SOUTH BRONX, New York City (WABC) — Outrage is building on Monday after Donald Trump’s rally at Madison Square Garden on Sunday featured a comic and several other speakers making racist comments.
“What kind of people say that? They don’t know us. Why do they judge like that?” one person said.
“It’s really hard to accept that that came out of his mouth,” another said.
“I don’t know if you guys know this, but there’s literally a floating island of garbage in the middle of the ocean right now. I think it’s called Puerto Rico,” stand-up comic Tony Hinchcliffe said to the jam-packed Madison Square Garden crowd ahead of former President Trump’s appearance.
The joke bombed but the explosive fallout reverberated across the country to the 5-million-plus stateside Puerto Ricans – many of them registered voters – and more than 3-million American citizens on the island.
“Convicted Trump didn’t say the words the words that were said at his rally. But it doesn’t matter because it was his rally,” Luis Miranda, political strategist, said.
In East Harlem, a who’s who of Puerto Rican federal, state and city locals held a news conference to condemn the comments uttered at a rally designed to gain supporters in a tight presidential election. Instead, the comments could backfire in a key battleground state.
“He made a calculated error yesterday. Basically he said goodbye to PA, to Pennsylvania. In Pennsylvania we have 450-thousand Puerto Ricans,” New York Democrat Rep. Nydia Velazquez said.
“This is about human rights, civil rights, and this is about my people, mother, my grandmother who died after Hurricane Maria. This is about our people who have suffered for way too long,” Frankie Miranda, of the Hispanic Federation, said.
Puerto Rico became a U.S. territory in 1917, and the first large wave of migration occurred after World War II to ease labor shortages. There are now more Puerto Ricans in the U.S. than on the island.
Those who stayed behind say they often feel like second-class citizens because they can’t vote in presidential elections and receive limited federal funding compared with U.S. states.
That festering resentment erupted when Trump visited Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria slammed into the island as a powerful Category 4 storm in 2017. He tossed paper towels into a crowd and denied the storm’s official death toll, with experts estimating that nearly 3,000 people died in the sweltering aftermath.
José Acevedo, a 48-year-old health worker from San Juan, shook his head as he recalled the feelings that coursed through him when he watched the Sunday rally.
“What humiliation, what discrimination!” he said early Monday as he waited to catch a public bus to work.
Acevedo said he immediately texted relatives in New York, including an uncle who is a Republican and had planned to vote for Trump.
“He told me that he was going to have to analyze his decision,” Acevedo said, adding that his relatives were in shock. “They couldn’t believe it.”
The National Puerto Rican Day Parade condemned Hinchcliffe’s remarks adding, “This insult will not diminish who we are or what we represent but should remind us of the critical importance of voting on November 5th.”
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During Donald Trump’s rally at Madison Square Garden on Oct. 27, 2024, podcast host and comedian Tony Hinchcliffe, who referred to Puerto Rico as “a floating island of garbage” — a line that drew some groans from the crowd — and crudely claimed Latinos “enjoy making babies.”
REUTERS/Andrew Kelly
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As counterprotesters picketed outside, loyalists of Donald Trump gathered inside Madison Square Garden for an hours-long rally on Sunday that saw one speaker after another praise the former president and denigrate his opponents, often with racist or dehumanizing terms.
Trump used the iconic venue to deliver his closing argument against Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris as the clock ticked down toward the Nov. 5 general election. While Trump has insisted New York state is in play this year, recent polls have him trailing Harris by nearly 20 points, and the Empire State has not gone for a Republican presidential candidate since Ronald Reagan in 1984.
Trump’s campaign said the event at the 19,500-seat arena, which can cost upwards of $1 million to rent, was sold out. Tickets were free and available on a first-come-first-served basis.
Her comments drew a rebuke from Trump and Republican leaders.
“She said it’s just like the 1930s. No, it’s not,” Trump said at a rally in Michigan on Friday. “This is called Make America Great Again, that’s all this is.”
Tucker Carlson, a former Fox News broadcaster, mocked Kamala Harris’ ethnicity.REUTERS/Brendan McDermid
Nevertheless, the parade of speakers who took the microphone ahead of Trump on Sunday delivered speeches dripping in offensive rhetoric and hateful terms — perhaps none more so than podcast host and comedian Tony Hinchcliffe, who referred to Puerto Rico as “a floating island of garbage” — a line that drew some groans from the crowd — and crudely claimed Latinos “enjoy making babies.”
“There’s no pulling out. They don’t do that. They c– inside, just like they did to our country,” Hinchcliffe told the crowd, which garnered more laughter.
That drew the ire of the League of United Latin American Citizens, which demanded an apology from the Trump campaign over Hinchcliffe’s remarks.
“We are shocked but not surprised that the Trump campaign in New York today has stooped to allow a speaker to call the island of Puerto Rico ‘floating garbage,’” said Roman Palomares, LULAC National President. “LULAC does not care how they spin it; these words spewed by a so-called comedian should have never been allowed and should have been immediately rejected and condemned by Donald Trump.”
Frankie Miranda, president and CEO of the Hispanic Federation, urged Latinos voting in the election “make it clear that these remarks are as unacceptable as the candidate who gave it a national platform today.”
“Millions of Puerto Ricans in states like Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Florida, and New York may no longer live on the island, but they still revere it as their ancestral and cultural home, and you cannot continue to disrespect us and think that we are not going to remember that when we go to the ballot box,” Miranda said.
More than 1.1 million people of Puerto Rican descent live in New York. US Rep. Ritchie Torres sought to speak on their behalf Sunday night, urging all to “ignore the haters heaping scorn on Puerto Rico at Donald Trump’s rally.”
House Minority Leader and Brooklyn US Rep. Hakeem Jeffries sought to tie Hinchcliffe’s remarks to Republican House members in the city suburbs who are up for re-election. Their fate could determine which party controls the House in January.
“Desperate House Republicans from Long Island and the Hudson Valley shamefully invited this filth into our community,” Jeffries posted on X (formerly Twitter). “Vote them all out.”
But Hinchcliffe was only one of several speakers Sunday at the Trump rally who were comfortable using offensive language about their fellow Americans, often receiving rapturous applause from the crowd.
Mike Johnson, Speaker of the House of Representatives, gestures during a rally for Republican presidential nominee and former U.S. President Donald Trump, at Madison Square Garden, in New York City, U.S. October 27, 2024. REUTERS/Carlos Barria
It came days after Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell called for a lowering of the rhetoric, especially after Trump has been called a fascist by Harris and other Democrats. (Johnson also spoke at Sunday’s MSG rally.)
Former Trump aide Stephen Miller: “The criminal migrants are gone. The gangs are gone. America is for Americans, and Americans only.”
Former Fox News broadcaster Tucker Carlson: “In a country that has been taken over by a leadership class that actually despites them and their values and their history, and really hates them… to the point where they’re trying to replace them.” He went on to mock Harris as “the first Samoan, Malaysian, low-IQ, former California prosecutor” while attempting to preemptively question the legitimacy of a potential Harris victory over Trump. (Harris is the first Black and south Asian female vice president in US history.)
Radio host Sid Rosenberg: “She is some sick bastard, that Hillary Clinton. The whole f***ing party, a bunch of degenerates — lowlifes and Jew-haters, every one of them.” He also called Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff, Harris’ husband, “a crappy Jew.”
David Rem, a friend of Trump (upon hearing epithets shouted by an audience member): “She is the devil, whoever screamed that out. She is the anti-Christ.”
David Rem, a childhood friend of Republican presidential nominee and former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a Trump rally at Madison Square Garden, in New York, U.S., October 27, 2024. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly
Other speakers at Trump’s Sunday event include Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the former independent presidential candidate who dropped out of the race and backed Trump; billionaire Elon Musk; and Howard Lutnick, who is chair and CEO of the financial services firm Cantor Fitzgerald.
ATLANTA — Vice President Kamala Harris said Saturday that Republican former President Donald Trump was “cruel” for how he talked about the grieving family of a Georgia mother who died after waiting 20 hours for a hospital to treat her complications from an abortion pill, as she put combating restrictions on reproductive care at the center of her pitch to voters.
