Trump tells Jake Paul about Butler assassination attempt, recalls ear injury as ‘a bloody mess’
WASHINGTON, DC: In a recent talk with boxer and social media star Jake Paul, President Donald Trump talked about the time he was shot during the 2024 assassination attempt at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania.
During a meeting related to a political event in Kentucky, Trump told Paul what it was like when a bullet grazed his ear at the rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Trump recalls moment bullet grazed his ear at Butler rally
President Donald Trump described the day he was shot in an attempted assassination to social media personality and boxer Jake Paul, calling it a "bloody mess."
President Trump tells Jake Paul what it felt like to get shot in the ear during the attempt on his life in Butler, PA:
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) March 13, 2026
“You had that throbbing feeling… It was a bloody mess... I said that’s either the biggest mosquito bite in history or I just got shot.”pic.twitter.com/H39SmGbYIN
"Was it like, hot on your ear? Could you feel the bullet?" Paul asked Trump.
The president said he felt a "throbbing feeling" when he was shot.
"You knew there was something. It was a bloody mess," Trump said.
The president then went on to explain why ears tend to bleed more than one may expect when they're injured and said "it was bloody as hell."
"I said that’s either the biggest mosquito bite in history or I just got shot," Trump said.
Trump gives Jake Paul his ‘complete and total endorsement'
During the conversation, Trump and Paul also discussed the boxer’s fighting career and potential future opponents.
Following their conversation, Trump said that Paul had his “complete and total endorsement,” even though Paul isn't running for any office.
Trump appears to believe that a Jake Paul political campaign is an inevitability, predicting that the boxer would run “in the not-too-distant future.”
Jake Paul: I know god is with us, I know he wants us on the right side of history and everyone here has to do their part and God has got us, Trump has got us. pic.twitter.com/mm3C9uwcwk
— Acyn (@Acyn) March 11, 2026
Potential political ambitions weren't the only elements of Paul's future discussed during the meeting. Trump and Paul also talked about his fighting career and who his next opponent may be.
“So, who do you fight next? Would you ever fight [Joshua] again? No?” Trump asked.
Paul said he wouldn't and that he needs to stay in his own weight class for future fights. He named Francis Ngannou, a former UFC champion fighter from Cameroon, as someone he'd like to fight next.
What happened during the Butler rally shooting
On July 13, 2024, gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks opened fire at a Trump campaign rally.
A bullet grazed Trump's right ear before Secret Service agents rushed the stage to protect him from more gunfire.
Several people were hurt, and one person who was at the rally died before the gunman was shot and killed by police.
Trump, who after being shot raised his fist in the air in a sign of defiance as he urged his supporters to “Fight!”, was evacuated from the grounds safely.
The deadly event sparked multiple investigations into the incident, including a congressional task force investigation led by US Rep Mike Kelly, who represents a large swath of western Pennsylvania that includes Butler County.
