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Quick Take
Extensive media coverage of the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump at a Pennsylvania campaign rally shows his injury and the immediate response of Secret Service agents. But social media posts make the unsupported claims that Trump wasn’t shot and the agents’ response indicates the incident was “staged.”
Full Story
The attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13 is being investigated as a possible act of domestic terrorism, though authorities said the gunman’s motive remains unknown.
Law enforcement officials identified the shooter as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, who was fatally shot by Secret Service snipers. One spectator at the rally, Corey Comperatore, a volunteer firefighter, was killed. The former president was hit in the right ear by a bullet and two rally attendees, David Dutch and James Copenhaver, were injured.
The AR-15 style firearm Crooks used was legally purchased by his father in 2013, the Washington Post reported.
An FBI statement updated on July 15 said, “While the investigation to date indicates the shooter acted alone, the FBI continues to conduct logical investigative activity to determine if there were any co-conspirators associated with this attack.”
In the wake of the shooting, misinformation about the shooting has flooded social media, as we’ve written. Recent posts make unsupported claims that Trump’s injuries were faked and that the actions of the Secret Service indicate the incident was “staged.”
A July 14 Threads post shows a screenshot of Trump with a bloodied ear and misleadingly suggests that injuries sustained by the former president are inconsistent with those from a bullet. Text on the post says, in part, “if this was a gun shot graze wouldn’t there be streaks of blood in his hair behind his ear?”
In a July 13 post on Truth Social, Trump described his wound: “I was shot with a bullet that pierced the upper part of my right ear. I knew immediately that something was wrong in that I heard a whizzing sound, shots, and immediately felt the bullet ripping through the skin. Much bleeding took place, so I realized then what was happening.”
Images published by the New York Times appear to show a bullet passing by Trump’s head. Following the shooting, he was taken to Butler Medical Center for treatment, according to a report by Pittsburgh-area news station KDKA.
In addition, in an interview with the New York Times, Rep. Ronny Jackson, the former White House physician, said he changed the dressing on Trump’s wound a day after the attempted assassination. “The bullet took a little bit off the top of his ear in an area that, just by nature, bleeds like crazy,” Jackson said.
Other posts on social media cite the behavior of security personnel during the attempted assassination to make the unsupported claim the shooting was “staged.”
A July 15 Threads post inaccurately claims, “IT WAS STAGED. Nobody ran, he wasn’t hustled off.”
Another Threads post misleadingly claims, “[S]taged? When Secret Service went to move him to safety, they paused for him, head completely exposed, to fist pump and say ‘Fight!’ three times to the camera. There is zero chance Secret Service pauses for that unless it was scripted especially leaving his head exposed.”
But video of the incident shows people in the crowd ducking quickly toward the ground and Secret Service agents running up to Trump — and hustling to move him from the stage after the shooting.
At least four Secret Service agents can be seen rushing to Trump’s side and shielding the former president behind the podium within seconds of the gunshots being fired. Agents and other security personnel continued to surround the stage in the moments following the attempted assassination.
Before moving Trump offstage, one agent can be heard asking, “Are we good to move?” The agents confirmed that the area was clear. An agent told the former president that they should move to the motorcade, and Trump can be heard saying, “Let me get my shoes,” and asking them to wait. When Trump stood, several agents can be seen attempting to shield his head with their arms while escorting him to a waiting vehicle.
Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle, who has been criticized for security failures at the event, said in a July 15 statement, “Secret Service personnel on the ground moved quickly during the incident, with our counter sniper team neutralizing the shooter and our agents implementing protective measures to ensure the safety of former president Donald Trump.”
Editor’s note: FactCheck.org is one of several organizations working with Facebook to debunk misinformation shared on social media. Our previous stories can be found here. Facebook has no control over our editorial content.
Sources
Biesecker, Michael et al. “Three days after attempted assassination, Trump shooter remains an elusive enigma.” Associated Press. 17 Jul 2024.
Brooks, Emily. “Speaker Johnson calls for Secret Service director’s resignation, promises task force.” The Hill. 17 July 2024.
Craig, Tim et al. “Rifle used by Trump rally shooter bought 11 years ago, person familiar says.” Washington Post. 15 Jul 2024.
FactCheck.org. “Issues: Attempted Assassination.”
FBI National Press Office. “Update on the FBI Investigation of the Attempted Assassination of Former President Donald Trump.” 15 Jul 2024.
Mokay, Erica, and Michael Guise. “Trump Taken to Butler Memorial Hospital after Shooting at Rally.” KDKA. CBS Pittsburgh. 13 Jul 2024.
Swan, Johnathan. “Former White House Doctor Describes Tending to Trump’s Wounded Ear.” New York Times. 16 Jul 2024.
Taft, Isabelle. “What We Know About the Trump Rally Shooting Victims So Far.” New York Times. 14 Jul 2024.
Tanyos, Faris. “Trump rally shooter killed by Secret Service sniper, officials say.” CBS News. 14 Jul 2024.