At a rally in Atlanta, Harris blamed Amber Thurman’s death on Georgia’s abortion restrictions that took effect after the Supreme Court in 2022, with three Trump-appointed justices, overturned Roe v. Wade. It comes as Harris is looking to the issue to propel support to Democrats, who have pledged to restore a national right to abortion if they win the White House and enough seats in Congress.
“Donald Trump still refuses to take accountability, to take any accountability, for the pain and the suffering he has caused,” Harris said.
Thurman’ story features at the center of one of Harris’ closing campaign ads, and her family attended her Atlanta rally, with her mother holding a photo of her daughter from the audience. Harris showed a clip of Trump saying during a recent Fox News Channel town hall, when he was asked about the Thurman family joining a separate media call, “We’ll get better ratings, I promise.”
“A grieving family, a grieving family, sharing the memory of their daughter with our nation. Where is the compassion?” she asked. “What we see continually from Donald Trump is exactly what that clip shows,” Harris added. “He belittles their sorrow, making it about himself and his television ratings. It is cruel.”
Before Harris became the Democratic nominee, Ian Summer, 19, planned on voting against Trump – but he wasn’t enthusiastic about President Joe Biden. Since Harris stepped into the race “she’s brought great energy,” Summer said. Summer is worried about restrictions on abortion access under Trump. “The fact that I could have a wife in the future that may not be able to receive the care that she needs, that’s a very scary thing,” he said.
Early voting is also underway in Georgia. More than 1.2 million ballots have been cast, either in person or by mail. Democrats hope an expansive organizing effort will boost Harris against Trump in the campaign’s final weeks. Harris referenced that former President Jimmy Carter recently voted by mail days after his 100th birthday.
“If Jimmy Carter can vote early, you can too,” Harris said.
Roderick Williams, 56, brought his three daughters to Harris’ Atlanta rally. His youngest daughter was born around the time former President Barack Obama entered office, and he hopes they can witness history again by seeing Harris become the first Black woman to be president.
“It’s important for them to see that anything’s possible,” Williams said.
Harris was joined at the rally by hometown music icon Usher, drawing again on star power as she looks to excite voters to the polls. Earlier Saturday she appeared with Lizzo on Saturday in the singer’s hometown of Detroit, marking the beginning of in-person voting and lavishing the city with praise after Trump recently disparaged it.
“All the best things were made in Detroit. Coney Dogs, Faygo and Lizzo,” the singer joked to a rally crowd, pointing to herself after listing off the hot dogs and soda that the city is famous for.
She said it was time to “put some respect on Detroit’s name” noting that the city had revolutionized the auto and music industries and adding that she’d already cast her ballot for Harris since voting early was “a power move.”
Heaps of praise for the Motor City came after Trump, the former president, insulted it during a recent campaign stop. And Harris continued the theme, saying of her campaign, “Like the people of Detroit, we have grit, we have excellence, we have history.”
Arms wide open as she took the stage, Harris let the crowd see she was wearing under her blazer a “Detroit vs. Everybody” T-shirt that the owner of the business that produces them gave her during a previous stop in the city earlier in the week. She also moved around the stage during her speech with a hand-held mic, not using a teleprompter.
More than 1 million Michigan residents have already voted by mail in the Nov. 5 election, and Harris predicted that Detroit turnout for early voting would be strong.
“Who is the capital of producing records?” Harris asked when imploring the crowd to set new highs for early voting tallies. “We are going to break some records here in Detroit today.”
She slammed Trump as unstable: “Somebody just needs to watch his rallies, if you’re not really sure how to vote.”
“We’re not going to get these 17 days back. On Election Day, we don’t want to have any regrets,” the vice president said.
Lizzo also told the crowd, “Mrs. Commander-in-Chief has a nice ring to it.”
“This is the swing state of all swing states, so every last vote here counts,” the singer said. Then, referencing her song of the same title, Lizzo added, “If you ask me if America is ready for its first woman president, I only have one thing to say: “It’s about damn time!”
Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley said in a statement that Harris needed Lizzo “to hide the fact that Michiganders were feeling good under President Trump – real wages were higher, prices were lower, and everyone was better off.”
Talona Johnson, a product manager from Rochester, Michigan, attended Harris’ rally and said that Harris “and her team are doing the things that are required to make sure that people are informed.”
“I believe she’s telling the truth. She’s trying to help the people,” said Johnson, who said she planned to vote for Harris and saw women’s rights as her top concern.
“I don’t necessarily agree with everything that she’s put out, but she’s better than the alternative,”
In comments to reporters before the rally, Harris said she was in Detroit “to thank all the folks for the work they are doing to help organize and register people to vote, and get them out to vote today. She also called Detroit “a great American city” with “a lot of hard-working folks that have grit and ambition and deserve to be respected.”
The vice president was asked about whether the Biden administration’s full-throated support for Israel in its war with Hamas in Gaza might hurt her support in Michigan. Dearborn, near Detroit, is the largest city with an Arab majority in the nation.
“It has never been easy,” Harris said of Middle East policy. “But that doesn’t mean we give up.”
___
Associated Press writers Matt Brown in Detroit, Charlotte Kramon in Atlanta and Will Weissert and Fatima Hussein in Washington contributed to this report.
ATLANTA — Vice President Kamala Harris said Saturday that Republican former President Donald Trump was “cruel” for how he talked about the grieving family of a Georgia mother who died after waiting 20 hours for a hospital to treat her complications from an abortion pill, as she put combating restrictions on reproductive care at the center of her pitch to voters.
At a rally in Atlanta, Harris blamed Amber Thurman’s death on Georgia’s abortion restrictions that took effect after the Supreme Court in 2022, with three Trump-appointed justices, overturned Roe v. Wade. It comes as Harris is looking to the issue to propel support to Democrats, who have pledged to restore a national right to abortion if they win the White House and enough seats in Congress.
“Donald Trump still refuses to take accountability, to take any accountability, for the pain and the suffering he has caused,” Harris said.
Thurman’ story features at the center of one of Harris’ closing campaign ads, and her family attended her Atlanta rally, with her mother holding a photo of her daughter from the audience. Harris showed a clip of Trump saying during a recent Fox News Channel town hall, when he was asked about the Thurman family joining a separate media call, “We’ll get better ratings, I promise.”
“A grieving family, a grieving family, sharing the memory of their daughter with our nation. Where is the compassion?” she asked. “What we see continually from Donald Trump is exactly what that clip shows,” Harris added. “He belittles their sorrow, making it about himself and his television ratings. It is cruel.”
Before Harris became the Democratic nominee, Ian Summer, 19, planned on voting against Trump – but he wasn’t enthusiastic about President Joe Biden. Since Harris stepped into the race “she’s brought great energy,” Summer said. Summer is worried about restrictions on abortion access under Trump. “The fact that I could have a wife in the future that may not be able to receive the care that she needs, that’s a very scary thing,” he said.
Early voting is also underway in Georgia. More than 1.2 million ballots have been cast, either in person or by mail. Democrats hope an expansive organizing effort will boost Harris against Trump in the campaign’s final weeks. Harris referenced that former President Jimmy Carter recently voted by mail days after his 100th birthday.
“If Jimmy Carter can vote early, you can too,” Harris said.
Roderick Williams, 56, brought his three daughters to Harris’ Atlanta rally. His youngest daughter was born around the time former President Barack Obama entered office, and he hopes they can witness history again by seeing Harris become the first Black woman to be president.
“It’s important for them to see that anything’s possible,” Williams said.
Harris was joined at the rally by hometown music icon Usher, drawing again on star power as she looks to excite voters to the polls. Earlier Saturday she appeared with Lizzo on Saturday in the singer’s hometown of Detroit, marking the beginning of in-person voting and lavishing the city with praise after Trump recently disparaged it.
“All the best things were made in Detroit. Coney Dogs, Faygo and Lizzo,” the singer joked to a rally crowd, pointing to herself after listing off the hot dogs and soda that the city is famous for.
She said it was time to “put some respect on Detroit’s name” noting that the city had revolutionized the auto and music industries and adding that she’d already cast her ballot for Harris since voting early was “a power move.”
Heaps of praise for the Motor City came after Trump, the former president, insulted it during a recent campaign stop. And Harris continued the theme, saying of her campaign, “Like the people of Detroit, we have grit, we have excellence, we have history.”
