'Let me get my shoes': Mic captures Donald Trump's immediate reaction after being shot at during Pennsylvania rally

According to audio captured by the mic, Donald Trump wanted to get his shoes as the Secret Service tried to rush him off the stage after an assassination attempt
PUBLISHED JUL 14, 2024
Secret Service swarmed Donald Trump and rushed him off stage to the motorcade after he was shot at during a rally in Pennsylvania (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Secret Service swarmed Donald Trump and rushed him off stage to the motorcade after he was shot at during a rally in Pennsylvania (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Trigger Warning: This article contains some graphic information and content that may trigger some readers. Discretion is advised.

BUTLER, PENNSYLVANIA: A microphone at former president Donald Trump's Pennsylvania rally captured his immediate reaction after the gunshots were fired at him that grazed his right ear.

Five minutes into the Republican presumptive nominee's speech in Butler Pennysylvania on Saturday, July 13, several gunshots were heard, and Trump immediately ducked to the ground, touching his wounded ear. Secret Service swarmed the ex-president and rushed him off stage to the motorcade.

A video aired by MSNBC included the audio of Trump's conversation with the Secret Service, who surrounded him on stage, according to Mediaite.

Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump pumps his fist as he is rushed offstage by U.S. Secret Service agents after being grazed by a bullet during a rally on July 13, 2024 in Butler, Pennsylvania. Butler County district attorney Richard Goldinger said the shooter is dead after injuring former U.S. President Donald Trump, killing one audience member and injuring another in the shooting. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Donald Trump was injured during his rally speech in Butler, Pennsylvania ( Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Donald Trump wanted to get his shoes as Secret Service urged him to get off stage

"Go, go, go," agents were heard saying as they covered the former president. "What are we doing?" the audio continued.

A few minutes later, another agent said, "When you're ready. On you." "Move!" one shouted. "Shooter's down. Move."



 

As they lifted Trump from the ground, he could be heard saying, "Let me get my shoes, let me get my shoes, let me get my shoes!"

Secret Service tend to republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump onstage after he was grazed by a bullet at a rally on July 13, 2024 in Butler, Pennsylvania. Butler county district attorney Richard Goldinger said the shooter is dead after injuring former President Trump, killing one audience member and injuring another in the shooting. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Donald Trump immediately crouched to the ground after the gunshots were heard during his campaign speech in Butler, Pennsylvania (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

One agent said, "We've got you, sir," while another added, "Hold onto your head; it's bloody."

"Wait, wait," disheveled Trump, with blood on his face, said before showing his fist to the raucous crowd and chanting, "Fight! Fight! Fight!"



 

The real estate mogul later revealed in a Truth Social post that the bullet pressed the upper side of his right ear.

"I knew immediately that something was wrong in that I heard a whizzing sound and shots and immediately felt the bullet ripping through the skin. Much bleeding took place, so I realized then what was happening. GOD BLESS AMERICA!" Trump wrote.

Suspected shooter killed by Secret Service

The federal officials confirmed that the shooter was 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks from Pennsylvania. He was shot dead by a Secret Service sniper shortly after. Besides the shooter, a rally attendee was also dead, and two were critically injured.

The FBI, along with the Secret Service and state and local agencies, have begun a probe, deeming it an attempted assassination.

Secret Service agents surround Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump onstage after he was injured at a rally on July 13, 2024 in Butler, Pennsylvania. According to Butler County District Attorney Richard Goldinger, the suspected gunman is dead after injuring former President Trump, killing one audience member and injuring at least one other. (Photo by Jeff Swensen/Getty Images)
A Secret Service agent killed the suspected shooter while Donald Trump was rushed off stage from the Pennsylvania rally (Jeff Swensen/Getty Images)

A witness said to BBC that he saw a man with a rifle "bear crawled" on the roof of a building located near the rally venue. The attendee, Greg Smith, tried to alert the authorities, but they were unable to spot the suspect before the shots were fired.

President Joe Biden released a statement shortly after the attempted assassination against Trump. Stating he was grateful for his Republican opponent's safety, the POTUS added, "I'm praying for him and his family and for all those who were at the rally, as we await further information." Speaking to reports at the White House, he condemned the violence, asserting it was "sick."

U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks on former U.S. President Donald Trump’s guilty verdict in his hush-money trial before speaking on the Middle East at the White House on May 31, 2024 in Washington, DC. Biden said Trump had a fair trial and an impartial jury found him guilty on all 34 counts and added it is dangerous for anyone to say the trial was rigged. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
President Joe Biden condemned the assassination attempt on Donald Trump (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

James Comer, the chairman of the House Oversight Committee, also announced an investigation into the event and a public hearing with the US Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle.

The shocking turn of events at the Pennsylvania rally took place with only two days left for the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, where the ex-president would be nominated as the GOP presidential candidate.

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