Our live coverage of the Trump assassination attempt is moving here.

Two people who were shot during Saturday’s Donald Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, and who are now stable were identified Sunday by state police.

Pennsylvania State Police identified David Dutch, 57, of New Kensington, Pennsylvania, and 74-year-old James Copenhaver from Moon Township, Pennsylvania, in a Sunday press release.

The state police also confirmed the name of Corey Comperatore, 50, as the victim who was killed in the assassination attempt. His identity was announced earlier in the day by Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro.

The Marine Corps League of Pennsylvania, Inc., identified Dutch as a commandant in its organization in Westmoreland County. MCL Vice Commandant Matt Popovich said on Facebook that Dutch underwent two surgeries after being “shot in the liver and chest.”

“These victims and their families are certainly in our thoughts today,” said Col. Christopher Paris, the state police commissioner. “The Pennsylvania State Police continue to work tirelessly alongside our federal, state and local partners as this investigation continues.”

CNN’s Sara Smart contributed to this report.

A law enforcement source familiar with planning for the Republican Nation Convention told CNN on Sunday there are discussions underway about adding more federal law enforcement agents to post positions in light of the recent shooting. 

However, the perimeter is unlikely to change, the source said, noting preparations for the RNC have been underway for a year and a half. 

The source added that there have been discussions about adding additional security for high-profile GOP members as well. 

The source said events, such as dinners, may be hard to police as they are outside the perimeter associated with the RNC and do not have the same level of security.

The source noted this concern had also been discussed before Saturday’s shooting.

Attendees duck for safety at former President Donald Trump’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13.

A mother and son who witnessed the shooting at former President Donald Trump’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday said the incident was “too close for comfort,” as they were just a few rows in front of the attendees who were shot.

Donna Hutz and her son Joe traveled from Hubbard, Ohio, and arrived at 8:30 a.m. Saturday for the rally. They were seated in the third row on the bleachers behind the former president. Donna told CNN on Sunday they almost made the decision to sit higher up in the bleachers and they’re glad they didn’t.

When the incident unfolded, both immediately got down and ducked for safety. Joe, 25, said when he realized what was going on he yelled, “Gun, get down!” so others would understand the severity of the situation.

Attendees duck for safety at former President Donald Trump’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13.

The attendees who were shot during the incident were about six rows above the pair, they said.

Seeing Trump stand up and put his fist in the air after the shooting made Donna and Joe feel empowered.

“Knowing that he is the only one who can help our country, I was happy to see him get up and that he was powerful,” Donna added. 

Joe said he’d attend another event soon. “They can’t scare us,” he said.

Marcie Grimm, the administrator of Bethel Park Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, confirmed to CNN that Thomas Matthew Crooks, the man identified as the shooter at the Donald Trump rally, was a dietary aide at the facility.

Grimm added that the facility is cooperating with law enforcement and that “Our thoughts and prayers go out to Former President Trump and the victims impacted by this terrible tragedy.”

Democratic Rep. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi said Sunday that a staffer who made an inflammatory post about the assassination attempt of Donald Trump is “no longer in (his) employment.”

A post on Facebook associated with the staffer’s account suggested the gunman needed shooting lessons “so you don’t miss next time.”

Trump said he was shot in the ear during the shooting Saturday night.

The Clarion Ledger reported Sunday the post has since been deleted.

CNN has reached out to the staffer for comment. 

A local police officer saw the gunman just before he fired on a Donald Trump rally Saturday but was unable to engage him, Butler County Sheriff Michael T. Slupe said in an interview Sunday with The Washington Post.

Slupe told The Post that the officer was examining the area after there were requests from law enforcement to identify a suspicious person. 

“So police responded to try to find the guy, searched the area, but couldn’t find him, so said, ‘Well, let’s try the roof,’” Slupe said. 

Slupe said the officer pulled himself up enough to look on the roof and see the gunman, who also saw the officer and pointed his gun at the officer. 

“He lets go because he doesn’t want to get killed,” Slupe said. The gunman then started firing.

CNN reported earlier that the shooter was spotted outside the event by local law enforcement, who thought he might’ve been acting suspiciously near the walk-through metal detectors, according to a senior law enforcement official. They put out a call over the radio to keep an eye on him, and that information was passed on to Secret Service, the source said.

Former President Donald Trump is helped off the stage during the rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13.

Moments after Donald Trump was rushed to safety following a failed assassination attempt at a Saturday rally, some of his supporters turned toward the press pen with obscenities as they fingered reporters for blame.

“It is your fault!” exclaimed another.

Axios reporter Sophia Cai, who quoted some in the crowd warning the press, “you’re next” and that their “time is coming,” even reported that a few rallygoers tried to breach the barriers establishing the press pen, but that they were stopped by security personnel.

In the immediate wake of the horrific shooting, the news media has quickly emerged among some Trump supporters as a body to assign blame.

While the Trump campaign urged its staff to “condemn all forms of violence” and said it “will not tolerate dangerous rhetoric on social media,” some of the former president’s supporters in MAGA media vehemently assailed the press for its hard-knuckled reporting on Trump, which has sounded the alarm on what four more years under the former president would look like.

Over the course of the campaign cycle, news organizations have, among other things, reported at length on Trump’s plans to warp the federal government for his own ends, including to seek vengeance against his political opponents. That reporting is now facing scrutiny, with some Trump supporters blaming it for producing a charged atmosphere that gave way to the assassination attempt, while mostly looking past the incendiary rhetoric of the former president himself.

Former President Donald Trump said on Truth Social that he is going to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on Sunday as scheduled after initially considering delaying his trip following the assassination attempt. 

Here’s what Trump wrote on Truth Social:

Trump’s post comes after Wisconsin Republican Party Chairman Brian Schimming said that there are no major changes being made to the Republican National Convention schedule.

CNN’s Alayna Treene and Alison Main contributed to this report.

President Joe Biden delivers remarks alongside Vice President Kamala Harris at the White House on Sunday, July 14.

President Joe Biden will deliver a rare address to the nation from the Oval Office on Sunday at 8 p.m. ET in the aftermath of the assassination attempt of former President Donald Trump, the White House said.

Biden last addressed the nation on October 19, 2023, following the Hamas’ October 7 attacks on Israel.

Correction: The post was updated with the correct date of Biden’s last Oval Office speech, which was October 19, 2023.

President Joe Biden delivers remarks from the White House on Sunday. Nathan Howard/Reuters

President Joe Biden urged people not to make assumptions and to “let the FBI do their job” in the aftermath of the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump.

Biden, who spoke from the White House on Sunday, stood with Vice President Kamala Harris, Attorney General Merrick Garland and Homeland Security Director Alejandro Mayorkas.

He stressed that we “don’t yet have any information about the motive of the shooter,” but that we “know who he is.”

He said he had instructed the investigation, which he said is in its early stages, to be “thorough and swift” and said the “investigators will have every resource they need to get this done.”

President Joe Biden delivers remarks from the White House on Sunday, July 14, in Washington, DC.

President Joe Biden said he’s directed a review of the security at Saturday’s rally where the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump took place.

“I’ve directed an independent review of the national security at yesterday’s rally to assess exactly what happened,” Biden said. “And we’ll share the results of that independent review with the American people as well.

Biden added that directed the head of the US Secret Service to review security measures ahead of this week’s Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. Biden added that he has sought to provide Trump with every Secret Service resource that the former president and his team had asked for.

“I’ve been consistent in my direction with the Secret Service to provide him with every resource, capability and protective measure necessary to ensure its continued safety,” Biden said.

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03:12 - Source: cnn

President Joe Biden delivers remarks from the White House on Sunday, July 14.

President Joe Biden denounced the assassination attempt on Donald Trump in remarks from the White House on Sunday, saying there is no place for this type of violence in the country.

President Joe Biden delivers remarks from the White House on Sunday, July 14.

Speaking from the White House on Saturday, President Joe Biden confirmed he had a short conversation with former President Donald Trump following the attempt on his life Saturday.

The president added he had a “short but good” conversation with Trump.

He continued: “We also extend our deepest condolences to the family of the victim who was killed. He was a father; he was protecting his family from the bullets being fired when he lost his life. God love him. We are also praying for the full recovery of those who were injured.”

President Joe Biden speaks in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, on July 13.

President Joe Biden is speaking from the White House on Sunday following the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump.

The remarks this afternoon mark the second time Biden has spoken since the Saturday rally. He condemned the shooting and all political violence in a brief televised address last night, calling for national unity.

Biden also had a “short and respectful” phone call with Trump on Saturday night after the shooting, according to sources familiar with the conversation.

The president, who was in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, during the shooting, returned to the White House late Saturday and received an updated briefing from Homeland Security and law enforcement officials this morning in the Situation Room.

Former President Donald Trump’s daughter Ivanka Trump met her father in New Jersey last night when he returned home after the shooting at his rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, a source familiar with the matter tells CNN.

She is with him as he recovers at his Bedminster New Jersey Golf Club.

Nikki Haley delivers remarks in Daniel Island, South Carolina, on March 6.

Former GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley will speak at the Republican National Convention this week, two sources said Sunday.

The news comes after CNN reported Saturday that the former South Carolina governor had been invited to speak at the Milwaukee convention.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a fellow former GOP presidential nominee, is also expected to speak at the RNC. CNN reported Tuesday that Haley and DeSantis had been left out of the program, sparking backlash from their supporters.

Haley, who dropped out of the presidential race in March, announced Tuesday that she was releasing her delegates to the convention and urging them to support Trump. She made clear in a May speech that she would vote for Trump, and the two spoke last month.

President Joe Biden will move forward with a planned interview with NBC News tomorrow, a senior White House official tells CNN.

The White House had just announced Biden’s trip to Texas – where the interview was originally set to take place – is being rescheduled.

Before the events of Saturday roiled the 2024 presidential race, Biden’s sit-down with the network’s Lester Holt was viewed as the latest key test of the president’s capabilities, following his poor showing in the CNN debate and ensuing defections from some members of his party.

A view of the convention floor and stage ahead of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on July 14.

Wisconsin Republican Party Chairman Brian Schimming said as of Sunday, there are no major changes being made to the Republican National Convention schedule as the party prepares to meet Monday in Milwaukee.

Donald Trump’s vice presidential pick is still expected to speak Wednesday, followed by the former president Thursday.

Schimming told reporters that he spoke to RNC Chairman Michael Whatley earlier in the day and that “everything for the convention is going on as planned.”

Schimming told CNN on Sunday morning that he expected Trump to arrive in Milwaukee within the next 24 hours. He later told CNN that he is not aware of Trump’s “specific schedule” for the week.

Though Trump has “obviously been through a lot in the last 24 hours,” Schimming said, based on his understanding, Trump is “doing well” and his thoughts are focused on the victims of the shooting.

In the wake of Saturday’s assassination attempt on Trump, Schimming said he remains “very, very confident” in the security preparations around the convention.

He said he’s not anticipating any “major changes” to the existing security plan, adding that “if they were to make any changes, there would be a reason for it, but we don’t see any reason for it right now.”

 ##RNC##

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer attends the NATO 75th anniversary summit in Washington, DC, on July 10.

The prime minister of the United Kingdom, Keir Starmer, held a phone call with Donald Trump on Sunday following the assassination attempt at the former president’s Pennsylvania campaign rally, a Downing Street source said. 

Starmer, who took office July 5, condemned the violence, expressed his condolences for the victims and their families, and wished Trump and those injured a quick recovery, the source said. 

President Joe Biden speaks after Donald Trump was injured following a shooting at an election rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday.

President Joe Biden and his campaign are facing an abrupt pivot point: After spending the last two weeks trying to salvage the president’s reelection bid, they are now grappling with a delicate national moment following the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump.

The Biden campaign and Democrats across the party scrambled Sunday to determine how to adjust their plans to counter messaging at the Republican National Convention, which had been in the works for some time.

The Biden campaign has yet to decide when to resume its advertising campaign against Trump after pulling the ads Saturday. But that, a separate Democratic strategist said, was the easy decision. A harder question is how and when to resume, with 114 days until the election.

Biden is rescheduling his trip to Texas on Monday, the White House said Sunday afternoon. He was set to deliver remarks at the LBJ Library in Austin as part of an event celebrating the 60th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act. 

Read more on how the Biden campaign is handling this moment.