Arms wide open as she took the stage, Harris let the crowd see she was wearing under her blazer a “Detroit vs. Everybody” T-shirt that the owner of the business that produces them gave her during a previous stop in the city earlier in the week. She also moved around the stage during her speech with a hand-held mic, not using a teleprompter.
More than 1 million Michigan residents have already voted by mail in the Nov. 5 election, and Harris predicted that Detroit turnout for early voting would be strong.
“Who is the capital of producing records?” Harris asked when imploring the crowd to set new highs for early voting tallies. “We are going to break some records here in Detroit today.”
She slammed Trump as unstable: “Somebody just needs to watch his rallies, if you’re not really sure how to vote.”
“We’re not going to get these 17 days back. On Election Day, we don’t want to have any regrets,” the vice president said.
Lizzo also told the crowd, “Mrs. Commander-in-Chief has a nice ring to it.”
“This is the swing state of all swing states, so every last vote here counts,” the singer said. Then, referencing her song of the same title, Lizzo added, “If you ask me if America is ready for its first woman president, I only have one thing to say: “It’s about damn time!”
Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley said in a statement that Harris needed Lizzo “to hide the fact that Michiganders were feeling good under President Trump – real wages were higher, prices were lower, and everyone was better off.”
Talona Johnson, a product manager from Rochester, Michigan, attended Harris’ rally and said that Harris “and her team are doing the things that are required to make sure that people are informed.”
“I believe she’s telling the truth. She’s trying to help the people,” said Johnson, who said she planned to vote for Harris and saw women’s rights as her top concern.
“I don’t necessarily agree with everything that she’s put out, but she’s better than the alternative,”
In comments to reporters before the rally, Harris said she was in Detroit “to thank all the folks for the work they are doing to help organize and register people to vote, and get them out to vote today. She also called Detroit “a great American city” with “a lot of hard-working folks that have grit and ambition and deserve to be respected.”
The vice president was asked about whether the Biden administration’s full-throated support for Israel in its war with Hamas in Gaza might hurt her support in Michigan. Dearborn, near Detroit, is the largest city with an Arab majority in the nation.
“It has never been easy,” Harris said of Middle East policy. “But that doesn’t mean we give up.”
___
Associated Press writers Matt Brown in Detroit, Charlotte Kramon in Atlanta and Will Weissert and Fatima Hussein in Washington contributed to this report.
A man was arrested outside former President Trump’s rally in Riverside County on Saturday and charged with illegal possession of a shotgun, handgun and high-capacity magazine, sheriff’s officials said.
Vem Miller, 49, of Las Vegas was arrested and booked at the John J. Benoit Detention Center in Indio on charges of possessing loaded firearms, Riverside County sheriff’s officials said in a news release.
Deputies found the guns and magazine after searching Miller’s black SUV at a checkpoint at Avenue 52 and Celebration Drive in Coachella about 5 p.m., authorities said.
The arrest “did not impact the safety of former President Trump or attendees of the event,” sheriff’s officials said. No other information about Miller or the incident was immediately available.
Trump narrowly avoided an assassination attempt in July at a rally in Butler, Pa. A bullet grazed his ear before snipers assigned to his Secret Service detail killed the gunman, Thomas Crooks, who had opened fire from the roof of a nearby building. A rally attendee, Corey Comperatore, was killed shielding his family from the gunfire.
In September, police arrested a man near Trump’s golf club in West Palm Beach, Fla. They suspect that Ryan Routh intended to shoot the former president with an SKS rifle while hiding in the shrubbery lining the golf club.
Prosecutors say Routh possessed a handwritten list of dates and venues where Trump was expected to appear.
Routh is charged with attempting to assassinate a presidential candidate, possessing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, assaulting a federal officer), possessing a firearm and ammunition as a felon, and possessing a firearm with an obliterated serial number.
AURORA, Colo. — Aurora residents and Venezuelan immigrants hosted a cookout Friday evening after former President Trump’s rally at the Gaylord Hotel. They spoke out against his claims of Aurora being a “war zone.”
The event took place outside the Edge of Lowry apartments on 1218 Dallas St. The complex has been the center of a national controversy surrounding Venezuelan gangs in Aurora. The complex gained national attention after a viral video showed armed men running through the hallways.
In response to the video, former President Trump made several comments, claiming that gangs were “taking over” Aurora. He continued that rhetoric during his speech on Friday.
City council members, former state representatives, and community advocates condemned the former president’s words.
“He’s villainizing folks because they had the audacity to seek something better for their family,” said Tim Hernandez, an Aurora teacher and Colorado state representative. “If you ain’t got nothing good to say about Aurora, keep it out of your mouth.”
Residents hope the barbecue showed a more “human” side to Aurora. Families brought their children to dance, eat, and learn more about their neighbors.
“Since I’ve been living here, I’ve been living peacefully,” said Veronica Lemus, an immigrant from Venezuela.
Lemus moved to the United States just over a year ago and has lived at the Aurora apartment complex for nearly seven months. Although she said the neighborhood is imperfect, she argued that the nationwide narrative of “violent Venezuelan gangs taking over Aurora” is false.
A mother of two, Lemus condemned Trump’s rhetoric as anti-immigrant. She argued that the peaceful cookout more accurately depicts her life in Aurora.
“We are good people,” said Lemus.
Tenants at troubled Aurora apartment complex hold community BBQ following Trump rally
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It was hard to miss the massive American flag towering over the Butler Farm Show ground on July 13 as it waved over the rally site where former President Donald Trump was set to speak, just days before a crucial running mate selection and the Republican National Convention.
On July 13, the two of us, who had been tag-teaming coverage of Trump’s third run for president for over a year, went to what we thought would be a typical Trump rally in an open field in a Pittsburgh suburb, a crucial electoral area in a crucial battleground state. It ended with a gunman trying to take Trump’s life, and the death of a fireman, Corey Comparatore.
We stood front and center in the press area at 6 p.m. and Trump took the stage (an hour late, as can be the case) and knew right away that something wasn’t right when what sounded like firecrackers went off to our left. That’s where shooter Thomas Crooks had climbed up onto an unprotected building just outside of the security perimeter and fired multiple shots.
A hydraulic lift that held up a massive stack of speakers was struck, sending smoke shooting out and the speakers slowly fell towards the ground, and as we took cover (ground twice), all we could think was to pull out our phones and get to work. Olivia recorded the sounds of panicked journalists and attendees alike huddled along the press riser and bicycle racks separating us, the shrieks of scared children, and, realized only upon listening many times since, the sound of those around Corey Comperatore yelling for assistance.
Jake spoke with emergency room Dr. James Sweetland, who ran to help Comperatore, and said that he heard the gunshots and went to assist, finding Comperatore “jammed between the benches” before attempting to save his life.
We both stood in shock as the crowd turned on us in the moments after Trump’s motorcade sped out of Butler, with one man yelling “This is your fault!”
What was to be a typical Trump rally wasn’t so typical anymore.
Eighty-four days later Trump returned, and so did the two of us, taking the same route from downtown Pittsburgh, parking in the same location, and enduring a similar heat with no shade in the press pen alongside fellow reporters who, just like us and the former president, chose to return and confront our trauma.
The stage was set up in the same location, with that same American flag looming over Trump and the crowd behind him on that day.
But for everything that was the same that day, there were striking differences. The building where the gunman had climbed up, crawled across, and ultimately fired fatal shots, was completely obstructed from the view of the crowd by tractor trailers. Several teams of snipers were stationed throughout the rally site. It was perhaps the largest crowd we have seen thus far at a Trump rally.
And we are not the same people. Witnessing the events of July 13 took away our feeling of safety while doing our jobs, and the effects of that continue to impact us. There was a moment of shock at one point, when the speaker on stage paused as the crowd shouted “medic” for a woman who fainted. We were frozen in fear hearing the same words that were shouted in the seconds after Trump’s assassination attempt, as people were shouting for a medic to take care of Comperatore.
