state and local agencies to understand what happened, how it happened, and how we can prevent an incident like this from ever taking place again,” said Ms Cheatle.
“We understand the importance of the independent review announced by President Biden yesterday and will participate fully. We will also work with the appropriate congressional committees on any oversight action.
“The incident in Pennsylvania has understandably led to questions about potential updates or changes to the security for the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.
“I am confident in the security plan our Secret Service RNC coordinator and our partners have put in place, which we have reviewed and strengthened in the wake of Saturday’s shooting.
“The security plans for National Special Security Events are designed to be flexible. As the conventions progress, and in accordance with the direction of the President, the Secret Service will continuously adapt our operations as necessary in order to ensure the highest level of safety and security for convention attendees, volunteers and the City of Milwaukee.
“In addition to the additional security enhancements we provided former president Trump’s detail in June, we have also implemented changes to his security detail since Saturday to ensure his continued protection for the convention and the remainder of the campaign.”
‘Staged’: Celebrity’s conspiracy theory condemned
A celebrity has been roundly condemned after floating a preposterous conspiracy theory about the shooting, alleging the whole thing was “staged”.
Amanda Seales, who is also known by her stage name Amanda Diva, is an actor, writer and comedian best known for her role in the HBO TV series Insecure.
“That s*** was more staged than a Tyler Perry production of Madea Runs for President,” she said in a video posted on Instagram the day after Mr Trump was attacked.
“I lived in Harlem long enough to know that gunshots do not sound like making popcorn on the stove.
“Where did the blood come from? So in theatre, in movies, they have what’s called blood pellets. People use them for Halloween. It is basically a pellet of fake blood that is in your mouth and when you crush it, the blood comes out.
“To be frank, small hands Trump would not respond by raising his fist in the air triumphantly were an actual attempt made on his life. This was, I believe, done to try to show his strength (as a) counter to Biden’s fragility.”
Fellow social media users swiftly dunked on Ms Seales, though most of the posts are not particularly fit for publication.
In Australia, Sky News host James Macpherson said the actress had lost the plot.
“These people are so consumed with hate they’ve lost all contact with reality,” he said.
Trump has ‘historic opportunity to rise to the moment’
The New York Times has published an interesting discussion about the Republican National Convention, which starts on Monday, US time.
That discussion, between senior journalists and writers, includes the key question that’s arisen in recent days: how the assassination attempt will “shape or change” the convention.
“The key change will be in the intensity of the gathering. Expect to see an immense amount of anger and pride,” says David French, a conservative columnist (but a longtime critic of the Republican Party’s turn towards Mr Trump.
“Republicans are rightly proud of Trump’s immediate response to the shooting. His presence of mind to raise his fist to the crowd to signal that he was very much alive and defiant was an impressive act of leadership. And we should all feel angry when someone tries to assassinate a former president and current candidate.
“We also know, however, that anger can be dangerous, and we’re already seeing conspiracies emerging, including claims that Joe Biden is responsible for the assassination attempt.
“Our great national challenge will be responding to that anger, to keep it from spiraling out of control. The key player here will be Trump, of course, and his nomination speech may well be the most-watched address in a generation. He has a historic opportunity to rise to the moment - or pull us deeper into darkness.”
King writes private letter to Trump
Buckingham Palace has revealed that King Charles wrote to Mr Trump on Sunday, via the British embassy in Washington.
The letter itself has not been released to the public, and the monarch’s personal correspondence usually remains private, so we shouldn’t expect to learn exactly what Charles told the former president.
However, British media reports the sentiments are broadly in line with what the country’s Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, said about the shooting.
“I am appalled by the shocking scenes at President Trump’s rally and we send him and his family our best wishes,” Mr Starmer said in a statement after the attack.
“Political violence in any form has no place in our societies and my thoughts are with all the victims of this attack.”
The British PM has also spoken directly to Mr Trump to express his well wishes.
‘I was given that chance’: Trump gives first interview after assassination attempt
Trump has given his first interview a day after his attempted assassination, sharing he has completely rewritten his convention speech and wants to use the moment to unite the country.