House Speaker Mike Johnson on Sunday said President Joe Biden should be “called out” for political attacks on former President Donald Trump that have contributed to what the Louisiana Republican described as a “heated political environment.”

He urged political leaders on both sides of the aisle to “turn the rhetoric down” the morning after Trump was injured onstage in a shooting during a Pennsylvania campaign rally.

The House speaker’s comments echoed those of many Republicans, including those within Trump’s campaign, some of his top allies on Capitol Hill and at least one top contender for his vice presidential nomination, as the party prepares to gather in Milwaukee this week for its nominating convention.

Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, a potential Trump vice presidential pick, said on X shortly after the shooting that Biden’s rhetoric was to blame.

“Today is not just some isolated incident. The central premise of the Biden campaign is that President Donald Trump is an authoritarian fascist who must be stopped at all costs,” he said. “That rhetoric led directly to President Trump’s attempted assassination.”

Read more on what Republicans are saying here.

The motivations of the gunman who opened fire at former President Donald Trump in Pennsylvania on Saturday are not known, but the incident comes at a time of political anger and anxiety in a country split down the middle and bursting at the seams.

Violence has targeted Republicans, Democrats, conservatives and liberals, and seems to be happening with agonizing frequency. Other incidents include a plot to assassinate Supreme Court justices in 2022, the hammer attack on the husband of then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, and the shooting at a congressional baseball team practice that nearly killed then-House GOP Whip Steve Scalise.

Those incidents range from organized plots to the irrational actions of lone attackers, but they all feed off a desperate and intractable polarization in which apocalyptic language is used to demonize both sides of the political aisle.

A major question now will be how Trump reacts. Will he use the shooting to further feed the idea among his supporters that the country needs to be taken back, or will the former president, who doesn’t believe he lost the last election, call for calm?

Read more analysis here.

##Analysis##

Undated yearbook photo of Thomas Matthew Crooks.

Thomas Matthew Crooks, the 20-year-old who allegedly shot at former President Donald Trump during a rally Saturday night in Pennsylvania, had “a target on his back” in high school and didn’t fit in, according to one person who attended the same school.

Jason Kohler, a former student at Bethel Park High School, told CNN that while he wasn’t in the same class as Crooks, he would see him in the hall and said he had “no facial expression.”

Crooks, Kohler said, was bullied because he didn’t fit in with others at the school.

Attorney General Merrick Garland is pictured during an event in Washington, DC, on July 9.

Attorney General Merrick Garland canceled previously scheduled travel and will remain in Washington, DC, to closely monitor the investigation into Donald Trump’s assassination attempt, according to Xochitl Hinojosa, director of public affairs at the Department of Justice.

Hinojosa noted that Garland was scheduled to travel to Nevada, Idaho, Utah and Kansas this week “to meet with local law enforcement and to speak at the National Bar Association.”

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro confirmed the man who was killed at Saturday’s rally is Corey Comperatore and that he dove on his family to protect them as shots were fired at former President Donald Trump. 

“I just spoke to Corey’s wife and Corey’s two daughters,” Shapiro said. “Corey was a girl dad. Corey was a firefighter. Corey went to church every Sunday. Corey loved his community. Most especially, Corey loved his family.”

Shapiro described Comperatore as an “avid supporter of the former president” and said he was excited to be at the rally.

“I asked Corey’s wife if it would be okay for me to share that we spoke. She said yes. She also asked that I share with all of you that Corey died a hero,” Shapiro continued. “Corey dove on his family to protect them last night at this rally,” he said.

Shapiro said that “all leaders need to take down the temperature and rise above the hateful rhetoric that exists and search for a better brighter future for this nation.” 

The governor ordered that flags across the state be flown at half-staff in Comperatore’s memory.

Shapiro also said he has “not spoken directly” to Trump but he did speak with President Joe Biden over the phone.

Police snipers are seen above the rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13.

In the wake of the attempted assassination of Donald Trump, there are widespread concerns and questions about how a sniper was able to obtain rooftop access roughly 150 yards from the former president’s position at the podium at an outdoor rally.

Sources have described the shooting as coming from the “three o’clock” position of Trump’s podium location, with shots coming from his right side. Seconds after gunfire rang out, Secret Service counter-assault snipers began shooting the suspect who was found on top of a roof.

Notably, the shooter’s location was outside the security perimeter, raising questions about both the size of the perimeter and efforts to sweep and secure the American Glass Research building, and how the shooter was able to obtain rooftop access.

Law enforcement sources say that part of the aftermath will include a review of whether the Secret Service had enough assets to protect Trump days ahead of officially becoming the Republican presidential nominee and whether procedures were followed to conduct security sweeps of the building that offered a vantage point for the alleged shooter.

The Secret Service says the agency’s director was in Milwaukee at the time of the Trump rally shooting. The agency added that there were four counter sniper teams on the ground — two from the Secret Service and two from local law enforcement at the time of the shooting.

According to CNN affiliate KDKA, a witness says he told officers that he saw a gunman moving “from roof to roof,” moments before the assassination attempt. Witnesses have also told reporters that they saw a person fitting the description of the alleged shooter carrying a rifle outside the security cordon of the rally before the shooting.

The shooter was spotted by local law enforcement who thought he might’ve been acting suspiciously near the event magnetometers on Saturday, according to a senior law enforcement official. They put it out over their radio to keep an eye on him — and that information was passed to Secret Service as well, according to the source.

The Secret Service does not allow any weapons inside the cordoned off areas of any event. The American Glass Research has not responded to question from CNN about the incident or security.

Vice President Kamala Harris arrives in Washington, DC, on July 13.

Vice President Kamala Harris has postponed her trip to Florida in response to former President Donald Trump’s assassination attempt in Pennsylvania, according to a Biden-Harris campaign official.

Harris originally planned on traveling to Palm Beach, Florida, on Tuesday for a moderated conversation alongside Republican women to discuss Trump’s stance on women’s reproductive rights.

After being briefed on the incident on Saturday, the vice president denounced the “senseless” shooting and said she is relieved Trump was not seriously injured.

The shooter at former President Donald Trump’s rally Saturday night was spotted outside the event by local law enforcement, who thought he might’ve been acting suspiciously near the walk-through metal detectors, according to a senior law enforcement official.

Authorities announced over law enforcement radio to keep an eye on him, and that information was passed to Secret Service as well, according to the source.

Later, people alerted law enforcement in a field outside the event that they saw a gunman up on the rooftop.

In a tribute to her late mother on the anniversary of her death, Ivanka Trump says she believes Ivana was “watching over Dad last night,” after former President Donald Trump survived the shots fired at him during a rally in Pennsylvania.

“Two years ago today, my mom passed away,” Ivanka Trump shared on X Sunday morning, “I believe she was watching over Dad last night during the attempt on his life.”

Ivana Trump was the mother of Donald Jr., Ivanka and Eric Trump. She died in 2022 at the age of 73.

“I miss her every day and pray for the safety of the family and friends she left behind,” Ivanka said.

Law enforcement block a street near the residence of Thomas Matthew Crooks in Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, on Sunday, July 14.

The shooter from former President Donald Trump’s rally on Saturday had explosive material inside his car and residence, according to multiple law enforcement sources.

The FBI has publicly identified the gunman as Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania. Authorities say he fired multiple shots from a building rooftop just outside the rally venue before he was killed by Secret Service agents.

Authorities used the gun to help determine the shooter’s identity, as he did not have identification on him, according to law enforcement sources.

CNN’s Hannah Rabinowitz and Evan Perez contributed to this report.

Former President Donald Trump stands with his wife Melania Trump as they depart her mother’s funeral in Palm Beach, Florida, on January 18.

Former first lady Melania Trump issued her first public response since her husband, former President Donald Trump, was wounded in a shooting at one of his rallies on Saturday, reflecting on what the incident means for her and her family while calling for the country to “ascend above the hate.”

Trump expressed condolences to the families of those killed and injured in the shooting and called the shooter “a monster” while speaking fondly of her husband.  

Trump called on the country to tone down vitriolic rhetoric and promote unity, and implored voters to consider the personal sides and loved ones of politicians going forward. 

“This morning, ascend above the hate, the vitriol, and the simple-minded ideas that ignite violence,” Trump wrote.

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Turner speaks during a press conference in Kyiv, Ukraine, on July 1.

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Turner has joined the growing calls for congressional oversight into the security failings that led to what the FBI said was an assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump at a Pennsylvania rally on Saturday.

Turner said he wants to get a better sense of how the shooter got onto the roof near the venue, what security failures took place and whether the shooter was involved with anyone else.

“We have oversight scrutiny and responsibility,” Turner said. “We got to see yesterday the most unbelievable commitment of the Secret Service to protect former President Donald Trump’s life and … how they put their own life at risk. But at the same time, we also saw the failure of the overall broader net that is supposed to provide protection for the president.”

Turner said he had not yet been briefed about the incident.

Republican Sen. Ron Johnson on Sunday also joined the calls for congressional oversight hearings.

Johnson, the former chair of the Senate Homeland Security committee, said the ongoing investigation into Saturday’s incident must happen first, and then, he said, the Department of Justice, US Secret Service and FBI must be “completely transparent,” as he claimed the law enforcement agencies had not been in the past, so that Americans can have “comfort that this has been fully investigated.”

House Speaker Mike Johnson is vowing a “full investigation” of the shooting, featuring testimony from the Secret Service, DHS and the FBI.

Republican Rep. Dan Meuser speaks with CNN on Sunday.

Republican Rep. Dan Meuser was in the front row at former President Donald Trump’s rally on Saturday when gunfire erupted.

Meuser told CNN that when he recognized the sounds as gunfire, he and his colleagues “fixated on the president.”

Some Secret Service members approached the crowd, telling them to get down, while the majority of them were protecting Trump, the congressman from Pennsylvania said.

“The president, amazingly, had the fortitude and strength of character to lift up his fist and let everybody know he was okay,” Meuser added. “That really calmed things. Then it became more controlled, and people felt they were going to be okay.”

At least one person was killed during the attack, and Meuser said that person was sitting about 15 or 16 rows behind him.

Others were injured, included Rep. Ronny Jackson’s nephew, who was hit in the neck, Meuser said.

“I saw him. To the best of my knowledge, he is absolutely fine, but I was with him. I walked with him for a couple minutes into a back tent,” he said.

The gun used in the shooting at former President Donald Trump’s rally Saturday was an AR-style weapon, according to a person familiar with the investigation.

Authorities used the gun to help determine the shooter’s identity, as he did not have identification on him, according to law enforcement sources.

The FBI has publicly identified the gunman as Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania. Authorities say he fired multiple shots from a building rooftop just outside the rally venue before he was killed by Secret Service agents.

President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris will receive an updated briefing from the Department of Homeland Security and law enforcement officials Sunday morning, according to the White House.

The briefing will be closed to media.

Biden returned to the White House late Saturday, instead of staying at his residence in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, as was originally planned, to receive briefings on the shooting at former President Donald Trump’s rally.

Sen. Lindsey Graham speaks during a news conference on June 20, in Washington, DC.

Sen. Lindsey Graham said on Sunday the rhetoric around the presidential election and threats to democracy is “way too hot” and that “we probably need to do some soul-searching as a nation,” following an assassination attempt on Donald Trump at a Pennsylvania rally on Saturday.

However, Graham did praise his Democratic colleagues for their responses following the attack, saying “It’s good to see.”

Graham said he was supposed to play golf with Trump Sunday morning and plans to see the former president later Sunday.

“All I can say is he’s got five children and five grandchildren. He’s a human being. There are a lot of people that love this man,” Graham said.

Remember: President Joe Biden’s reelection campaign, and that of some other Democrats, has often centered on the 2024 race being a battle for the future of the country’s democracy, after Trump’s attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 election, his promotion of false claims about widespread voter fraud, and the January 6, 2021, insurrection.

Republican Pennsylvania senate candidate Dave McCormick speaks at the Donald Trump rally on July 13, in Butler, Pennsylvania.

US Senate candidate Dave McCormick on Sunday described watching the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump from the front row of the crowd and said he was very close to having been onstage at the time of the shooting. 

According to McCormick, Trump had invited him up on the stage then changed his mind last minute.

McCormick was originally slated to speak at the event after earning Trump’s endorsement for the Senate seat in April.

McCormick described to Tapper the “surreal” moment of watching Trump onstage as shots rang out and the chaos around him when someone sitting nearby was hit.