But like July 13, we had to go to work. Like those in the crowd of tens of thousands that chose to return, there was a sense of unfinished business on this fairground. We had continued on to Milwaukeee and the Republican National Convention to cover Trump’s first public appearance since Butler, but we knew that we had to come back here, no matter how painful it was to land back in Pittsburgh, head north on Route 79 and pull off at the Butler Farm Show, and finish the job: for the two of us, for CBS News, for the country.
Unlike other speakers on the stage Saturday who championed Trump’s words of “fight, fight, fight,” Sweetland went out of his way to mention he is a former Democrat and pleaded with the crowd to reach out and find five Democrats with whom they could find commonality.
“Democrats are like teenagers,” Sweetland said. “You think they aren’t listening, but they are.”
Eight-four days later, the entire race has changed, and so have we.
Former President Donald Trump will rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday after an assassination attempt unfolded at his July 2024 rally there. Enhanced security measures were put in place, like trailers blocking the line of sight from the shed Thomas Crooks fired from. CBS News political correspondent Caitlin Huey-Burns and CBS News Pittsburgh reporter Jennifer Borrasso have the latest.
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When former President Donald Trump takes the stage once again Saturday in Butler, Pennsylvania, the security apparatus around the GOP nominee will look starkly different from the day of the first assassination attempt against him, when he took cover behind his podium as a gunman opened fire.
Secret Service and the second Butler rally
U.S. Secret Service personnel will be stationed both inside and outside of the secure perimeter. That area includes the roof of a glass company warehouse where investigators say 20-year-old Thomas Crooks fired off eight rounds on July 13, grazing Trump’s ear, killing one attendee and injuring two others.
“Since the attempted assassination of former President Trump on July 13, the U.S. Secret Service has made comprehensive changes and enhancements to our communications capabilities, resourcing, and protective operations,” U.S. Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi said in a statement. “Today, the former President is receiving heightened protection and we take the responsibility to ensure his safety and security very seriously.”
Federal law enforcement and local police began planning for Trump’s return to Butler roughly two weeks ago, multiple law enforcement officials told CBS News. The first in-person planning meeting with local law enforcement took place earlier this week, on Monday.
“Regarding the October 5 event in Butler, we are coordinating closely with the Pennsylvania State Police as well as local law enforcement in and around Butler Township,” Guglielmi added. “We are also leveraging other federal security resources to expand personnel and technology.”
Those federal resources will include agents from the Department of Homeland Security’s Homeland Security Investigations, who will stand post inside and outside the security perimeter. TSA agents will be working the magnetometers along the perimeter of the site, according to law enforcement sources.
And while the 45th president’s security footprint will include more personnel and assets — complete with counter sniper teams, enhanced counter drone technology and counter assault teams — there will also be additional Pennsylvania State Police officers on site, with tactical team members blended alongside U.S. Secret Service teams throughout the event.
Senate report on Secret Service and Trump Butler rally
Last month, an interim Senate report identified planning, communications and security failures in the U.S. Secret Service’s efforts during former President Donald Trump’s July rally that “directly contributed” to the assassination attempt against him.
The joint investigation of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee and the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations indicated that several Secret Service officials experienced chronic problems with their radios on July 13. In one notable instance, a Secret Service countersniper was offered a local radio to help with communications throughout the day, but he didn’t have time to pick it up because he was working on “fixing” his own Secret Service radio. Because of failures of radios on site in Butler, the special agent in charge gave away his radio to a lead advance agent and went without one for the rest of the day, the report said.
Trump’s detail now travels with a radio communications specialist from the U.S. Secret Service’s Office of the Chief Information Officer, whose primary purpose is to share real-time information with Trump’s team, as relayed on all law enforcement radio channels, according to multiple law enforcement sources.
Addressing Butler rally site vulnerabilities
A number of tall buildings lining the perimeter of the Butler Farm Show create line-of-sight vulnerabilities for Trump. The Secret Service is mitigating that threat with stage enhancements, rows of farm vehicles parked around the rally site and bulletproof glass, according to the sources.
Unlike the July 13 rally, members of the U.S. Secret Service, Pennsylvania State Police and Butler County Police will sit together in a unified command post.
Trump in Butler amid assassination threats from Iran
The two attempts on Trump’s life followed the arrest of a Pakistani national with ties to Iran, charged with allegedly plotting a murder-for-hire scheme targeting current and former U.S. officials, including Trump.
Matthew Olsen, head of the Department of Justice’s National Security Division, said in an interview with CBS News Thursday that the U.S. government has been “intensely tracking Iranian lethal plotting efforts targeting former and current U.S. government officials — and that includes the former president.”
Olsen added, “I would say that we are very concerned — gravely concerned — about Iranian plotting.” Last month, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence briefed Trump on “real and specific threats from Iran to assassinate him.”
“I think we’ve been very, very clear that that is a threat vector that we are extremely concerned about monitoring very closely, working to gain as much information and fidelity on as we possibly can,” a senior DHS official told CBS News in a reporter briefing, Wednesday. “That is a U.S. government-wide effort to involve all of our partners across the United States government.”
A Homeland Threat Assessment released by the Department of Homeland Security Wednesday stated that Iran “maintains its intent to kill US government officials it deems responsible for the 2020 death of its Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC)-Quds Force Commander and designated foreign terrorist Qassem Soleimani,” an action carried out during the Trump administration.
“It is no secret that this is a challenge we are confronting on a daily basis right now,” the DHS senior official added.
Authorities anticipate roughly 25,000-30,000 will be attending the rally Saturday.
Nikole Killion, Daniel Klaidman, Clare Hymes, and Michael Kaplan contributed reporting.
Police said Saturday that a man will face misdemeanor charges after he stormed into the press area at Donald Trump’s rally in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, before being surrounded by authorities and eventually subdued with a Taser as the former president spoke at the campaign stop.The incident Friday came moments after Trump had criticized major media outlets for what he said was unfavorable coverage and had dismissed CNN as fawning for its interview Thursday with his Democratic rival Kamala Harris and her running mate, Tim Walz.It was not immediately clear what motivated the man or whether he was a Trump supporter or critic.The man made it over a barrier ringing the media area and began climbing the back side of a riser where television reporters and cameras were stationed, according to a video of the incident posted to social media by a reporter for CBS News. People near him tried to pull him off the riser and were quickly joined by police officers and sheriff’s deputies.The crowd cheered as a pack of police led the man away, prompting Trump to say, “Is there anywhere that’s more fun to be than a Trump rally?”Johnstown’s police chief, Richard M. Pritchard, confirmed to The Associated Press on Saturday that the man was arrested, released and will be formally charged next week. Pritchard said the man, whose identity will be disclosed when charges are filed, will face misdemeanors in municipal court for alleged disorderly conduct, resisting arrest and disrupting a public assembly.Pritchard, who was not directly involved in the arrest, declined to speculate on the man’s motives.Fierce criticism of the media is a standard part of Trump’s rally speeches, and his supporters often react by turning toward the press section and booing; some use their middle finger to demonstrate their distaste for journalists.Moments before the man ventured into the media’s designated section, Trump had reprised his familiar assertion that the media is a collective “enemy of the people.” Video of the incident does not make clear what the man was yelling as he climbed barriers or as he was being subdued and arrested.Trump’s campaign tried to distance the former president from the man and his actions, suggesting he was a Trump opponent.“Witnesses, including some in the press corps, described a crazed individual shouting expletives at President Trump,” said campaign senior adviser Danielle Alvarez. “His aggression was focused on the president and towards the stage as he entered the press area.”Alvarez did not identify the witnesses she cited or expound on what the man may have shouted. Alvarez added that the campaign appreciates the response of local law enforcement officials and the U.S. Secret Service for acting quickly.Shortly after the incident, police handcuffed another man in the crowd and led him out of the arena. It was not immediately clear whether that detention was related to the initial altercation.The incident happened amid heightened scrutiny of security at Trump rallies after a gunman fired at him, grazing his ear, during an outdoor rally in July in nearby Butler, Pennsylvania. Security at political events has been noticeably tighter since the shooting.A Secret Service spokesperson referred questions to local authorities.
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. —
Police said Saturday that a man will face misdemeanor charges after he stormed into the press area at Donald Trump’s rally in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, before being surrounded by authorities and eventually subdued with a Taser as the former president spoke at the campaign stop.