Speaking to theWashington Examiner, the 78-year-old said he has changed the speech he was due to present at the upcoming Republication convention, which previously addressed US President Joe Biden.
“The speech I was going to give on Thursday was going to be a humdinger,” he told the publication.
“Had this not happened, this would’ve been one of the most incredible speeches,” he continued, adding the speech would have been mostly aimed at Biden’s policies.
“Honestly, it’s going to be a whole different speech now … It is a chance to bring the country together. I was given that chance.”
Addressing a now iconic photo following the shooting, the former president told the publication he decided to raise his hand when the Secret Service was leading him off stage to let the crowd know he was OK.
“And that America goes on, we go forward, that we are strong,” he said.
Trump said he his life was saved because he turned his head to look at a the chart featuring immigration statistics displayed on a screen to his right, moments before an assassination attempt.
“That reality is just setting in,” he said. “I rarely look away from the crowd. Had I not done that in that moment, well, we would not be talking today, would we?”
Trump earlier said the bullet would have struck him “right in the head” if he had not turned to look at the chart, a White House doctor claimed.
“That chart that I was going over saved my life,” Trump said according to the doctor, Representative Ronny Jackson of Texas.
“He goes, ‘The border patrol saved my life,’” Dr. Jackson recounted.
“‘I was going over that border patrol chart.’ He said, ‘If I hadn’t pointed at that chart and turned my head to look at it, that bullet would have hit me right in the head.’”
‘I’m not supposed to be here.’
Trump has further recounted the “surreal” assassination attempt in a separate interview, declaring he’s “supposed to be dead”.
“The doctor at the hospital said he never saw anything like this. He called it a miracle,” Trump told the New York Post.
“I’m not supposed to be here. I’m supposed to be dead.”
The 78-year-old said he wanted to continue speaking after he was shot, but Secret Service agents informed him it wasn’t safe.
Trump also addressed video footage of the shooting, in which the former president can be heard saying, “Wait, I want to get my shoes.”
Speaking to the publication, Trump said: “The agents hit me so hard that my shoes fell off, and my shoes are tight.”
He commended the efforts of the Secret Service for charging in “linebackers” to protect him and for taking down the shooter.
“They took him out with one shot right between the eyes,” Trump said as he pointed to the bridge of his nose.
“They did a fantastic job,” he added. “It’s surreal for all of us.”
Would-be assassin’s ‘weapon of war’
Crooks, a registered Republican from Bethel Park in Pennsylvania, used an AR-style rifle in his failed attempt to shoot dead the former President.
An AR-15 rifle was recovered from the scene where Crook’s body was secured after he was fatally shot by Secret Service snipers, according to authorities.
The semi-automatic gun is closely related to the military-grade M16, and some models can be easily bought in the US for as little as $500.
America’s powerful gun lobby, the National Rifle Association, has called AR-15s the country’s “most popular rifle”, with NBC reporting in 2018 that one in five gun purchases were AR-style rifles.
The New York Times in 2016 labelled AR-15s “one of most beloved and most vilified rifles in the country” due to their use in prominent mass-shooting events, such as the Las Vegas massacre of 2017.
Gun control lobbyist Lindsay Nichols, policy director at the Giffords Law Center, last year told NBC the weapon should not be in civilian hands.
“It is a weapon of war that is really only suitable for soldiers in a combat zone,” Ms Nichols said.
“Its ability to kill a lot of people quickly is the reason why we want it banned.”
The weapon was banned from sale under federal law between 1994 and 2004, but that policy was allowed to expire.
Shooter’s location was a well-known vulnerability
The rooftop where Crooks shot at Trump had earlier been identified by the Secret Service as a well-known vulnerability, a former senior Secret Service source has claimed.
Crooks fired bullets from the roof of a manufacturing plant, about 120m from the stage where Trump was speaking.
An unnamed source, who is familiar with protocols at the site of the rally, told NBC News the roof was identified the day before during a walk-through of the area.
“I mean, I think anybody with a little common sense, with no prior experience, just looking to the right of the stage, [would know] that is a very, very vulnerable spot to have a building for one thing, with a roof,” the source said.