McCormick condemned political violence in the country and called for a dialing back of polarizing rhetoric.

“Whatever differences we have, and they are profound … they are small in the context of we’re Americans first. So, I hope we can see a dialing back of that rhetoric,” he said.

McCormick also spoke with ABC on Sunday morning, describing the scene as “very scary.”

This post has been updated with additional details.

A source briefed on President Joe Biden’s call to former President Donald Trump after the assassination attempt Saturday night described the call between the rivals as “good” and “short and respectful.”

Two senior White House officials described the call similarly, but declined to say more on the conversation.

One senior White House official said Biden and Trump connected late Saturday by phone, with the president eager to speak directly to his rival. Biden repeated his assertion there was no place or tolerance for political violence, and assured Trump he was directing agencies for a full investigation.

Other than Saturday’s call, the two men hadn’t spoken directly in years. They interacted through moderators during last month’s CNN debate.

Secret Service agents cover former President Donald Trump at a campaign rally on July 13, in Butler, Pennsylvania.

Authorities handling security at the Saturday rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, where former President Donald Trump survived an assassination attempt, are pushing back on claims that Trump was denied requests for additional security.

The US Secret Service has called the claim “absolutely false.”

The FBI also pushed back on the implication Saturday night.

“There was no additional request for security that was ever denied by the FBI,” Kevin Rojek, the FBI special agent in charge of the Pittsburgh office, said during a news conference Saturday night.

At least one lawmaker, Rep. Mike Waltz of Florida, has publicly claimed on social media that Trump’s requests for heightened security were rejected.

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas released a statement regarding the shooting, where he said the DHS and Secret Service are jointly working with law enforcement on the investigation.

Former President Donald Trump, with blood on his face, raises his fist to the crowd as he is surrounded by Secret Service agents at his campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday.

Evan Vucci, a veteran photographer at The Associated Press, on Sunday described his experience capturing the assassination attempt against Donald Trump at a rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday.

Vucci captured the photo of a bloodied Trump raising his fist in the air after he was grabbed by Secret Service agents. His experience in covering wars in Iraq and Afghanistan was helpful in knowing what to do, he explained: “That experience does help, trying to stay calm and understand you have a job to do.”

“As a still photographer, I don’t get a second chance,” Vucci said.

House Speaker Mike Johnson talks to reporters on June 28, in Washington, DC. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

House Speaker Mike Johnson urged Americans to treat one another with dignity and respect despite the country’s “heated” political environment in an interview with NBC’s “Today” show Sunday, following the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump.

Criticizing Biden: Johnson pointed to recent remarks by President Joe Biden as language that needs to be “called out” for implying political violence.

“President Biden himself said in recent days, ‘It’s time to put a bullseye on Trump.’ I know he didn’t mean what is being implied there, but that kind of language on either side should be called out. We have to make clear that this is part of our system, we can have vigorous debate but it needs to end there,” he said on the “Today” show. 

Johnson was apparently referring to Biden’s comment last week on a call with donors asking them to focus on beating Trump in November, rather than on his poor debate performance last month. Biden, who has condemned violence both before and after the assassination attempt on Trump, had said: “We’re done talking about the debate, it’s time to put Trump in a bullseye.”

On the investigation: The speaker said he was in touch with Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas regarding the investigation into the attempt on Trump’s life, which left at least one rally-goer dead, and said he was inquiring about what the Secret Service saw leading up to the shooting.

The House speaker also said he sent Trump a text after the attempted assassination.

##Reaction##

Donald Trump raises his fist while being moved off the stage by Secret Service agents in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13.

Donald Trump posted on his Truth Social platform again this morning after surviving an assassination attempt at his rally yesterday.

He said he would remain “resilient” and added, “Our love goes out to the other victims and their families.”

Trump is expected to still attend the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, which begins Monday.

Donald Trump is rushed off stage by Secret Service agents in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13.

Moments after he was shot at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday afternoon, Donald Trump was seen with blood on his ear and cheek as he was rushed off the stage.

Audio reveals how the chaotic shooting scene played out from the view of Trump and those involved in getting him to safety.

Trump was in the middle of speaking when several shots rang out. He clasps his ear and ducks as Secret Service agents surround him. “Get down, get down, get down,” one says. Another shot sounds and a woman screams.

Several voices of Secret Service agents are heard - one says “up!” another “stairs are ready, stairs are ready.” Trump can be heard as well but his words are indistinct. More agents go on stage, some holding assault rifles. Trump’s supporters in the background look shocked, while some film with their phones.

After hearing that the shooter is down, Trump and the agents stand up. Here’s what was said:

Trump: “Let me get my shoes, let me get my shoes.”

Male agent: “I got you sir, I got you sir.”

Trump: “Let me get my shoes.”

Another male agent: “Hold on, your head is bloody.”

Male agent: “Sir, we’ve got to move to the car sir.”

Trump: “Let me get my shoes.”

Female agent says, “OK,” before saying something about the shoe.

Trump: “Wait, wait, wait.” He then fist pumps to the crowd. He mouths “fight” three times — a move met with cheers by the crowd.

Trump and the Secret Service team move away from the podium and head to the cars as the crowd chants, “USA. USA. USA.”

You can watch video of the scene here, and read more details from the audio here.

##Catch Up##

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg holds a press conference during NATO's 75th anniversary summit in Washington, D.C., on July 11.

More international leaders are sharing their shock at the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump.

Here are a some of their messages, some excerpted:

Chinese President Xi Jinping: “China is concerned about the shooting of former President Trump. President Xi Jinping has expressed condolences/sympathies to former President Trump,” a foreign ministry spokesperson said.

NATO secretary general Jens Stoltenberg: “I am shocked by the attempted assassination on former President Trump. I wish him a speedy recovery and my thoughts are with those affected. I condemn this attack. Political violence has no place in our democracies.”

Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris: “What we saw last night from Pennsylvania was frightening and wrong. It is a relief that former President Trump is safe and survived the assassination attempt. Our hearts are with the innocent spectators killed and critically injured. There can be no place for political violence.”

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi: “I followed with concern the treacherous incident that happened to former US President and presidential candidate Donald Trump. While I affirm Egypt’s condemnation of the incident, I express my wishes for a speedy recovery for President Trump, and the completion of the US election campaigns in a peaceful and healthy atmosphere, free of any manifestations of terrorism, violence or hatred.”

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz: “The attack on US presidential candidate Donald Trump is despicable. I wish him a speedy recovery. My thoughts are also with the people who were affected by the attack. Such acts of violence threaten democracy.”

French President Emmanuel Macron: “My thoughts are with President Donald Trump, the victim of an assassination attempt. I send him my wishes for a speedy recovery. A spectator has died, several are injured. It is a tragedy for our democracies. France shares the shock and indignation of the American people.”

European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen: “I am deeply shocked by the shooting that took place during former President Trump’s campaign rally. I wish Donald Trump a speedy recovery and offer my condolences to the family of the innocent victim. Political violence has no place in a democracy.”

Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof: “Shocked by the attack on former president and current presidential candidate Donald Trump. It is a relief that his injuries appear to be minor. I wish him a full and speedy recovery and I send my best wishes to him and his family. My thoughts are with everyone affected by this attack. Political violence is entirely unacceptable.”

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni: “I am following with apprehension the updates from Pennsylvania, where the 45th President of the United States @realDonaldTrump was shot during a rally. My solidarity and best wishes for a speedy recovery go to him, with the hope that the next few months of the electoral campaign will see dialogue and responsibility prevail over hatred and violence.”

A witness claims he told officers that he saw a gunman moving “from roof to roof,” moments before an assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump at a Pennsylvania rally on Saturday.

“When I turned around to go back to where I was, it was when the gunshots started, and then it was just chaos, and we all came running away, and that was that,” Macer told KDKA.

Authorities have identified the gunman involved in the attack as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, who was killed by Secret Service agents at the scene after the shooting.

The FBI said he is as a resident of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania – about 35 miles south of Butler, where Trump was holding his rally.

Watch video of the moment rally-goers noticed the suspect on the roof outside the venue:

A campaign rally site for Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump is empty and littered with debris, in Butler, Pennsylvania on July 13.

Authorities have identified the gunman involved in the attack against former US President Donald Trump on Saturday as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, who was killed by Secret Service agents at the scene after the shooting.

The FBI named Crooks in a statement early Sunday morning, identifying him as a resident of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania – about 35 miles south of Butler, where Trump was holding his rally.

Crooks graduated from Bethel Park High School in 2022, according to a local media report and a video of the school’s commencement.

He was registered to vote as a Republican, according to a listing in Pennsylvania’s voter database that matched his name, age, and a Bethel Park address that law enforcement was searching Saturday night and is linked to Crooks in public records.

This year’s presidential election would have been the first he was old enough to vote in.

Federal Election Commission records show that a donor listed as Thomas Crooks with the same address gave $15 to a Democratic-aligned political action committee called the Progressive Turnout Project in January 2021.

Former President Donald Trump is surrounded by Secret Service agents after a gunman fired multiple shots, including one that Trump says hit him in the ear, at a campaign event in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13.

Authorities have named the gunman and shared details about the casualties from the shooting that took place Saturday afternoon at former President Donald Trump’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. Here’s the latest:

The Federal Aviation Administration implemented temporary flight restrictions over Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, due to “special security reasons,” according to its website.

The restriction went into effect at 2:05 a.m. ET Sunday and will be effective until 5 a.m. ET, the agency said.

The FBI previously said the gunman who fired shots at former President Donald Trump’s rally, Thomas Matthew Crooks, lived in Bethel Park. The restrictions come as authorities in Pennsylvania investigate the shooting that left Trump injured, one attendee dead and two others critically injured.

CNN has reached out to the Federal Aviation Administration for more information on what prompted the restrictions.

Two former FBI agents have expressed surprise that the rooftop where a gunman fired multiple shots at a Trump rally had not been secured given how close it was to the stage.

Authorities say the building rooftop where the gunman fired the shots from was just outside the venue where former President Donald Trump held a rally Saturday. A CNN analysis showed the rooftop was about 400 to 500 feet (120 to 150 meters) from Trump.

The FBI identified the gunman as Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania. He was killed by Secret Service agents.

Steve Moore, a retired FBI supervisory special agent who worked as a counter sniper for two years, told CNN the rooftop should have been guarded.

Another retired FBI field agent, Bobby Chacon, also told CNN Sunday he was surprised no one was guarding the rooftop, which he called “the perfect perch.”

Moore said that “the fact that somebody allowed that roof to be unmonitored, unguarded” could have been a flaw in planning or execution.

“They could have planned for that roof and maybe something happened in the planning or in the execution of the plan where it was left unguarded,” he said.

While Secret Service agents may have been alerted to the location of the shooter, they could have had a “very obstructed view,” Moore added.

Moore says he expects “drastic changes” in security procedures as a result of the shooting, including extending perimeters and securing rally venues more carefully.

“There are just too many ways that you can improve that situation,” Moore said. “That said, the secret service has to be right every single time, every single rally of every single candidate of every single month, every single year, they’ve got to be perfect. The bad guys only have to be lucky or right one time. So it’s going to happen, you just want to eliminate as many means that it could happen as possible.”

Watch Bobby Chacon’s full interview here:

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03:57 - Source: cnn

The gunman who authorities say attempted to assassinate former President Donald Trump was a 20-year-old registered Republican who had previously made a small contribution to a Democratic-aligned group, according to public records.

Thomas Matthew Crooks lived in the Pittsburgh suburb of Bethel Park, about 35 miles south of the Trump rally where law enforcement officials say he fired at the former president.

He graduated from Bethel Park High School in 2022, according to a local media report and a video of the school’s commencement. 

Crooks was registered to vote as a Republican, according to a listing in Pennsylvania’s voter database that matched his name, age, and a Bethel Park address that law enforcement was searching Saturday night and is linked to Crooks in public records. This year’s presidential election would have been the first he was old enough to vote in.

Federal Election Commission records show that a donor listed as Thomas Crooks with the same address gave $15 to a Democratic-aligned political action committee called the Progressive Turnout Project in January 2021.

When reached by CNN late Saturday night, Crooks’ father, Matthew Crooks, said he was trying to figure out “what the hell is going on” but would “wait until I talk to law enforcement” before speaking about his son. 

The shooting: Crooks fired on Trump while perched on a nearby building rooftop outside the rally’s security perimeter, before being killed by Secret Service agents, according to law enforcement officials.