The incident Friday came moments after Trump had criticized major media outlets for what he said was unfavorable coverage and had dismissed CNN as fawning for its interview Thursday with his Democratic rival Kamala Harris and her running mate, Tim Walz.
It was not immediately clear what motivated the man or whether he was a Trump supporter or critic.
The man made it over a barrier ringing the media area and began climbing the back side of a riser where television reporters and cameras were stationed, according to a video of the incident posted to social media by a reporter for CBS News. People near him tried to pull him off the riser and were quickly joined by police officers and sheriff’s deputies.
The crowd cheered as a pack of police led the man away, prompting Trump to say, “Is there anywhere that’s more fun to be than a Trump rally?”
Johnstown’s police chief, Richard M. Pritchard, confirmed to The Associated Press on Saturday that the man was arrested, released and will be formally charged next week. Pritchard said the man, whose identity will be disclosed when charges are filed, will face misdemeanors in municipal court for alleged disorderly conduct, resisting arrest and disrupting a public assembly.
Pritchard, who was not directly involved in the arrest, declined to speculate on the man’s motives.
Fierce criticism of the media is a standard part of Trump’s rally speeches, and his supporters often react by turning toward the press section and booing; some use their middle finger to demonstrate their distaste for journalists.
Moments before the man ventured into the media’s designated section, Trump had reprised his familiar assertion that the media is a collective “enemy of the people.” Video of the incident does not make clear what the man was yelling as he climbed barriers or as he was being subdued and arrested.
Trump’s campaign tried to distance the former president from the man and his actions, suggesting he was a Trump opponent.
“Witnesses, including some in the press corps, described a crazed individual shouting expletives at President Trump,” said campaign senior adviser Danielle Alvarez. “His aggression was focused on the president and towards the stage as he entered the press area.”
Alvarez did not identify the witnesses she cited or expound on what the man may have shouted. Alvarez added that the campaign appreciates the response of local law enforcement officials and the U.S. Secret Service for acting quickly.
Shortly after the incident, police handcuffed another man in the crowd and led him out of the arena. It was not immediately clear whether that detention was related to the initial altercation.
The incident happened amid heightened scrutiny of security at Trump rallies after a gunman fired at him, grazing his ear, during an outdoor rally in July in nearby Butler, Pennsylvania. Security at political events has been noticeably tighter since the shooting.
A Secret Service spokesperson referred questions to local authorities.
Former President Donald Trump has drawn the ire of another musical group for unauthorized use of their music. This time, it’s the Foo Fighters.
Trump played the band’s song “My Hero” when he welcomed former independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to the stage at a rally in Arizona on Friday. Kennedy had announced earlier in the day that he had dropped his campaign for the presidency and endorsed Trump.
The Republican Party’s nominee said Kennedy would “have a huge influence on this campaign.”
However, they cannot count on the support of the Foo Fighters.
Dave Grohl and Taylor Hawkins of the Foo Fighters perform at Lollapalooza Chile 2022.
Marcelo Hernandez / Getty Images
When commenting on the Trump campaign’s use of “My Hero,” a spokesperson for the band told CBS News on Saturday: “Foo Fighters were not asked permission and if they were, they would have not granted it.”
The spokesperson added that any royalties received as a result of the Trump campaign’s use of the song will be donated to the campaign of Vice President Kamala Harris and Gov. Tim Walz.
Additionally, in response to a question if the band had “let Trump use ‘My Hero” to welcome RJF Jr. on stage,” the Foo Fighters’ account on X simply replied, “No.” The account then shared the exchange, adding: “Let us be clear.”
This marks the latest incident in which the Trump campaign has run afoul of using music without permission.
Earlier this week, Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Chueng posted a 13-second video on his X account of the former president stepping off a plane while Beyonce’s “Freedom” played in the background, Billboard reported. A day later, the singer’s record label and music producer sent a cease-and-desist notice to the Trump campaign over the song’s use. Cheung took the video down.
On Aug. 11, lawyers for the Issac Hayes estate threatened to sue Trump if his campaign did not stop using the late soul singer’s song “Hold On, I’m Coming” at his rallies. A letter shared on social media from Hayes’ family demanded $3 million in licensing fees for the use of the song at Trump’s campaign events since 2022. According to Hayes’ family, the song has been played 134 times by the Trump campaign in the last two years.
Lucia Suarez Sang is an associate managing editor at CBSNews.com. Previously, Lucia was the director of digital content at FOX61 News in Connecticut and has previously written for outlets including FoxNews.com, Fox News Latino and the Rutland Herald.
The four-second clip shows 20-year-old Crooks walking by a row of vendor tents selling Trump merchandise. The footage was captured by Joe Tomko, who owns Iron Clad USA, a merchandise company. Tomko said he has sent the video to the FBI.
CBS News confirmed the footage was captured outside the secure perimeter of the rally. The video’s timestamp indicates it was filmed at 4:26 p.m. — one hour and 45 minutes before Crooks opened fire.
The video places Crooks around half a mile away from the AGR building that he later used as his firing position. A countersniper from a local tactical team photographed Crooks outside the AGR building less than an hour after this video was filmed, at around 5:14 p.m.
FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbate said before Congress that the first reported sighting of Crooks by local law enforcement was at approximately 4:26 p.m. Text messages released by Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley showed a local countersniper texted his colleagues about a suspicious person close to the AGR building at around 4:26 p.m. However, this footage places Crooks in a different location, around half a mile away from the AGR building, at that time.
It’s unclear if the suspicious person the countersniper saw near the AGR building was in fact Crooks. CBS News has reached out to the FBI and local officials to clarify.
The video also provides insight into Crooks’ movements between when he flew a drone close to the rally site and when he was photographed outside the AGR building after 5 p.m.
FBI Director Christopher Wray testified before House lawmakers in July that the FBI believed Crooks flew a drone roughly 200 yards away from the stage at around 3:50 p.m. for approximately 11 minutes. “It appears that around 3:50 p.m., 4:00, in that window, on the day of the shooting, that the shooter was flying the drone around the area,” Wray said.
Wray said law enforcement investigators recovered the drone in Crooks’ vehicle, and the bureau believes he was watching video streamed from the device to scout the area.
The local countersniper team reported seeing Crooks walking around the AGR building between 5:10 p.m. and 5:38 p.m., before law enforcement officers lost sight of him again. A little after 6 p.m., as Trump began speaking, Crooks climbed on the roof of the building and opened fire.
Layla Ferris is a verification producer with CBS News Confirmed. She previously worked at ABC News and Storyful. She specializes in breaking news coverage, visual verification and open-source research.
The local SWAT team assigned to help protect former President Donald Trump on July 13 had not had any contact with the Secret Service agents in charge of security before a would-be assassin opened fire, those officers told ABC News.
It was a critical part of the planning and communications failures that ended with a gunman killing one man, critically injuring two more and wounding Trump as he delivered a speech just days before accepting the Republican presidential nomination.
“We were supposed to get a face-to-face briefing with the Secret Service members whenever they arrived, and that never happened,” said Jason Woods, lead sharpshooter on the SWAT team in Beaver County, Pennsylvania.
“So I think that was probably a pivotal point, where I started thinking things were wrong because it never happened,” Woods said. “We had no communication.”
In their first public comments since the assassination attempt, the SWAT team on the ground that day and their supervisors spoke exclusively with ABC News Senior Investigative Correspondent Aaron Katersky. It is the first time any key law enforcement personnel on-site on July 13 have offered first-hand accounts of what occurred.
They explained that they did what they could to try to thwart the attack but now have to live with the failure.
The episode last week led to the resignation of Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle. And, in the wake of the assassination attempt, a series of law-enforcement, internal and congressional probes have been announced – with communications and coordination a key focus of investigators’ attention.
The Secret Service, whose on-site team was supplemented as usual by local, county and state law-enforcement agencies, was ultimately responsible for security at the event.
Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi declined to respond directly to the comments from Woods and his colleagues. He said the agency “is committed to better understanding what happened before, during, and after the assassination attempt of former President Trump to ensure that never happens again. That includes complete cooperation with Congress, the FBI and other relevant investigations.”
