Monday Briefing: An Assassination Attempt on Donald Trump

After shots rang out, Donald Trump was swarmed by Secret Service officers.Credit…Doug Mills/The New York Times

Donald Trump survived an assassination attempt

The shots rang out as Donald Trump was speaking at a rally in Butler, Pa., on Saturday night. The former president clutched his right ear, spurting blood, then ducked for cover as his supporters screamed and Secret Service agents leaped on top of him.

Within moments, someone shouted “shooter down,” and the agents began moving Trump offstage. He pumped his fist in the air and seemed to shout “Fight! Fight!” as the crowd erupted with chants of “U.S.A.!”

For the first time in more than four decades, a man who was elected president of the U.S. had been wounded in an assassination attempt. Here’s what to know.

After Secret Service snipers killed the shooter, Trump was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment. A spectator was killed, and two others were critically wounded, authorities said.

Not long after, Trump wrote on his social media platform that he had been “shot with a bullet that pierced the upper part of my right ear.” He also expressed condolences to the family of the man who was killed, Corey Comperatore, a 50-year-old volunteer firefighter with two daughters. The two other victims remained hospitalized yesterday.