He didn’t have any identification on his body, so agents had to “run his DNA and get biometric confirmation,” Kevin Rojek, the special agent in charge of the FBI’s Pittsburgh field office, said at a press conference Saturday night before Crooks was named. 

One attendee at the rally was killed and two others critically injured. 

The FBI has named Thomas Matthew Crooks as the gunman involved in the assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump.

Read the FBI’s full statement:

A monitor displays news from former US President Donald Trump's rally, ahead of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on Saturday, July 13.

Former President Donald Trump’s campaign managers said the campaign will be employing additional security measures after he was injured at a rally shooting in Butler, Pennsylvania on Saturday.

Susie Wiles and Chris LaCivita told staffers in a new memo that they “remain horrified” at the attack. They added that they “hope that this horrendous act will bring our team, and indeed the nation, together in unity and we must renew our commitment to safety and peace for our country.”

The campaign managers said the Republican National Convention will continue as planned in Milwaukee, “where we will nominate our President to be the brave and fearless nominee of our Party.”

Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump is surrounded by U.S. Secret Service agents at a campaign rally on July 13

The attempted assassination of Donald Trump, which opens a dark new chapter in America’s cursed story of political violence, shook a nation already deeply estranged during one of the most tense periods of its modern history.

The targeting of a former president at a campaign rally just days before he accepts the Republican nomination is, by definition, an attack on democracy and the right of each American to choose their leaders.

The presumptive GOP nominee was on stage, with supporters as usual behind him in bleachers holding up posters and wearing their MAGA regalia, when shots rang out. He flinched, then grabbed the side of his face and disappeared behind his podium as people started to scream and the surreal nature of what was happening began to dawn.

The ex-president later said that he felt a bullet rip through the skin of his ear, which poured with blood as he was rushed from the scene. The shots fired by a gunman on a roof outside the perimeter of his rally at Butler, Pennsylvania, came a fraction of an inch from being a lot worse.

A photograph by Evan Vucci of the Associated Press of a defiant but alive Trump – with blood on his ear and cheek, being rushed off stage by Secret Service agents, fist raised with an American flag in the background – became instantly iconic. The image will define a fraught political age, whatever the so-far unknowable political aftermath of a sunny afternoon that turned into a nightmare.

Read the full analysis.

President Joe Biden steps into the Presidential limousine after exiting Air Force One as he arrives at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, on July 14.

President Joe Biden, who was planning to stay in Delaware for the weekend, has returned to the White House earlier than planned so he can continue receiving briefings from law enforcement on the shooting at former President Donald Trump’s rally in Pennsylvania.

Biden spoke with Trump after the shooting. Biden said earlier he was grateful Trump was safe. He condemned the shooting and called for the country to unite, saying: “There’s no place in America for this kind of violence.”

He was originally scheduled to stay in Delaware until Monday and fly directly to Texas for events.

“Tomorrow morning at the White House, he will receive an updated briefing from homeland security and law enforcement officials,” a White House official said in a statement Saturday.

There was no additional request for security that was denied to former President Donald Trump’s team for his rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on Saturday, said Kevin Rojek, the FBI special agent in charge of the Pittsburgh office.

“There was no additional request for security that was ever denied by the FBI,” he said at a news conference in Butler earlier tonight. 

Rojek said the FBI had been monitoring the event, and took over primary jurisdiction over the investigation when the shooting happened.

House Majority Whip Steve Scalise joins fellow House Republican leaders during a news conference at the U.S. Capitol on November 7, 2017, approximately five months after he was wounded by a shooter at a congressional baseball practice.

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise said the shooting during former President Donald Trump’s rally in Pennsylvania Saturday brought back his memories of a shooting in 2017 that left him severely injured.

Scalise was shot in Alexandria, Virginia, during a Republican early-morning practice ahead of a charity baseball game. Scalise was in critical condition after suffering damage to internal organs. Federal law enforcement officials identified the alleged shooter as James Hodgkinson, 66, of Belleville, Illinois, who died following a shootout with authorities. At least six people were hospitalized following the shooting.

The Louisiana congressman said the rally shooting “easily could have gone the other way.”

Scalise called for an in-depth investigation and “beefed up security.”

“I want to hear how serious they’re taking this threat,” Scalise said, adding “I want to see a very stern and serious focus” from investigators.

Kevin Rojek, special agent in charge of the FBI Pittsburgh field office speaks as Deputy Commissioner of Operations Lieutenant Colonel George Bivens and Pennsylvania State Police Colonel Christopher Paris look on, at a press conference at a police station in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13.

The FBI has set up a tip line and website for anyone with information, video, or pictures related to the shooting at a rally for former President Donald Trump on Saturday.

The website for tips is www.FBI.gov/Butler, said Kevin Rojek, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Pittsburgh office, in a press conference earlier this evening.

Rojek said the Secret Service oversaw securing the scene of the shooting. The FBI, state police and other local assets were there as support.

“In their (the Secret Service’s) defense … it is incredibly difficult to have a venue open to the public and secure that against any possible threat against a very determined attacker,” said Pennsylvania State Police Lt. Col. George Bivens at the news conference.

The investigation is ongoing and the location is still an active crime scene, authorities said.

In a screengrab taken from a video, former President Donald Trump deplanes in Newark, New Jersey on July 14, following the shooting at his Butler, Pennsylvania campaign rally.

Former President Donald Trump’s plane landed at Newark airport in New Jersey on Sunday morning, according to a source familiar. 

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said late Saturday night that Trump had left the Butler, Pennsylvania, area following the rally shooting.

Trump campaign deputy communications director Margo Martin posted a video of Trump disembarking from a plane in Newark, writing on X: “Strong and resilient. He will never stop fighting for America.”

The shooting at former President Donald Trump’s rally on Saturday in Pennsylvania has sparked an outpouring of messages from world leaders expressing their concern and denouncing the attack.

Here are a few messages, some excerpted:

Speaking at a news conference in Butler, Pennsylvania, authorities said the victims of the shooting have been identified but those details are not yet being publicly shared.

The shooting, which took place at former President Donald Trump’s rally Saturday afternoon, left one attendee dead and two more critically injured. The gunman was also killed by Secret Service agents.

All three were adult men, said Lt. Col. George Bivens of the Pennsylvania State Police.

“We have notified a number of family members, but they have not had an opportunity to notify extended family,” he said.

The gunshots had been “scattered,” and weren’t hitting just one location in the crowd, he added.

In a news conference, Kevin Rojek, FBI special agent in charge of the Pittsburgh office, said it was “surprising” the gunman was able to fire multiple shots during the rally for former President Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania.

“We’re still working through the security apparatus that the Secret Service had in place, what potentially happened,” he added.

“There’s going to be a long investigation into exactly what took place and how the individual was able to get access to the location, what type of weapon he had. All that is really days, weeks, and months of investigation.”

Lt. Col. George Bivens of the Pennsylvania State Police added that the investigation would allow authorities to “take a look at where any failures occurred and what can be done better in the future.”

Kevin Rojek, FBI special agent in charge of the Pittsburgh office, speaks during a press conference on Saturday, July 13.

Bomb-clearing assets were deployed at the scene of the shooting out of an “abundance of caution,” said the FBI in a Saturday evening news conference following the shooting at a rally for former President Donald Trump.

He did not going into specifics of what those packages were, but said any packages had to be treated as if it were an explosive device.

Rojek said the crime scene is still active.

Kevin Rojek, the special agent in charge of the FBI Pittsburgh office, said in a news conference that the agency is working on identifying the gunman through “doing biometric confirmations” because the suspect did not carry identification on him.

When asked whether authorities knew what kind of gun was used or how many shots were fired, Rojek said authorities did not have that information. Lt. Col. George Bivens of the Pennsylvania State Police followed up by saying that officials had “a good idea of what the weapon was” but that it was still part of the investigation.

Authorities are also investigating how the shooting took place — including reports by eyewitnesses that they saw the gunman climbing up a roof.

A witness told BBC News he saw the suspect on the roof with a rifle and tried to notify police before the incident. CNN cannot independently verify his account.

Bivens said that officials were aware of this testimony and that “law enforcement had responded to a number of reports of suspicious activity.”

The Secret Service wasn’t available for Saturday night’s news conference on the shooting at former President Donald Trump’s rally in Pennsylvania, FBI Special Agent In Charge Kevin Rojek told reporters.

Law enforcement personnel frequently deferred questions to the Secret Service during the news conference, which was held late Saturday night at the Butler Township Police Department.

After the shooting happened, House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer said he contacted the Secret Service for a briefing and called on Director Kimberly Cheatle to appear for a hearing.

The FBI said it is “close” to identifying the shooter in what it called an assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump during a rally in Pennsylvania.

Kevin Rojek, the special agent in charge of the FBI’s Pittsburgh field office, said at a news conference Saturday night that the agency is close to confirming the identity of the shooter but is not releasing the individual’s name at this time. 

Authorities said the suspect had no identification on him, which is slowing down the process. Rojek said they are doing biometric confirmation as well as running the shooter’s DNA and looking at photographs.

Pennsylvania State Police Lt. Colonel George Bivens said that they plan to release information on what caused delays in identifying the shooter.

Rojek added that the FBI has not yet identified the shooter’s motive.

Authorities said they believe there is no other threat. 

Kevin Rojek, the special agent in charge of FBI's Pittsburgh field office, speaks during a press conference on Friday, July 13.

The FBI has called the shooting at former President Donald Trump’s rally Saturday night an attempted assassination.

“This evening, we had what we’re calling an assassination attempt against our former President Donald Trump. It’s still an active crime scene,” said Kevin Rojek, the special agent in charge of the FBI’s Pittsburgh field office, speaking at a news conference in Butler, Pennsylvania.

He said authorities are “working feverishly to attempt to identify the individual who did this and any motives behind why this was done,” and asked the public to reach out with any information that might help.

The FBI has deployed investigative agents, evidence response teams, and other personnel from across the country, he said.

Lt. Col. George Bivens of the Pennsylvania State Police speaks during a press conference on Saturday, July 13.

Authorities told a news conference Saturday night that they were “close” to identifying the gunman involved in the shooting at former President Donald Trump’s rally, but were not yet prepared to identify him formally and had not yet determined a motive.

“At this time we have no reason to believe that there is any other existing threat out there,” said Lt. Col. George Bivens of the Pennsylvania State Police, speaking from Butler, where the shooting took place.

“We have one shooter tentatively identified, but we’re not stopping there. We’re following up on a lot of information. It will be sometime before we can conclusively answer that question,” he said when asked if this was a lone wolf attack.

“If there is any information developed that anyone else was involved, that between (the state police) and the FBI, that will very quickly be followed up on,” he added.

The suspected shooter at the Donald Trump rally did not have identification, according to multiple law enforcement sources. The gunman is dead.

Two Republican senators on the Senate Homeland Security Committee called for an investigation and a hearing on the shooting at former President Donald Trump’s rally on Saturday.

Republican Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri posted on X that the committee “must investigate this assassination attempt and attempted mass murder and get to the bottom of how it could have happened.”

Fellow GOP Sen. Rick Scott is demanding the Senate panel hold a hearing on the shooting before August 1, saying it’s “absolutely inexcusable that the deranged would-be assassin had a direct line of sight to the former president and the leading candidate for President of the United States.”

“The U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs (HSGAC) has an oversight responsibility and an obligation to the American people to demand answers from DHS and the U.S. Secret Service on how this happened and what steps are being taken to investigate this assassination attempt and make sure it never happens again,” the Florida congressman said in a statement.

Both Hawley and Scott sit on the Senate panel, chaired by Democratic Sen. Gary Peters.

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said former President Donald Trump has left the Butler, Pennsylvania, area following the rally shooting Saturday.

“We mourn the loss of life and pray for the two victims who are being treated at this time,” he added. “I am grateful for all law enforcement who responded, protected the former president, and worked to bring the situation under control.”

Federal law enforcement officials will continue to lead on the investigation into the shooting, Shapiro said. Meanwhile, Pennsylvania State Police will lead the investigation into the shooting of the other victims. Shapiro said he has been communicating with law enforcement on the ground in Pennsylvania and has spoken with President Joe Biden, who “offered his full support.”

Shapiro said he knows “how painful and shocking this event is to so many of our fellow Pennsylvanians.” He asked “that we treat our fellow Americans with respect and join together to universally condemn the unacceptable violence we witnessed earlier today in Butler.”