Woods told ABC News he would have expected to have seen more coordination with the Secret Service and to have had greater communication between their team on the ground that day and the agents with Trump’s detail. The first communication between their group and the Secret Service agents on the scene that day, he said, was “not until after the shooting. By then, he said, “it was too late.”
Woods and the rest of the Beaver County sniper team were in position by mid-morning July 13, hours before Trump was set to take the stage at the Butler Farm Show grounds, outside Pittsburgh. The site is studded by a complex of warehouses, some clustered just outside the position where metal detectors were set up that day.
Gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, sparked suspicion among the Beaver County SWAT team but was still able to evade law enforcement and take position on the roof of the very building where county snipers had been posted. Though their sniper had taken pictures of Crooks and had called into Command about the suspicious presence — Crooks later opened fire on the former president less than 200 yards from the stage.
Beaver County Chief Detective Patrick Young, who runs the Emergency Services Unit and SWAT team, said collaboration is key when lives are on the line.
“I believe our team did everything humanly possible that day,” Young said. “We talk a lot on SWAT that we as individuals mean nothing until we come together as a team.”
PITTSBURGH, Pa. (KDKA) — The gunman who tried to assassinate former President Donald Trump planned to use explosives to create a diversion in a bid to escape the rally site, a leading lawmaker has revealed.
House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-Texas) said on CBS’ “Face the Nation” that Thomas Crooks had a detonation device on his body and two bombs in his vehicle.
“What his plan was, was to assassinate the president, create a diversion by blowing up his vehicle on the other side of the property, and then he could escape,” said McCaul, who served three terms as chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee.
CBS News previously reported that an AR-style rifle, remote transmitter and cellphone were found on the shooter’s body while two explosive devices, a drone, a tactical vest and four magazines of the same ammunition used in the shooting were found in Crooks’ vehicle.
Donald Trump is seen with blood on his ear and face, surrounded by Secret Service agents as he is taken off the stage at a campaign event at Butler Farm Show Inc. in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, 2024. Trump was hit in the ear in an apparent assassination attempt by a gunman at the campaign rally.
REBECCA DROKE / AFP via Getty Images
Kimberly Cheatle resigned from her position as director of the Secret Service after facing pressure from lawmakers who called for her to step down in the wake of the attempted assassination of the former president.
Trump to continue outdoor rallies in wake of assassination attempt
Mike Darnay is a digital producer and photojournalist at CBS Pittsburgh. Mike has also written and produced content for Vox Media and the Mon Valley Independent.
He often covers overnight breaking news, the Pittsburgh Steelers and high school sports.
ST. CLOUD, Minn. — Crews at the Herb Brooks Arena in St. Cloud are putting the finishing touches on before former President Donald Trump and his running mate, Sen. JD Vance, hold a rally Saturday evening.
The event is bringing in crowds from all over the state, including sisters Kelly and Cassidy Baatz, who drove three-and-a-half hours from Crookston and camped out overnight to be first in line to see the former president.
“I just didn’t want to miss out on this opportunity, especially in our home state,” said Cassidy Baatz.
For Mayor Dave Kleis, this weekend is about showing off the city, and building on a historic list of politicians who have visited town.
“You go back, Eisenhower was here,” Kleis said. “John F. Kennedy would have been here, but because of a snowstorm in Minneapolis, he was stranded and phoned into a rally in 1962.”
Hotels are already sold out in the city as thousands are expected to descend on St. Cloud. Mandy Cox, who works at the Boulder Tap House roughly 3.5 miles east of the arena said she has extra staff coming in to help.
“We went ahead and doubled our prep list, we’ve put up a handful of house shifts,” she said. “We have all the big managers on board.”
Tickets are still available for the event, which has a maximum capacity of 6,000. The rally starts at 7 p.m.
Mr. Biden won Minnesota in 2022, earning 52% of the vote and beating Trump by more than 233,000 votes. Trump visited Minnesota several times ahead of the 2020 election and vowed never to return if he lost the state. He last visited in May of this year to headline the state GOP’s annual Lincoln Reagan dinner.
BUTLER, Pennsylvania — A local law enforcement commissioner revealed during a House Homeland Security hearing on Tuesday stunning new details about the security failures that led to the near assassination of Donald Trump, raising more questions for the embattled US Secret Service.
Pennsylvania State Police Commissioner Christopher Paris’ striking testimony comes just one day after now-resigned Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle testified before the House Oversight Committee and largely declined to answer questions about the shooting at the former president’s Pennsylvania rally.
Paris told lawmakers about the communications between the Secret Service and local law enforcement who initially spotted Thomas Matthew Crooks, the would-be assassin. He also described a more detailed timeline from when officers first spotted Crooks in the crowd to when the 20-year-old opened fire on Trump.
Here’s what to know from Tuesday’s hearing:
Officers left post to look for Crooks
Two local law enforcement officers left a building with vantage points overlooking the roof where Crooks took aim at the former president before he fired shots, Paris testified.
Paris said that two officers with the Butler County Emergency Services Unit, a tactical force with sniper capabilities, left their posts in the building to look for a suspicious individual they spotted first and alerted to other law enforcement. That person was Crooks.
The lawmakers watched video taken during a congressional tour of the rally site Monday, from the building where the ESU officers left their post, showing the roof where Crooks eventually climbed and took shots at Trump.
“So are you then saying, to your knowledge, those ESU officers left the location where they could look out the window to go in search of this person?” Republican Rep. Dan Bishop of North Carolina asked.
“That is my understanding,” Paris said, adding that the officers went searching with other local officers in the area. “I don’t want to establish a timeline minute by minute because we don’t have that yet.”
Bishop also questioned whether the two officers who left their post could have seen Crooks climb on top of the roof if they had stayed put. Paris said he didn’t know.
Crooks fired eight times
Investigators believe that Crooks fired eight rounds before he was killed by counter-snipers, Paris said.
“I believe that the number is eight,” Paris told the committee. “Eight casings have been recovered.”
Officials had previously only confirmed that the shooter fired multiple times at the rally earlier this month.
Paris also told members of Congress that “several Secret Service agents” told the state police area commander during a walkthrough of the area before the rally that the Butler County Emergency Services Unit was responsible for securing the building where Crooks fired the shots.
Minutes on the roof
A municipal officer came face-to-face with Crooks during the several minutes the would-be assassin was on the roof before Crooks fired on Trump, Paris testified.
Paris said that the brief confrontation came as a pair of local officers who had learned of Crooks’ position on the roof attempted to climb up and confront the shooter. But while the officer was “dangling” from the roof, Crooks aimed his rifle at the officer and the officer fell.
Paris told lawmakers that Crooks was on the roof for roughly three minutes, but only a few seconds passed between when the officer confronted him and when he fired at Trump, correcting a timeframe he gave earlier in the hearing.
“When the one local officer hoisted the other one up, and subsequently falls,” Paris said, Crooks was “already, I believe, close to being in his final position there. And I’m told it’s – again, sequence of events, not a timeline based on the prior criteria laid out – but seconds after that is when the first shots rang up.”
Paris said that whether, or when, the confrontation was relayed to the Secret Service or other law enforcement agencies at the rally “remains under investigation.”
Communications between Secret Service and local law enforcement
Paris also detailed communications among law enforcement about Crooks before Trump took the stage at the rally earlier this month.
According to Paris, “there was a text thread going” with members of the Butler County Emergency Services Unit, some of whom initially spotted Crooks and reported him as a suspicious individual.
“At some point when he utilized the range finder, the suspicion was heightened,” Paris said of Crooks.
State Police then received a call and a text from the ESU about Crooks’ activity that they immediately relayed to Secret Service. Local, state and federal law enforcement were in a unified command post at the rally.
Graphic bodycam footage released Tuesday by Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley shows local law enforcement and a Secret Service agent standing over the body of the gunman in the aftermath of the July 13 assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
The footage, which Grassley said in a social media post was obtained via congressional request, was captured by the body camera of a Beaver County Emergency Services Unit officer.
It shows what appears to be multiple local law enforcement officers and a Secret Service agent standing on the roof from where the shots on Trump were fired from more than 400 feet away. The body of the gunman, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, can be seen laying on the roof beside them with a trail of blood.