“You have multiple teams, you know, the CAT [counter assault team], the CS [counter sniper] team, the CAT team, the actual site, advance team, supervisor. I mean, they should have all called that out.”
Butler County District Attorney, Richard Goldinger, told CBS local law enforcement provided assistance at the rally but the security “would have been under the purview of the Secret Service”.
“We provided some snipers for them, some quick response teams, but we didn’t have any responsibility with securing the perimeter or anything outside of that venue,” said Mr Goldinger.
He said the Secret Service were at the top of the hierarchy of command for security, followed by state police and local municipal departments.
Anthony Guglielmi, a spokesman for the Secret Service, earlier shut down reports the Secret Service rejected a request from the Trump campaign for additional security.
“Theres (sic) an untrue assertion that a member of the former President’s team requested additional security resources and that those were rebuffed. This is absolutely false,” he wrote on X.
“In fact, we added protective resources and technology and capabilities as part of the increased campaign travel tempo.”
Trump lands in Wisconsin for Republican convention
Trump has touched has down in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on Sunday local time, ahead of the 2024 Republican National Convention, just one day after the assassination attempt.
Footage shows Trump disembarking from the plane before pausing briefly to raise his fist in the air.
As he does, a white bandage covering his ear appears to be visible.
Earlier, confirmed he was heading to the four-day convention, where he is expected to be formally nominated for the Republican presidential candidate later this week.
“I was going to delay my trip to Wisconsin, and The Republican National Convention, by two days, but have just decided that I cannot allow a ‘shooter’, or potential assassin, to force change to scheduling, or anything else,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“Therefore, I will be leaving for Milwaukee, as scheduled.”
Biden said he had directed the head of the Secret Service to review all security measures for the convention, which starts on Monday local time.
New angle surfaces of shooting
New footage of Trump’s attempted assignation has emerged on social media, revealing a different perspective on the moment the former president was rushed off stage.
The vision, filmed from behind the podium where Trump was speaking to crowds, shows the moment the 78-year-old reached for his ear and ducked after loud noises rang out.
“Get down, get down,” rallygoers shouted as they ducked to the ground.
Moments later, Trump was seen being escorted off the stage by the Secret Service while the crowd chanted “USA”.
Possible explosive device
US President Joe Biden said the shooter’s motive is not known.
“I urge everyone, please don’t make assumptions about his motives or his affiliations,” said Biden, who has ordered an independent review on national security following the shooting.
FBI Pittsburgh Special Agent in Charge Kevin Rojek said Crooks had no known mental illness history and his family is co-operating with authorities.
“We’re looking into his background, his day-to-day activities, any writings and social media posts that might help us identify what led to this shooting. And we have not seen anything threatening,” Rojek said.
The FBI is investigating the shooting as a possible domestic terrorism incident, officials confirmed.
A law enforcement source told CBS News, bomb material was found in gunman’s house and vehicle.
The gunman’s phone, rifle and a possible explosive device – which officials have described as “rudimentary” – is being analysed in the bureau’s lab in Quantico, Virginia.
Police effort praised
Deputy Commissioner of Operations for the Pennsylvania State Police, George Bivens, praised law enforcement for their “heroic efforts” in bringing down the shooter.
“It was a chaotic scene. There were some complicators that slowed down some of the processing and the positive identification of the shooter,” he said.
“But at this time, we have no reason to believe that there is any other existing threat out there.”
In a post on Truth Social, the former President said he heard a whizzing sound and was hit in the upper ear by a bullet, feeling it “ripping through my skin”.
“Much bleeding took place so I realised then what was happening,” he wrote.
In a later post, he wrote that he believed 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,” Trump posted on Truth Social.
“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.”
Read related topics:Donald Trump
‘Get WWIII going’: Huge Russia escalation
Months ago, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin identified a glaring “red line” for the West. Joe Biden has decided to cross it.
Read more
Donald Trump’s education pick stuns US
Donald Trump has unveiled his latest controversial nominee for a senior position in the US government.
Read more
‘Ready’: Rudd defiant amid ousting threat
Kevin Rudd says Australia is “ready” to deal with Donald Trump amid questions over the former Labor prime minister’s future as Australia’s ambassador in Washington.
Read more