Former President Donald Trump’s Secret Service protection was strengthened recently, sources familiar with the matter tell CNN. 

Trump was first granted Secret Service protection in November 2015, and expressed relief at the time.

At the rally on Saturday, the gunman was killed by Secret Service agents.

Police and other law enforcement personnel will hold a news conference at the Butler Township Police Department at 11:45 p.m. ET, according to Pennsylvania State Police Trooper Bertha Cazy.

State Police Lt. Col. George Bivens, members of the FBI and Secret Service will be in attendance at the news conference, Cazy said.

CNN will be covering the news conference live here.

People walk outside the Fiserv Forum ahead of the 2024 Republican National Convention, Saturday, July 13, in Milwaukee.

It’s not yet clear what impact Saturday’s shooting will have on security plans for the Republican National Convention, scheduled to begin Monday in Milwaukee, according to a source familiar with planning for the event.

The incident is being reviewed, the source added.

Reince Priebus, the convention’s committee chair – also a former Trump administration chief of staff – said on Saturday night that the event was going ahead, with guests already beginning to arrive in Wisconsin.

And Trump is still planning to attend, say his advisors.  

“President Trump looks forward to joining you all in Milwaukee as we proceed with our convention to nominate him to serve as the 47th President of the United States,” said a joint statement from his campaign advisors and the convention chairs.

Rep. Ronny Jackson of Texas said that his nephew was injured during the shooting at former President Donald Trump’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on Saturday.

In an interview with Fox News, Jackson said his nephew “was grazed in the neck, a bullet crossed his neck, cut his neck and he was bleeding.”

During the rally, his nephew was in “the friends and family pen which is to the president’s right, down a little bit lower,” Jackson said.

The congressman called it a “horrific, horrific experience.”

As his family and allies are still reeling from the shock of tonight’s shooting, former President Donald Trump has pledged to continue with next week’s scheduled convention in Milwaukee, where he’ll become the Republican Party’s official nominee.

He has spent the evening checking in with his immediate family after being taken to Butler Memorial Hospital, and then was in touch with President Joe Biden. 

Surrounded by Secret Service agents onstage after the shooting, Trump mouthed the word “Fight” three times to his crowd of supporters and then, according to a source who witnessed it, did a fist-bump before ducking into his motorcade. 

But this moment highlights something he has long feared: an attempt on his life.

Since he became a presidential candidate, Trump was always hyperfocused on his security and preparations.

Trump expressed relief when he was first granted Secret Service protection in November 2015, and he thinks highly of the agents who have surrounded him before, during and after his time in the White House.

Former President Donald Trump has sent an email to his supporters with a short but defiant message after he was injured during a shooting at his rally Saturday night in Butler, Pennsylvania.

“THIS IS A MESSAGE FROM DONALD TRUMP,” the brief email read. “I WILL NEVER SURRENDER!”

The email signed off with his signature and portrait.

Former President Donald Trump was about 400 to 500 feet (120 to 150 meters) from the suspected gunman at the time of the shooting, according to CNN’s analysis of their geolocated positions.

Trump had been holding his rally at the Butler Farm Show Grounds in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday afternoon.

The gunman fired multiple shots from an “elevated position” outside the rally, according to the Secret Service. Law enforcement sources told CNN the shooter was on a building rooftop just outside the rally venue.

The gunman was killed by Secret Service personnel, according to the agency.

Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump is helped off the stage.

A shooting at former President Donald Trump’s rally has prompted an outpouring of concern and condemnation from across the world as authorities investigate the incident. Here’s what we know so far:

The Carter Center, a nonprofit founded by former President Jimmy Carter, condemned violence and called for civility following the shooting at former President Donald Trump’s campaign rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday.

“Our thoughts are with President Trump and all those affected by this horrific act, and we call on all Americans to embrace civility in our democratic processes,” the statement continued.

House Speaker Mike Johnson vowed to conduct a “full investigation” of the shooting in a statement on X on Saturday.

“The American people deserve to know the truth. We will have Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle and other appropriate officials from DHS and the FBI appear for a hearing before our committees ASAP,” he wrote.

The shooting is being investigated as a possible assassination attempt, according to law enforcement officials.

Butler Mayor Robert Dandoy told CNN he was offered full support from the White House in a conversation with President Joe Biden after the shooting at former President Donald Trump’s rally Saturday night.

During their conversation, Dandoy said Biden offered his condolences to the city, located in western Pennsylvania. 

“He offered anything they can do for us, and I offered the same,” Dandoy told CNN.

Biden also spoke with Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and Trump on Saturday, according to the White House.

President Joe Biden spoke with Donald Trump on Saturday following the shooting at the former president’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, the White House said.

Biden also spoke with also spoke to Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and Butler Mayor Bob Dandoy.

Rep. Daniel Meuser of Pennsylvania told CNN he was sitting in the front row of Donald Trump’s rally with Pennsylvania Senate candidate Dave McCormick and Rep. Mike Kelly when chaos ensued.

Meuser said it started out like a regular rally and “next thing you know … there was rapid fire,” he said. “It was pretty obvious, after the second or third gunshot, what was happening.”

Meuser added that “a lot of people were very panicked” but “they settled down after a little while, particularly when President Trump, honestly, stood up and gave thumbs-up.”

The congressman also made a plea for civility going forward, saying, “We’ve really got to remove the hostility. I think everybody agrees — we need to cool things down.”

President Joe Biden will return to the White House from Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, earlier than planned, according to a statement from White House officials.

Biden is scheduled to arrive at the White House at 12:30 a.m. Sunday, the statement said.

He was originally scheduled to stay in Delaware until Monday and fly directly to Texas for events. He is returning to the White House so he can continue to receive briefings from law enforcement, a senior administration official said.

This post has been updated with additional information.

Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. reflected on his experience around the assassinations of his father, Robert F. Kennedy, and his uncle, former President John F. Kennedy, during an interview Saturday following the shooting at former President Donald Trump’s rally.

Kennedy said in an interview with NewsNation that he understands the impact of the incident at Trump’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, “probably as well as anyone does” and that he hopes people will condemn the violent attack on the former president.

Kennedy witnessed his father’s assassination at a campaign event in Los Angeles when he was 14.  

Kennedy said he believes there are similarities between the current political moment and the 1960s, when his father, his uncle and civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. were killed amid heightened political and racial turmoil. 

Kennedy said he sympathizes with Trump’s family and offered condolences to the family of the rally attendee who died on Saturday. 

An eyewitness outside the rally where former President Donald Trump was injured in a shooting said he saw the gunman climb up a roof and tried to warn police.

“We noticed the guy crawling, bear crawling, up the roof of the building beside us, 50 feet away from us,” the witness told BBC News on Saturday after the incident.

“We’re standing there, we’re pointing at the guy crawling up the roof. … We can clearly see him with a rifle,” he said. He added that they notified police in the vicinity and that officers “didn’t know what was going on.”

CNN cannot independently verify his account.

John Miller, CNN chief law enforcement and intelligence analyst, said the testimony raises many “serious questions.”

Former President Donald Trump fell to the ground Saturday, clutching his face after what sounded like gunfire at a rally in Pennsylvania.

Blood could be seen on his face as he was carried away by Secret Service.

Multiple presidents and former presidents and candidates for president have been attacked in US history, according to a CNN report from 2011 and a list of instances of political violence that includes attacks on senators, congressmen and governors compiled by CNN’s research library.

Four presidents — Abraham Lincoln, James A. Garfield, William McKinley and John F. Kennedy — have been assassinated.

Read the full story here.

Advisers to former President Trump say he is “doing well” and “looks forward” to the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee next week.

Here’s the full statement from campaign senior advisers Susie Wiles and Chris LaCivita, RNC Chair Michael Whatley and RNC Co-Chair Lara Trump:

President Joe Biden told his staff that he wanted to address the nation as soon as he was briefed, according to a source familiar.

Biden delivered remarks from Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, around two hours after the shooting unfolded, condemning political violence and saying that former President Donald Trump’s rally should have been able to be “conducted peacefully without any problem.”

CNN previously reported that Biden was at mass when the shooting at Trump’s rally unfolded and learned after the fact.

He’s since been routinely briefed by senior US officials.

A law enforcement source and a police officer at the scene told CNN the shooter was positioned on a building rooftop just outside the venue where former President Donald Trump was holding his rally. 

The source said the building was the same one where CNN observed a heavy police presence. The building is positioned over where the former president’s right shoulder was during the rally.

President Joe Biden’s chief of staff sent a brief note to White House staff Saturday evening, saying the president is “closely” tracking the situation around the shooting at Donald Trump’s rally, according to the note obtained by CNN.

White House Chief of Staff Jeff Zients also shared with his team the brief statement Biden sent earlier in the evening.

“Hi team – I wanted to share President Biden’s statement on the shooting that occurred today. The President is tracking this closely and will continue to provide updates,” Zients said.

President Biden’s statement, included in the brief note, said:

International leaders are writing messages of support on social media after former President Donald Trump was injured at a rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday.

House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer said he has contacted the Secret Service for a briefing and is calling on Director Kimberly Cheatle to appear for a hearing.

The Oversight Committee will send a formal invitation soon, Comer said in a statement Saturday night.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he is “shocked and saddened by the shooting at former President Trump’s rally and grateful that he is safe.”

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas condemned Saturday’s shooting at the Trump rally and said the agency, which includes the US Secret Service, is working to ensure the safety of President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump.

Mayorkas, who has been briefing Biden, said in a statement:

The Republican National Convention will open Monday as scheduled, a party official said.

The shooting at Donald Trump’s rally Saturday night will not alter plans to formally nominate the former president in Milwaukee.

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said Saturday that the entire Defense Department “condemns this violence, which has absolutely no place in our democracy,” following a shooting at former President Donald Trump’s rally in Pennsylvania. 

“I’m relieved that reports indicate former President Trump is safe, and I am praying for him and his family and everyone affected by this appalling incident.”

The mood inside the White House is “shock” as officials responded to the shooting at former President Donald Trump’s rally Saturday afternoon, according to a senior administration official. 

“It is just really horrible,” the official said, adding that authorities sought “to be responsive and serious.” 

“It should never happen. It’s unconscionable,” they told CNN.

Biden said he’s been trying to get in touch with Trump.

CNN previously reported that only minutes after the shooting, Biden campaign officials huddled and decided to cease outbound communications as well as pull television ads.

One rally attendee is dead and two are critically injured after a shooting at former President Donald Trump’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday night, according to Anthony Guglielmi, chief of communications for the US Secret Service.

The shooter is also deceased, Guglielmi said in a statement.

Earlier, the agency said the shooter had fired multiple shots from an “elevated position” outside the rally before Secret Service personnel “neutralized” the shooter. 

Former President Trump’s daughter Ivanka has released a statement on X, thanking law enforcement for their swift response. 

In a statement on Truth Social earlier, the former president said he’d been shot and hit by a bullet in the upper part of his right ear, and extended his condolences to the rally attendee who was killed.

Police activity seen at a building near the venue where the rally took place.

There is a clear and heavy police presence outside of the rally venue where the shooting took place in Butler, Pennsylvania, according to reporting from CNN teams on the ground.

The entire building located to the left of the venue is cordoned off with more than a dozen police cars, some of which are state troopers, and others that are part of the Butler County Sheriff’s Office.

There is at least one ambulance outside of the building. 

One officer who spoke with CNN would not explain why law enforcement was focused on this area.  

Debris litters the empty rally site after shots were fired at former President Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday.

A shooter fired multiple shots from an “elevated position” outside of the Trump rally before United States Secret Service personnel “neutralized” the shooter, the law enforcement agency said.

“During Former President Trump’s campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on the evening of July 13 at approximately 6:15 p.m., a suspected shooter fired multiple shots toward the stage from an elevated position outside of the rally venue,” the Secret Service statement said.

Secret Service personnel “neutralized the shooter, who is now deceased,” the statement continued.

Republican Senate candidate Dave McCormick, who was sitting in the front row at Donald Trump’s rally Saturday, said he saw the “immediate attack on the president” and a person behind him who appeared to be severely injured.

McCormick told CNN on air that the former president had just invited him onstage, when about a minute later he heard “a serious of shots — about seven or eight shots — just ‘pop, pop, pop.’”