Last week, a local law enforcement officer with direct knowledge of the events had told CBS News that a sniper from a local tactical team deployed to assist the Secret Service at the rally had snapped a picture of the gunman and saw him looking through a rangefinder minutes before he tried to assassinate Trump.
In the bodycam video, an unnamed Secret Service agent appears to confirm this, saying that the deceased gunman matches the description of the suspicious person in photos that were disseminated prior to the shooting.
“A Beaver County sniper seen and sent the pictures out, this is him,” the agent says in the video, referring to the shooter’s body.
“I don’t know if you got the same ones I did?” an officer asks the agent of the photos.
“I think I did, yeah, he’s (the shooter) got his glasses on,” the agent replies.
The officer adds that the sniper “sent the original pictures, and seen him (the shooter) come from the bike, and set the book bag down, and then lost sight of him.”
The agent also asks about whether an abandoned bike that was found in the area belonged to the shooter.
“We don’t know,” an officer replies.
Sources previously told CBS News that an AR-style rifle, remote transmitter and cellphone was found on the shooter’s body, while two explosive devices, a drone, a tactical vest and four magazines of the same ammunition used in the shooting were found inside the shooter’s car.
In the video, the agent discloses that people who were believed to have filmed the gunman with their phones had been detained for questioning.
“There’s people detained who were filming…maybe they were involved, maybe they weren’t,” the agent tells the officers.
Authorities have since confirmed that the gunman acted alone, and cellphone video has revealed that attendees attempted to alert officers to the shooter a full two minutes before he opened fire on Trump.
On July 14, 2024, two FBI investigators scan the roof of AGR International Inc, the building adjacent to the Butler Fairgrounds, from which the shooter fired at former President Donald Trump, during a campaign rally on July 13, 2024 in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Getty Images
“I think we have three victims in the crowd, are you guys hearing that too?” the agent asks in the video, referring to the rally attendee, a 50-year-old retired firefighter who was killed, along with two other attendees who were critically wounded.
During testimony Monday before the House Oversight Committee, Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle, who then resigned her post Tuesday, alleged that, at some point prior to the shooting, law enforcement teams were sent to identify and interview Crooks after he was deemed suspicious. She did not provide any additional details, including when the team was sent to make contact with him.
“At a number of our protected sites, there are suspicious individuals that are identified all the time,” she said. “It doesn’t necessarily mean that they constitute a threat.”
However, three sources familiar with a July 17 law enforcement briefing to members of Congress said that Secret Service was notified by the Pennsylvania State Police of a suspicious person with a rangefinder on the ground at 5:51 p.m. — about 20 minutes before the gunman opened fire.
A CBS News analysis has determined that the gunman was able to fire eight rounds in under six seconds before he was fatally shot by a Secret Service sniper.
— Scott MacFarlane, Melissa Quinn, Nicole Sganga and Anna Schecter contributed to this report.
Faris Tanyos is a news editor for CBSNews.com, where he writes and edits stories and tracks breaking news. He previously worked as a digital news producer at several local news stations up and down the West Coast.
A whistleblower is allegedly making claims about security failures in the hours leading up to the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump.Video above: Pennsylvania lawmaker wants committee to investigate Trump assassination attemptSen. Josh Hawley from Missouri sent a letter to the Department of Homeland Secretary explaining the whistleblower’s claims. The whistleblower allegedly claimed there was supposed to be at least one security officer posted on the roof where Thomas Matthew Crooks fired rounds at the former president, and the security officer assigned to the roof abandoned their post because of the heat. According to the whistleblower’s claims, the heat was why security personnel were stationed inside the building instead. The letter didn’t name any specific security or law enforcement agencies. Sister station WTAE reached out to Butler County Sheriff Mike Slupe with questions regarding the whistleblower’s claims.”That building and grounds were not the sheriff’s office’s responsibility, and I do not have first-hand knowledge of who was supposed to be where,” Slupe said.It was a Butler Township officer who responded to that building in search of Crooks and fell from the roof after spotting him with a gun. Butler Township officers were specifically assigned to traffic detail that day, according to Butler Township Manager, Tom Knights.Knights said Butler Township Police have not reported anything in line with the whistleblower’s claims. He said this is the first he’s heard that anyone was allegedly stationed on the building’s roof.Regarding the second claim, Knights said he was made aware there were personnel inside the building, but he doesn’t know which agency and if they were security or police, but he said it was not Butler Township.Knights toured the site of the Butler rally alongside members of Congress on Monday, including U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly of Pennsylvania.“The American people have the right to know, and we have the responsibility to get the answers for them. This is where I have grown up. This is where I’ve lived my whole life. For Homeland Security to come now and take a look at what happened and reassure the American people that this is never going to happen again, I appreciate it,” Kelly said.
Video above: Pennsylvania lawmaker wants committee to investigate Trump assassination attempt
Sen. Josh Hawley from Missouri sent a letter to the Department of Homeland Secretary explaining the whistleblower’s claims. The whistleblower allegedly claimed there was supposed to be at least one security officer posted on the roof where Thomas Matthew Crooks fired rounds at the former president, and the security officer assigned to the roof abandoned their post because of the heat.
According to the whistleblower’s claims, the heat was why security personnel were stationed inside the building instead. The letter didn’t name any specific security or law enforcement agencies.
Sister station WTAE reached out to Butler County Sheriff Mike Slupe with questions regarding the whistleblower’s claims.
“That building and grounds were not the sheriff’s office’s responsibility, and I do not have first-hand knowledge of who was supposed to be where,” Slupe said.
It was a Butler Township officer who responded to that building in search of Crooks and fell from the roof after spotting him with a gun. Butler Township officers were specifically assigned to traffic detail that day, according to Butler Township Manager, Tom Knights.
Knights said Butler Township Police have not reported anything in line with the whistleblower’s claims. He said this is the first he’s heard that anyone was allegedly stationed on the building’s roof.
Regarding the second claim, Knights said he was made aware there were personnel inside the building, but he doesn’t know which agency and if they were security or police, but he said it was not Butler Township.
Knights toured the site of the Butler rally alongside members of Congress on Monday, including U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly of Pennsylvania.
“The American people have the right to know, and we have the responsibility to get the answers for them. This is where I have grown up. This is where I’ve lived my whole life. For Homeland Security to come now and take a look at what happened and reassure the American people that this is never going to happen again, I appreciate it,” Kelly said.
A whistleblower is allegedly making claims about security failures in the hours leading up to the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump.Video above: Pennsylvania lawmaker wants committee to investigate Trump assassination attemptSen. Josh Hawley from Missouri sent a letter to the Department of Homeland Secretary explaining the whistleblower’s claims. The whistleblower allegedly claimed there was supposed to be at least one security officer posted on the roof where Thomas Matthew Crooks fired rounds at the former president, and the security officer assigned to the roof abandoned their post because of the heat. According to the whistleblower’s claims, the heat was why security personnel were stationed inside the building instead. The letter didn’t name any specific security or law enforcement agencies. Sister station WTAE reached out to Butler County Sheriff Mike Slupe with questions regarding the whistleblower’s claims.”That building and grounds were not the sheriff’s office’s responsibility, and I do not have first-hand knowledge of who was supposed to be where,” Slupe said.It was a Butler Township officer who responded to that building in search of Crooks and fell from the roof after spotting him with a gun. Butler Township officers were specifically assigned to traffic detail that day, according to Butler Township Manager, Tom Knights.Knights said Butler Township Police have not reported anything in line with the whistleblower’s claims. He said this is the first he’s heard that anyone was allegedly stationed on the building’s roof.Regarding the second claim, Knights said he was made aware there were personnel inside the building, but he doesn’t know which agency and if they were security or police, but he said it was not Butler Township.Knights toured the site of the Butler rally alongside members of Congress on Monday, including U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly of Pennsylvania.“The American people have the right to know, and we have the responsibility to get the answers for them. This is where I have grown up. This is where I’ve lived my whole life. For Homeland Security to come now and take a look at what happened and reassure the American people that this is never going to happen again, I appreciate it,” Kelly said.
Video above: Pennsylvania lawmaker wants committee to investigate Trump assassination attempt
Sen. Josh Hawley from Missouri sent a letter to the Department of Homeland Secretary explaining the whistleblower’s claims. The whistleblower allegedly claimed there was supposed to be at least one security officer posted on the roof where Thomas Matthew Crooks fired rounds at the former president, and the security officer assigned to the roof abandoned their post because of the heat.