 “It was all of a sudden just chaos. The Secret Service immediately covered the president, jumped on top of him, and the crowd immediately went to the ground,” McCormick said.

The Senate candidate said he looked over his shoulder and “it was clear that somebody had been hit.” People around the person were trying to administer first aid, he said, as it took several minutes for medical assistance to get into the crowd because it was so dense.

McCormick said he and all of the roughly 15,000 attendees in the crowd went through metal detector screening before they entered the rally.

Rico Elmore, who was a speaker at former President Donald Trump’s rally, described jumping over the barrier and putting his hand on the head of an attendee who was shot and bleeding. 

“All we know is shots were fired and then I jumped over the barrier and put my hand on the guy’s head that was profusely bleeding,” Elmore told CNN as he left the rally stage Saturday night.

The injured attendee was “just a stranger” Elmore didn’t know, he said.

Elmore was visibly shaken up, with blood on his shirt, but said he was not harmed. He said he only saw one attendee hit and did not see what happened to Trump.

Donald Trump Jr. said in a statement that he “just spoke to my father on the phone and he is in great spirits.”

“He will never stop fighting to save America, no matter what the radical left throws at him,” he added.

Butler County District Attorney Richard Goldinger told CNN’s Anderson Cooper, “We haven’t seen this since Reagan,” after the shooting at former President Donald Trump’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday. 

When speaking about Butler County, which is north of Pittsburgh, Goldinger said: “You just wouldn’t even think it would happen—especially in, where I live in Butler County. You would not expect this.” ​

As for the scene, the DA said, “I have been told it is chaos, and I can’t even give you a number of people that are there … it is really crazy right now.” 

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Former President Donald Trump is rushed offstage by Secret Service agents during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday.

Former President Donald Trump said he was shot and hit by a bullet in the “upper part of my right ear.”  

Trump said in a Truth Social statement he “knew immediately that something was wrong in that I heard a whizzing sound, shots, and immediately felt the bullet ripping through the skin.”

Read Trump’s full statement below:

President Joe Biden’s campaign staff sent a note to staff, obtained by CNN, in the immediate aftermath of the shooting at former President Donald Trump’s rally urging staff to “refrain from issuing any comments on social media or in public.”

They began by saying that as more information is coming in, they are “grateful to the members of law enforcement who immediately jumped into action and wishing Trump a quick and full recovery.”

Minutes after the incident, Biden campaign officials decided to pause all outbound communications and pull down TV ads.

Biden was attending mass in Rehoboth, Delaware, when the shooting occurred, departing moments after. On Saturday evening, the president condemned political violence and said he has tried to reach Trump.

Biden is being briefed by senior US officials, including Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. 

Mayor Robert Dandoy of Butler, Pennsylvania, released a statement following the shooting at the campaign rally in his town for former President Donald Trump.

Dandoy, who did not attend the rally, added, “this kind of violence is unacceptable, in any situation, but certainly in this lawful exercise of freedom of speech and of politics in the United States.”

Dandoy said he has been in contact with his chief of police, who was on the scene, as well as other city staff members who were at the rally assisting Secret Service.

Vice President Kamala Harris said she was briefed on the shooting at former President Donald Trump’s rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday.

“Doug and I are relieved that he is not seriously injured,” Harris wrote in a statement Saturday night. “We are praying for him, his family, and all those who have been injured and impacted by this senseless shooting.”

She thanked first responders and denounced the incident.

Former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton released a statement following the violence at a Donald Trump rally in Pennsylvania:

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Butler County District Attorney Richard Goldinger called the scene at Donald Trump’s Pennsylvania rally shooting “chaotic.”

He said he does not know the number of people who are still currently at the scene of the incident and that authorities do not have any information on the identity of the alleged shooter.

Butler County, Goldinger said, is located directly north of Allegheny County, which is where Pittsburgh is situated. The county is about 65% Republican and is partially rural, he said.

President Joe Biden said that he has “an opinion” about whether the shooting at former President Donald Trump’s rally in Pennsylvania was an attempted assassination, but that he didn’t have enough facts to comment.

Former President Barack Obama condemned Saturday’s shooting at a Donald Trump rally.

The FBI is at the scene of the shooting in Butler, Pennsylvania.

The FBI “will continue to work jointly with the U.S. Secret Service as the investigation moves forward,” said the agency in a statement. 

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg called the shooting at former President Donald Trump’s rally on Saturday “unacceptable.” 

New York Attorney General Letitia James also addressed the shooting, saying: “Violence is never the answer.”

“My thoughts are with former President Trump and I’m wishing for his speedy recovery,” James said on X Saturday night.

President Joe Biden said “everybody” must condemn the shooting that happened at Donald Trump’s rally, which authorities say left the gunman and one audience member dead.

He added “every agency in the federal government” is investigating the matter and providing him reports on the latest.

President Joe Biden said he has tried to reach former President Donald Trump, but noted “he’s with his doctors.”

The president said he will provide further updates when he learns more information and if he’s able to get in contact with Trump.

President Joe Biden speaks on Saturday, July 13, in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.

President Joe Biden condemned the shooting at Donald Trump’s rally and said: “There’s no place in America for this kind of violence.”

“It’s sick, it’s one of the reasons we have to unite this country,” he said, speaking from Delaware. “We cannot allow for this to be happening. We cannot be like this, we cannot condone this.”

Biden added that he’s tried to get in touch with Trump, noting that the former president is with his doctors and appears to be doing well.

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Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance spoke briefly to reporters outside his home in Cincinnati on Saturday and said he’s been told former President Donald Trump is “doing OK” after being injured at his rally. 

Vance is one of Trump’s potential running mates.

Joseph Meyn speaks with CNN on Saturday, July 13.

One attendee at the Trump rally described the shooting on Saturday night as “complete pandemonium,” with some in the crowd unsure of what was happening at first.

“It seemed initially like firecrackers went off,” Joseph Meyn told CNN from Butler, Pennsylvania, where the shooting happened.

He described seeing a man in the bleachers near him hit in the head by gunfire, and another woman nearby being hit in the arm. He said it was hard to figure out which direction the gunfire was coming from, and he added that police moved quickly to clear the bleachers.

“It’s something you don’t expect … it’s very shocking,” Meyn added. “We shouldn’t be at a level of public political discourse in this country where this is going on, it feels like it’s 1960.”

Meyn, a surgeon from Grove City, Pennsylvania, said he looked back in the direction the gunshots had come from. “I saw a man in the bleachers was hit directly in the head, and died instantly. There was a woman who was hit in the hand and forearm, a noncritical wound,” he said.

He said he went to see whether he could render aid, but another doctor was already helping the woman who’d been shot. 

CNN reached Meyn as he was waiting to give a witness statement to the FBI. “They want the data off my phone,” he said. “This is the first Trump rally I’ve been to. You don’t really expect an assassination attempt.”

This post has been updated with additional information.

Correction: This post has been updated with the correct name of the attendee.

President Joe Biden will deliver an on-camera statement “shortly” from Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, the White House said Saturday.

Three law enforcement sources confirm the shooter was outside the venue at former President Donald Trump’s rally in Pennsylvania. 

Two of those sources say the shooter was on a roof, outside of the venue. Multiple law enforcement sources have referred to this individual as a sniper, although additional details about that are not clear.

Butler County District Attorney Richard Goldinger said he was told by his chief detective that the shooter was on a building adjacent to the property and had no additional details on the person.

A Biden campaign official said the campaign is “is pausing all outbound communications and working to pull down our television ads as quickly as possible.”

The shooting at former President Donald Trump’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, is being investigated as a possible assassination attempt, according to law enforcement officials.

President Joe Biden exits St. Edmond’s Catholic Church in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, on Saturday, July 13.

President Joe Biden responded to a Saturday shooting at a Donald Trump rally that left the former president scrambling for safety and at least one spectator as well as the shooter dead.

Biden has been largely out of sight at his Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, home Saturday, but was attending Mass at St. Edmund’s Catholic Church when the shooting occurred.

The White House told reporters in Delaware that Biden was briefed on the shooting by Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, and Homeland Security adviser Liz Sherwood-Randall.

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi condemned the shooting at former President Donald Trump’s rally on Saturday.

The shooter at the Donald Trump rally was killed by the Secret Service, according to a Secret Service source. An attendee was also killed during the incident.

Republican presidential candidate and former U. President Donald Trump is assisted by Secret Service.

One audience member and the gunman are dead after a shooting at former President Donald Trump’s rally in Pennsylvania, according to Butler County District Attorney Richard Goldinger.

The district attorney also said Trump is going to be OK and was removed by the US Secret Service. The official said a second spectator is in serious condition.

Goldinger said he does not know if the shooter died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound or was shot by someone else during the incident.

The injured spectator is in serious condition, he told CNN.

A shooter at Donald Trump’s rally in Pennsylvania has been “neutralized,” according to multiple law enforcement sources.

Former Trump campaign adviser David Urban told CNN he spoke with Senate Republican candidate Dave McCormick, who was sitting in the front row of the rally, and he believes other people were injured in the incident.

Urban told CNN on the air that Trump told McCormick during the rally to “come up here on stage,” at which point he heard a few “pops” to his left – the former president’s right – that sounded like “firecrackers.”

McCormick dropped to the ground at that point, and when he got up, Secret Service agents were “around everybody and they were scattering,” Urban continued.

Urban said he has run close to 50 Trump rallies, which had “magnetometers all over the place.” 

“The notion that somehow, somebody was able to get a firearm in there, is just beyond me because there is as much security there as there is going into any event where the president or former president is,” he said.

Former President Donald Trump was injured Saturday at his campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.

Blood could be seen on his ear and face after loud bangs were heard at the rally. Secret Service agents covered him up before helping him away from the scene.

See more photos from the incident here.

Former President Donald Trump, with blood on his face, raises his fist to the crowd as he is surrounded by Secret Service agents at his campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday. 

Blood is seen on Trump's right ear as he is helped off the stage. 

Trump is covered by Secret Service agents after loud bangs were heard at the rally. 

Trump is assisted by security personnel after the bangs were heard. 

Trump can be seen under Secret Service agents covering him. 

Secret Service agents rush the stage. 

Trump raises a fist as he is helped into a vehicle and taken away from the rally. 

Vice President Kamala Harris has been briefed on the security incident at former President Donald Trump’s rally, according to her office. Harris is en route back to Washington, DC, from a campaign stop in Philadelphia.

Former President George W. Bush says he is “grateful” that former President Donald Trump is safe.

Pennsylvania Sen. Bob Casey, a Democrat, has offered support to law enforcement as investigation to incident at Trump rally begins. 

“I am monitoring the situation at President Trump’s rally in Butler and I’ve reached out the State Police to offer support,” Casey said in a statement on X. “Political violence is never acceptable and I am hoping former president Trump & all attendees are safe. Everyone in Butler should listen to law enforcement.”

The New York City Police Department is increasing its presence at Trump Tower and other sensitive locations out of an abundance of caution around the city after former President Donald Trump was injured during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday.

According to a spokesperson for New York City Mayor Eric Adams, the mayor has been briefed on the incident. The NYPD will also increase security at 40 Wall Street, Foley Square and City Hall.

Trump Tower in Manhattan is already under the watch of the NYPD, even though Trump seldom visits his former residence. Over the years, Trump Tower has served as a gathering place for supporters and opponents of the former president.

Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley condemned political violence and offered prayers for Donald Trump after he was rushed off stage after loud bangs were heard at the start of a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.

Billionaire tech investor Elon Musk has announced he is endorsing former President Donald Trump following Saturday’s incident in Butler, Pennsylvania.

“I fully endorse President Trump and hope for his rapid recovery,” Musk tweeted.

Musk, head of SpaceX, Tesla and X, has made supporting right-wing causes — and extremism, in some situations — increasingly central to his identity.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer issued a statement after the incident at former President Trump’s rally, saying, “I am horrified by what happened at the Trump rally in Pennsylvania and relieved that former President Trump is safe. Political violence has no place in our country.” 

Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy is calling for unity in the wake of former President Donald Trump being rushed off stage by Secret Service at a Pennsylvania campaign rally. 

Details on the incident at the rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, are still sparse, but Trump had blood on his face as he was rushed off stage following the sound of loud bangs. A spokesperson has said he is “fine.”

House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said in a statement on X that he is praying for former President Donald Trump.

“My thoughts and prayers are with former President Trump. I am thankful for the decisive law enforcement response,” he said. “America is a democracy. Political violence of any kind is never acceptable.”

Democratic Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro on Saturday condemned political violence and said he’s been briefed on the incident at Donald Trump’s rally.

“Violence targeted at any political party or political leader is absolutely unacceptable,” Shapiro posted to X.

Donald Trump’s spokesperson Steven Cheung said the former president “is fine.” 

President Joe Biden has been briefed on the incident at former President Donald Trump’s Pennsylvania rally, according to the White House.

Biden was attending Mass on Saturday evening when the incident occurred. Biden received an initial briefing in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, before receiving an updated briefing, the White House said Saturday.

Per the White House, Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, and Homeland Security adviser Liz Sherwood-Randall are part of the team briefing the president, with White House chief of staff Jeff Zientz, counselor to the president Steve Ricchetti, and deputy chief of staff Annie Tomasini also participating.

First Lady Jill Biden was en route back to Delaware from an event in Pittsburgh at the time of the incident.

Vice President Kamala Harris was en route back to Washington, DC, from a campaign stop in Philadelphia at the time.

This post has been updated with additional information.

Former President Donald Trump is safe after an incident at his rally, according to Anthony Guglielmi, US Secret Service chief of communications

Several allies of Donald Trump and potential vice presidential picks have tweeted messages of support and prayers for the former president, who was injured at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, moments ago.

Here’s a look at what they’re saying:

Several allies posted the photograph of Trump with his fist in the air and blood on his ear, including Sen. Bill Hagerty, Rubio, Scott, Stefanik and Vance.

Agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is en route to assist at the Trump rally in Pennsylvania, according to a spokesperson.

Speaker Mike Johnson posted on X that he is “praying for President Trump,” moments after the former president was taken offstage after he was injured in an incident at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania. 

House GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik also posted on the platform, saying, “Please pray for President Trump, his family, and all of the patriots at today’s rally in Pennsylvania.”

Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump is helped off the stage at a campaign event in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday, July 13.

Pool reporters at the rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, where former President Donald Trump was rushed offstage reported that they heard ‘“a series of loud explosions or loud bangs” before Secret Service agents rushed toward Trump

“The Secret Service went and immediately covered President Trump,” according to the pool report. “Pool heard residual bangs afterward.”

“Agents grabbed Trump, who was seen waving his fists in the air,” the pool report added.

Secret Service cover Trump af

President Joe Biden with Secret Service agents leaves St. Edmond's Roman Catholic Church in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, after attending mass, on Saturday, July 13. (

President Joe Biden has departed church and was asked by reporters if he was briefed on the incident at the Trump rally, he replied no.

Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump is surrounded by Secret Service agents at a campaign rally on Saturday, July 13, in Butler, Pennsylvania.

Secret Service agents rushed former President Donald Trump off the stage after he fell to the ground amid loud bangs at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.

After the bangs, Trump fell to the ground and was covered by Secret Service agents. He was stood back up by security personnel and had blood on his face. He was yelling back to the crowd and raising his fist before being was whisked away by security personnel.

Trump was then taken to a vehicle and evacuated from the scene. The incident took place moments after he took the stage at the rally.

People take cover as Secret Service agents surround Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump on stage.

This post has been updated.

Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley has been invited to speak at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee next week, one person familiar told CNN.

Former President Donald Trump’s campaign and a spokesperson for Haley did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The news comes after it was announced earlier this week that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a fellow former GOP presidential nominee, is expected to speak at the RNC.

CNN reported Tuesday that Haley and DeSantis had been left out of the program, sparking backlash from their supporters.

Trump’s team had been discussing whether to invite Haley to the convention next week.

Haley, who dropped out of the presidential race in March, announced Tuesday that she was releasing her delegates to the convention and urging them to support Trump. She made clear in a May speech that she would vote for Trump, and the two spoke last month.

President Joe Biden attends a campaign event at Renaissance High School in Detroit on July 12.

Democratic lawmakers pressed President Joe Biden directly about how he can win reelection in what multiple sources described as a tense call Saturday. 

Biden, who was 30 minutes late to the private conversation, started his call with the moderate group of House Democrats known as the New Democrat Coalition by asking for lawmakers to ask tough questions, per multiple sources familiar with the call. 

One of the questions came from Democratic Rep. Jason Crow, who asked Biden whether concerns about his mental acuity would affect national security, two sources told CNN. Biden was animated, per sources, as he defended his record and pointed to the work he has done to strengthen NATO. 

Lawmakers also sought reassurances from Biden over the course of the call, but those sometimes fell flat and sources described the president’s responses as defensive. 

Rep. Chrissy Houlahan of Pennsylvania pressed Biden directly about what his strategy was for winning the state, one of the sources told CNN. 

Only three lawmakers asked questions on the call, but Biden said he appreciated the feedback and would get back to anyone whom he did not have time for, another one of the sources said.

Biden ended the call by saying he had to go to church, per sources.

First lady Jill Biden hit the campaign trail Saturday to help bolster support for her husband’s reelection bid in battleground Pennsylvania, leaning on her family’s personal story to make inroads with a key group as President Joe Biden contends with concerns about his age and capacity to serve a second term.

Jill Biden, the first Italian American first lady, said, “Our ancestors kept true to the same values that echo in the motto of this organization: Liberty, unity and duty. You make sure everyone can build a good life in America. That work is personal to Joe, and to me, too.”

In the largely apolitical speech, the first lady pointed to some of the president’s values and accomplishments.

The first lady spoke about an hour away from Butler, Pennsylvania, where former President Donald Trump is holding a Saturday evening rally. Vice President Kamala Harris was also in battleground Pennsylvania on Saturday, speaking at a town hall with Asian and Pacific Islander Americans.

From left: actors Jennifer Coolidge and Adrienne Warren, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and his husband, Chasten Buttigieg.

Actors Jennifer Coolidge and Adrienne Warren, along with Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and his husband, Chasten, will headline a Biden campaign fundraiser next weekend in Provincetown, Massachusetts, featuring Vice President Kamala Harris, the fundraiser’s host announced Saturday. 

Bryan Rafanelli — the event planner behind the 2022 White House wedding of Naomi Biden, President Joe Biden’s granddaughter, and last year’s Australian state dinner at the White House — posted the lineup to Instagram on Saturday.

Per an event invitation, tickets start at $150, while donors who contribute or raise $15,000 or more will have the opportunity to pose for a photo with the vice president.

Earlier this week, local paper the Provincetown Independent reported that one of the fundraiser’s co-hosts withdrew from the event shortly after last month’s CNN debate, where Biden’s performance raised alarms among political allies over his fitness for office.

“I thought long and hard about it before I backed out of this event,” Terrence Meck said, according to the Independent. “For me, it was not in my heart to continue supporting this candidacy.”

CNN has reached out to Meck and the Biden campaign for comment.

Over the last several days, former President Donald Trump held private meetings with three vice presidential hopefuls: Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, Sen. JD Vance of Ohio, and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, a source familiar with the matter tells CNN.

Sources said they did not believe Trump made an offer to any candidate.

Some details of the meetings were reported earlier by ABC News.

Vice President Kamala Harris speaks to the press at Reading Terminal Market in Philadelphia on July 13.

Vice President Kamala Harris told reporters traveling with her in Philadelphia on Saturday that President Joe Biden did “an outstanding job,” during Thursday’s hour-long news conference on the sidelines of the NATO summit, pointing to a high-energy rally in Detroit on Friday as further evidence there remains “a lot of support” for Biden.

Biden took 19 questions from ten reporters during the solo news conference, though much attention was paid to a duo of gaffes that saw the president mistakenly call Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky as “Putin” and his own vice president as “Vice President Trump.”

In her comments Saturday, Harris also acknowledged the presence of Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, calling the Democrat “a great partner to the President.”

Earlier tonight: Harris also defended Biden’s reelection bid Saturday during a speech at a Philadelphia town hall organized by the organization APIAVote.

Harris once again pointed out the stakes of the 2024 election, which is 115 days away, calling it “the most existential, consequential and important election of our lifetime.”

She described Biden as resilient in the face of calls for him to step down from the presidential race.

The call between President Joe Biden and the moderate group of House Democrats known as the New Democrat Coalition is now underway, according to multiple sources.

This follows Biden’s call with another coalition, the Congressional Progressive Caucus, earlier today, as the president tries to shore up his flagging support with Democratic lawmakers.

The calls are giving him a chance to speak directly to critics: All of the House Democrats who have publicly called for Biden to step aside belong to one of the two groups.

Former Georgia Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan leaves the Fulton County Courthouse in Atlanta on August 14, 2023.

Geoff Duncan, the Republican former Georgia lieutenant governor, indicated Sunday that his feelings on President Joe Biden’s candidacy have changed since previously endorsing the president.

While Duncan said he believes the president is “fighting hard” to reestablish his credibility, he said “that ship has sailed in my opinion.”

He went on to say he thinks the Democrats’ best chance at beating former President Donald Trump in the upcoming election is to nominate a different candidate.

Duncan said Trump creates “chaos and anger” and that he worries what another term would do to the country.

“I worry about the economy. I worry about our international relationships. I worry about all kinds of things. I worry about being able to sit down and talk to your neighbor,” he said. “Those are the things that I’m worried about long-term as an American.”

Remember: Duncan and other state GOP election officials pushed back against Donald Trump’s false claims of voter fraud in Georgia after the 2020 election — prompting public attacks by the former president and threats from his supporters.

When Duncan endorsed Biden, he acknowledged that the president’s “progressive policies aren’t to conservatives’ liking,” but said he felt he was left with no alternative, and argued a second Trump term would hinder the Republican Party from moving forward.

Vice President Kamala Harris was interrupted by protesters Saturday while delivering remarks at a town hall put on by the nonpartisan organization Asian and Pacific Islander American Vote (APIAVote).

As she was discussing comments from former President Donald Trump, demonstrators objecting to the Biden administration’s support for Israel’s war in Gaza began to shout from the audience.

According to reporters in the room, demonstrators — including at least one small group holding a sign — interrupted, with one chanting, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.”

As she tried to continue, protesters again began to chant, “Free, free Palestine,” prompting supporters again to drown out those protests with, “Four more years.”

“We are fighting for a democracy and democratic values, which includes the right of everyone to speak,” Harris said, later repeating, “We are going to have four more years.”

In Gaza today, the health ministry says at least 90 Palestinians were killed in an airstrike by Israel, which said its military had launched an attack on Hamas’ military chief.

The Israeli attack happened in Al-Mawasi, which is designated by Israel as a safe place for Palestinians fleeing the fighting elsewhere. At least one US-made munition was used in the strike, according to CNN analysis confirmed by a former US Army ordnance disposal technician.

This post has been updated to clarify that Harris was speaking at a town hall organized by APIAVote, not an event organized by the Biden campaign.

President Joe Biden held a call with the Congressional Progressive Caucus on Saturday afternoon.

This was one of two calls that Biden planned today with key factions of the House Democratic caucus, and was part of the broader direct outreach Biden is conducting as he tries to assuage concerns within his party.

Caucus Chair Pramila Jayapal shared a statement after the private call concluded, saying, “We spoke frankly to the President about our concerns and asked tough questions about the path forward. We appreciate his willingness to thoughtfully answer and address our Members.”

Biden’s other call Saturday is with the New Democrat Coalition, CNN reported earlier today. This follows virtual meetings with the political wings of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus on Friday, according to sources familiar with the calls.

This post has been updated with statements about the call from caucus members.

BET will air an interview with President Joe Biden on Wednesday, according to a Saturday news release from the network.

Biden will sit down with veteran BET journalist Ed Gordon for his first on-camera interview with the network.

The special — set to air at 10 p.m. ET — “will discuss the growing concern over President Biden’s fitness for office, the state of the economy for Black families, the Project 2025 conservative policy agenda, and the fight to engage Black voters,” according to the network. “Project 2025” refers to a proposed policy platform from a conservative, pro-Trump think tank.

Some context: The interview marks the latest effort from the Biden campaign to reach Black voters, who propelled him to victory in 2020. Earlier this month, the campaign drew fire when it was revealed they’d passed along suggested questions to two Black radio hosts.

Host Andrea Lawful-Sanders resigned from Philadelphia station WURD after telling CNN that her post-debate interview with President Joe Biden included questions that were pre-selected by Biden’s campaign team.