According to the whistleblower’s claims, the heat was why security personnel were stationed inside the building instead. The letter didn’t name any specific security or law enforcement agencies.
Sister station WTAE reached out to Butler County Sheriff Mike Slupe with questions regarding the whistleblower’s claims.
“That building and grounds were not the sheriff’s office’s responsibility, and I do not have first-hand knowledge of who was supposed to be where,” Slupe said.
It was a Butler Township officer who responded to that building in search of Crooks and fell from the roof after spotting him with a gun. Butler Township officers were specifically assigned to traffic detail that day, according to Butler Township Manager, Tom Knights.
Knights said Butler Township Police have not reported anything in line with the whistleblower’s claims. He said this is the first he’s heard that anyone was allegedly stationed on the building’s roof.
Regarding the second claim, Knights said he was made aware there were personnel inside the building, but he doesn’t know which agency and if they were security or police, but he said it was not Butler Township.
Knights toured the site of the Butler rally alongside members of Congress on Monday, including U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly of Pennsylvania.
“The American people have the right to know, and we have the responsibility to get the answers for them. This is where I have grown up. This is where I’ve lived my whole life. For Homeland Security to come now and take a look at what happened and reassure the American people that this is never going to happen again, I appreciate it,” Kelly said.
Despite the 90-degree heat, thousands descended on Pennsylvania’s Butler Farm Show, which is a roughly 100 acre fairground used for agricultural exhibitions. Former President Donald Trump had appeared at the site before.
Butler County voted overwhelmingly for Trump in 2020, so the crowd was expected to be as friendly as you’d find in the country.
But things took a sudden, deadly turn, minutes after the former president and presumptive Republican nominee began speaking.
6:03 p.m.: Trump takes the stage; gunman spotted by witnesses
Donald Trump took the stage at 6:03 p.m. local time — about the same time that a man was spotted on the roof of a building about 160 yards, or some 400 feet, away. The man was carrying an AR-style semiautomatic rifle.
Spectators alerted police, and an armed officer attempted to check the roof.
“We noticed a guy crawling, you know, bear-crawling up the roof of the building beside us, 50 feet away from us,” one witness said. “So we’re standing there, you know, we’re pointing at the guy crawling up the roof.”
“He had a rifle — we could clearly see him with a rifle,” the witness added.
The sheriff said one officer tried to reach the gunman but had to fall back.
“All I know is the officer had both hands up on the roof to get up onto the roof,” Butler County Sheriff Michael Slupe told CBS Pittsburgh station KDKA, but the officer never made it “because the shooter had turned towards the officer.”
“And rightfully and smartfully, the officer let go,” Slupe said. After that, the shooter turned his rifle back towards the rally and the crowd and started shooting, Slupe said.
6:11 p.m.: Three shots are fired, then more shots
As Trump was talking about immigration, the first three shots were fired. They came from Trump’s right. Then three more shots were fired, followed by what sounded like an outgoing shot, as the crowd erupted into screams.
Video recorded by a member of the audience shows Secret Service snipers aiming at something in the direction of the gunman. A final shot is heard 15 seconds later.
Secret Service agents surrounded Trump, who was grazed in the ear, as blood ran down his face. It took a minute and a half to get the former president off the stage.
Donald Trump is seen with blood on his face, surrounded by Secret Service agents, as he is taken off the stage after a shooting at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, July 13, 2024.
REBECCA DROKE/AFP via Getty Images
As Secret Service agents tried to hustle him into his waiting SUV, Trump defiantly raised his fist several times and seemed to say, “Fight.”
Some people in the crowd turned their attention to three others who’d been shot. The victims included 50-year-old Corey Comperatore — a firefighter, father and big fan of Donald Trump. He was shot in the head and killed.
“I asked Corey’s wife if it would be OK for me to share that we spoke,” Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said at a news conference the next day. “She said yes. She also asked that I share with all of you that Corey died a hero, that Corey dove on his family to protect them last night at this rally. Corey was the very best of us. May his memory be a blessing.”
Two other people — David Dutch, 57, and James Copenhaver, 74 — were critically wounded. CBS News has learned one of the victims is in a medically-induced coma.
Trump was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.
8:13 p.m.: President Biden speaks out against violence
President Biden made a statement in Delaware, where he had been spending the weekend.
“There’s no place in America for this kind of violence,” Mr. Biden said. “It’s sick. It’s sick. It’s one of the reasons we have to unite this country. We cannot allow for this to be happening. We cannot be like this. We cannot condone this.”
Afterward, Mr. Biden returned to the White House, where he was briefed on the assassination attempt.
8:42 p.m.: Trump posts he’s been shot in his ear
Trump wrote on Truth Social: “I was shot with a bullet that pierced the upper part of my right ear. I knew immediately something was wrong in that I heard a whizzing sound, shots, and immediately felt the bullet ripping through the skin. Much bleeding took place.”
A short time later, he left the hospital, headed to the airport and flew to New Jersey.
1:20 a.m. Sunday: FBI identifies the gunman
Early Sunday morning, the FBI identified the gunman as Thomas Matthew Crooks. He was 20 years old and lived in Bethel, Pennsylvania, about 50 miles from the rally site. He graduated with an associate’s degree in engineering science from a community college and worked at a nursing and rehabilitation center.
So far, investigators say his motive is not known. They say he appears to have acted alone, and they have not found any clear indication of his intentions or threats in his social media accounts.
Investigators throughout the night and morning searched the suspect’s home and car. They said they found suspicious devices in his home and vehicle that were rendered safe by bomb technicians.
A former classmate at Bethel Park High School told CBS News that Crooks tried out for the high school’s rifle team but failed to make it. Jameson Myers described him as “a normal boy” and a “nice kid who never talked poorly of anyone,” and added, “I never have thought him capable of anything I’ve seen him do in the last few days.”
7:36 a.m.: Trump thanks people for their prayers
Sunday morning, Trump posted a message on Truth Social thanking people for their thoughts and prayers, saying “it was God alone who prevented the unthinkable from happening.”
“We will FEAR NOT, but instead remain resilient in our Faith and Defiant in the face of Wickedness,” Trump wrote, saying he was praying for the recovery of the people who were killed and wounded in the shooting.
“In this moment, it is more important than ever that we stand United, and show our True Character as Americans, remaining Strong and Determined, and not allowing Evil to Win,” Trump wrote.
10:21 a.m.: Melania Trump calls the shooter “a monster”
“America, the fabric of our gentle nation is tattered, but our courage and common sense must ascend and bring us back together as one,” the former first lady said.
She said that when she watched the “violent bullet” strike her husband, she realized that her life and that of the couple’s son Barron was “on the brink of devastating change.”
“A monster who recognized my husband as an inhuman political machine attempted to ring out Donald’s passion – his laughter, ingenuity, love of music and inspiration,” Melania wrote.
2:09 p.m.: Trump says he’s going to Milwaukee
Trump confirmed on Truth Social that he was flying to Wisconsin as planned to attend the Republican National Convention, which kicks off Monday.
“Based on yesterday’s terrible events, I was going to delay my trip to Wisconsin, and The Republican National Convention, by two days, but have just decided that I cannot allow a “shooter,” or potential assassin, to force change to scheduling, or anything else,” Trump wrote.
“Therefore, I will be leaving for Milwaukee, as scheduled, at 3:30 P.M. TODAY,” he added.
“We can’t allow this violence to be normalized,” Mr. Biden said. “The political rhetoric in this country has gotten very heated. It’s time to cool it down. We all have a responsibility to do that.”
He added that “politics must never be a literal battlefield, God forbid, a killing field.”
The president cited a number of violent political acts in recent years, including the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the Capitol, a foiled plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, the attack on the husband of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and the intimidation of election officials.
“In America, we resolve our differences” at the ballot box, Mr. Biden said, “not with bullets.”
The FBI says it has received more than 2,600 tips so far. Investigators are now working on that timeline in reverse, from the shooting and all the moments leading up to it, as they dissect the would-be assassin’s life in the days and months prior to July 13.