The president is also scheduled to sit down with NBC News’ Lester Holt in Austin on Monday.

President Joe Biden speaks at a campaign rally at Renaissance High School in Detroit on July 12.

Speaking before an enthusiastic crowd in Detroit on Friday night, President Joe Biden declared unequivocally that he was staying in the 2024 race and attacked rival Donald Trump in a number of new ways.

If you’re catching up on the speech, here were some of the key moments:

Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont continued to urge Democrats to back President Joe Biden’s reelection campaign, writing in a Saturday op-ed for The New York Times that he “may not be the ideal candidate, but he will be the candidate and should be the candidate.”

Sanders, an independent who caucuses with Democrats, has been one of Biden’s critical allies in Congress since the 81-year-old president’s dismal debate performance last month spurred calls for him to step aside from the race. Sanders, along with fellow progressive Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, have offered the president lifelines this week, publicly backing him during one of the tensest moments of Biden’s political life.

In his op-ed, Sanders acknowledged his disagreements with Biden, including about the US’ support of Israel in its war against Hamas in Gaza, but said “too many Democrats” have focused “on the June presidential debate and the cognitive capabilities of a man who has, perhaps, the most difficult and stressful job in the world.”

Sanders added: “With an effective campaign that speaks to the needs of working families, he will not only defeat Mr. Trump but beat him badly. It’s time for Democrats to stop the bickering and nit-picking.”

A person walks past the Fiserv Forum ahead of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee on July 11.

The Republican National Convention has a full range of speakers lined up for its conference next week, including potential vice presidential picks, lawmakers, governors, and celebrities like rapper Amber Rose and Dana White from the UFC, according to a source familiar with the plans.

CNN reported earlier that former Fox News host Tucker Carlson and ex-Trump administration official Peter Navarro, who is expected to be released from prison on the same day he appears, would also speak.

Lawmakers speaking include:

A number of governors will speak, including:

From the former president’s family, Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump, Lara Trump and Kimberly Guilfoyle will have speaking roles.

Other speakers include:

View the full list of speakers here.

Former Fox News host Tucker Carlson is currently slated to speak at the Republican National Convention on the night former President Donald Trump is set to accept the Republican nomination for president, according to a person familiar with the plans.

Carlson is scheduled to speak on Thursday, but the source said the day Carlson speaks may change as plans continue to be updated ahead of the convention in Milwaukee next week.

In lieu of attending the first GOP primary debate last year, Trump participated in an interview with Carlson, who aired the interview on X during the debate.

Carlson and Fox News severed ties last year.

The rest of the speaking schedule is taking shape: Peter Navarro, an ex-White House aide to Trump, will also make remarks at the convention, a source familiar with the schedule tells CNN.

Navarro is expected to be released from prison — where he has been serving time since March — on Wednesday and will speak at the convention that night.

Navarro, an economist who focused on trade policy while in the Trump White House, was jailed for contempt of Congress after his refusal to comply with a subpoena related to the House Select Committee’s investigation of the January 6, 2021, US Capitol attack.

This post has been updated with an additional speaker at the convention.

President Joe Biden is launching a delayed outreach campaign to lawmakers following his closely watched solo news conference and his meeting with House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries earlier this week.

The president’s series of calls to key groups of congressional Democrats continues Saturday. He’ll hold virtual meetings with both the New Democrat Coalition and the Congressional Progressive Caucus, according to sources familiar with those meetings.

On Friday, the president also had calls with the political wings of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, the sources said.

The discussions are aimed at stopping the defections in Biden’s Democratic coalition in Congress, which continued throughout the past week.

More than a dozen Democratic House members and at least one Democratic senator have publicly called on Biden to withdraw from his reelection campaign. That list includes multiple House members in the nation’s most competitive congressional districts, but also senior Democrats on influential committees and members in safely Democratic seats.

It has been just over two weeks since the CNN presidential debate upended the 2024 campaign, leaving Democrats in a state of panic over President Joe Biden’s candidacy and allowing former President Donald Trump to largely sit back and watch the uncertainty unfold.

Trump returns to the campaign trail Saturday, holding a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, at 5 p.m. ET. His last major event was held Tuesday in Miami.

As the Republican National Convention inches closer, all eyes are on when the former president will announce his running mate.

US Senate candidate Dave McCormick will speak at tonight’s rally, his spokesperson confirmed to CNN. McCormick — who earned Trump’s endorsement in April after failing to do so in his 2022 primary contest against Mehmet Oz — is challenging Pennsylvania Sen. Bob Casey.

The Biden campaign will also be on the trail in Pennsylvania today, with Vice President Kamala Harris set to give a keynote speech this afternoon at the Asian and Pacific Islander American Vote Presidential Town Hall in Philadelphia.

This event is a continuation of the Biden-Harris campaign’s national organizing and engagement program focused on mobilizing AAPI voters.

First lady Jill Biden, meanwhile, will deliver remarks at an Italian Sons and Daughters of America dinner in Pittsburgh.

Remember: Pennsylvania, with its 19 electoral votes, is considered a key battleground state in the 2024 contest. It is one of the “Blue Wall” states, along with Michigan and Wisconsin, that the Biden campaign views as his most direct path to reelection.

CNN’s Kit Maher and Christian Sierra contributed to this report.

This post has been updated with details about Trump’s rally tonight.

Former President Donald Trump arrives for a campaign rally on July 9, in Doral, Florida.

Republicans adopted a new platform for Donald Trump’s third White House run that mainlines the former president’s policies and makes Trump himself a focus of the party.

The policy blueprint is a fraction of the length of the 2016 platform and written in Trump’s voice.

Republicans also modestly softened their language on the issue of abortion — angering some anti-abortion activists — and made clear that, like Trump, the party will favor a state-by-state local approach to the issue, meaning they will support efforts to ban abortion outright in some states and allow it to exist in others.

CNN annotated the full Republican Party platform — here are some of the other takeaways:

Read through CNN’s interactive with the entire GOP platform annotated here.

Former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden.

Both President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump are well into retirement age. Both ramble through answers to questions when they bother to take them. Both mix up names. Neither took part in debates during a primary season in which they racked up wins.

One of the men, Trump, 78, has been able to remake the Republican Party around his own divisive persona, despite being a recently convicted felon, indicted for election interference and mishandling classified documents, and found liable for sexual abuse and defamation — as well as lying about his net worth to get loans tied to his massive real estate portfolio.

Meanwhile, Biden, 81, has now spent weeks defiantly defending his fitness for the job, slowly emerging from a protective bubble at the White House after a disastrous debate and spotty subsequent interviews.

The next week will offer a fresh look at what must feel like a cruel dichotomy to Biden supporters.

When the Republican National Convention gets underway Monday, it will show off a speaking schedule full of far-right personalities and an official party platform rewritten and simplified around Trump’s priorities.

Trump, between now and then, will pick a vice president from a short list of people who have previously criticized him but are now all in on his candidacy.

While the former president celebrates his dominance at the convention, Biden will be fighting back the argument that Democratic convention delegates should pick a younger successor next month.

The latest in a series of public tests of Biden’s abilities will be another interview with a network news anchor, NBC this time, broadcast in prime time on Monday.

Four years ago, Black voters saved Biden’s bid for the Democratic presidential nomination after his poor finishes in predominantly White early voting states.

Now, that support within the Black community – from battleground state voters and Black leaders – serves as one of the last bulwarks against a growing number of lawmakers and donors asking him to pass the torch.

In interviews, the president’s supporters in the state shared a similar message: The stakes of this election are too high to change course now.

Voter voices: Alanna Morris tuned in to last month’s presidential debate hoping to watch President Joe Biden “wipe the floor” with former President Donald Trump.

Instead, the 44-year-old Atlanta cardiologist saw a candidate she hardly recognized. She turned the event off halfway through, feeling sad and concerned the president had suffered a medical event like a stroke.

That disappointment, however, hasn’t dissuaded her from her plan to vote for the president. She finds the alternative – a second Trump term – untenable.

“Don’t rock the boat unless you have a plan to get me back to shore,” she said. “Getting me to shore is making sure that Donald Trump is not in office come January 2025.”

“The Democratic Party knew four years ago how old Joe Biden would be in 2024,” said Michelle Mitchell, a 69-year-old Black Atlanta resident who participated in a CNN roundtable with older voters and opposes efforts to pressure Biden to step aside. “To try to pull a stunt like this at the 11th hour is very disappointing.”

Hear more thoughts from Georgia voters here.

President Joe Biden addresses supporters at a campaign event on July 12, in Detroit, Michigan.

President Joe Biden charged forward with his campaign before an enthusiastic crowd in Detroit on Friday, declaring unequivocally, “I am running.”

He attacked Donald Trump in a number of new ways, including explicitly saying that Trump raped a woman.

“I am running and we’re going to win,” he said to cheers.

The speech at a Detroit high school comes as the president has remained defiant in the face of growing calls from Democratic lawmakers and donors for him to step aside in the race. The Michigan crowd encouraged Biden to stay in the race, breaking out in a chant of “Don’t you quit!”

For the first time, Biden also laid out what his priorities would be for the first 100 days of his second term, which included codifying Roe v. Wade, making the child tax cuts permanent, expanding Medicare and Medicaid, raising the minimum wage and banning assault weapons. 

Biden was clearly engaged with the crowd throughout his lengthy remarks which ran for 36 minutes.

President Joe Biden sought to draw policy contrasts Friday night with former president Donald Trump, directly tying him to the conservative policy blueprint known as “Project 2025.”

He attacked Trump in a number of new ways, including explicitly saying that Trump raped a woman. Biden read from a judge’s ruling against Trump in the defamation case of E. Jean Carol.

Among his other direct attacks on Trump, Biden called the former president a “loser,” and a “convicted criminal.” He accused Trump of “riding around in his golf cart, filling out a scorecard before he hits the ball,” and said he “filed for bankruptcy 6 times.” 

“He even went bankrupt running a casino,” Biden said. “I didn’t think that was possible. Doesn’t the house always win in a casino?”

Biden also pointed out Trump’s own verbal slips – the day after Biden himself called Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelensky “President Putin” and referred to Vice President Kamala Harris as “Vice President Trump”

“I guess they don’t remember that Trump called Nikki Haley ‘Nancy Pelosi,’” Biden said.

The president mostly spoke using a teleprompter but did seem to veer off script at several points in the speech.

The editorial board of the Washington Post is calling on President Joe Biden’s allies to have a “candid conversation with him” but is not outright calling on him to leave the race. 

“Based on his comments Thursday, Mr. Biden seems to be somewhat oblivious to the political furor surrounding him and in denial about his frailty, personally and politically,” the Post wrote in a Friday opinion piece. “He needs to come to grips with reality,” the headline reads.

The board ended by calling for those close to the president to speak with him.

“Mr. Biden said on Thursday he’s ‘not in this for my legacy.’ Well and good. What, then, is he in it for? The only right answer is the good of the country. And those with influence and access to the president need to explain forcefully and candidly what that calls for now.”

Former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden. 

I’ve tended to be pessimistic about President Joe Biden’s chances of reelection. There are plenty of reasons for that — for instance, he’s trailing in the polls both nationally and in swing states and has an approval rating south of 40%.

But sometimes it’s worth taking a step back and looking at the counterargument. Biden’s been through arguably two of the worst weeks for a president running for reelection that I can recall, and he’s still within earshot of former President Donald Trump.

If you average the national polls since the debate 15 days ago, Trump’s ahead by 3 points. An NPR/PBS News/Marist College poll out Friday morning even put the race at 50% for Biden to 48% for Trump (a result within the margin of error).

No one should be comfortable calling the presidential race with these sorts of polling results. Since 1972, the average difference between the polls at this point and the eventual result has been 6 points.

Sometimes races change by far more than that. Democrat Michael Dukakis led Republican George H.W. Bush by mid-to-high single digits at this point in 1988 before the party conventions. By the time the race was over, Bush had defeated Dukakis by 8 points.

Biden and Trump’s own history should make you think twice about calling wraps on this race as well. Biden was ahead by 9 points in the early July national polls in 2020. He ended up winning the national popular vote by only half that (4.5 points).

Biden’s clearest path, according to the public data (and both campaigns), continues to be through the northern battleground states of Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Wins in all three would likely mean Biden can lose Arizona, George, Nevada and North Carolina and still pull off a victory.

Read Harry Enten’s full analysis of the state of the race and the latest polling.