Then-Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump was rushed off a stage by Secret Service agents after gunfire rang out during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, 2024 (Picture: Reuters)

President Donald Trump has opened up on the moment he was nearly killed by a sniper a year later.

Turning his head at the vital moment, the 5.56 mm caliber bullet fired from would-be assassin Thomas Matthews Crooks’ AR-15 grazed Trump’s ear just millimetres from killing him during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.

‘Well, it was unforgettable,’ Trump told his daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, in an interview that will air on Fox News.

‘I didn’t know exactly what was going on. I got whacked. There’s no question about that.’

President Donald Trump reflected that he was ‘whacked’ during the Butler campaign rally (Picture: Reuters)

Immediately after gunshots were fired at the future president at the outdoor rally on July 13, 2024, Secret Service agents surrounded him. He made a fist in the air and mouthed the words, ‘Fight! Fight! Fight!’ as agents ushered him off the stage with a bleeding ear.

‘Fortunately, I got down quickly,’ the president said in a preview clip released on Thursday.

‘People were screaming, and I got down quickly, fortunately, because I think they shot eight bullets.’

He proceeded to say that the Secret Service had a ‘bad day’ in allowing Crooks to reach a roof from where he fired.

Then-Republican candidate Donald Trump had blood on his face as he was surrounded by Secret Service agents and taken off the stage during his campaign rally at the Butler Farm Show (Picture: Getty Images)

‘I have great confidence in these people. I know the people. And they’re very talented, very capable,’ he said of the agency.

‘But they had a bad day. And I think they’ll admit that. They had a rough day.’

The president said the Secret Service made a ‘mistake’ in not having someone in the building that Crooks climbed.

‘They should have had somebody in the building… They should have had communications with the local police, they weren’t tied in, and they should have been tied in. So there were mistakes made,’ he said.

President Donald Trump said the Secret Service was having a ‘bad day’ in allowing the would-be assassin to reach a roof from where he fired (Picture: Getty Images)

‘But I was satisfied in terms of the bigger plot, the larger plot, I was satisfied.’

He lauded a Secret Service counter sniper for doing a ‘fantastic job’ in shooting and killing Crooks.

‘He went about his business. Less than just about four seconds, and that’s when it all stopped and he got him perfectly from a very long distance,’ the president said.

‘So we got a little bit lucky in that regard.’

A photo of Then-Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump raising a fist as he is surrounded by Secret Service agents after an assassination attempt has become iconic (Picture: AP)

The full segment is set to air on My View with Lara Trump on Saturday night.

In his 2024 election victory speech, he referred back to that day in Butler, saying, ‘Many people have told me that God spared my life for a reason.’

He survived a second apparent assassination attempt two months after the Butler shooting, while golfing at his Trump National Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida. Secret Service agents opened fire on a man spotted poking a gun through a fence line.

On Wednesday, Secret Service Deputy Director Matt Quinn said that six agents working the Butler rally were suspended without pay or benefits and that the agency is ‘laser focused on fixing the root cause of the problem’.

Then-Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump praised the Secret Service counter-sniper who took down the Butler shooter (Picture: Getty Images)

‘Secret Service is totally accountable for Butler,’ Quinn told CBS News.

‘Butler was an operational failure and we are focused today on ensuring that it never happens again.’

The president has since brushed off an Iranian official’s threat to assassinate him poolside at his Mar-a-Lago residence with a drone, after the US bombed three Iranian nuclear sites amid the war with Israel.

‘It’s been a long time. I don’t know, maybe I was around seven or so. I’m not too big into it,’ the president said of sunbathing on Wednesday.

‘I guess it’s a threat. I’m not sure it’s a threat, actually, but perhaps it is.’

Trump has revealed he will spend the one-year anniversary of the Butler attempted assassination on Sunday at the FIFA Club World Cup Final at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

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One year after assassination attempt on him at Butler, in Pennsylvania, US President Donald Trump opens up about the chaos, and rapid response that saved his life.

In a new episode of My View with Lara Trump airing this Saturday (July 12), Trump revisits the July 13, 2024, the near fatal attack, calling it an “unforgettable” moment.

“I didn’t know exactly what was going on. I got a whack,” Trump recalled in the interview. “People were screaming, and I got down quickly, fortunately, because I think they shot eight bullets.”

A firefighter’s heroism Trump paid tribute to 50-year-old firefighter Corey Comperatore, who was fatally shot.

“One got me, and one got another one, and one got another one,” Trump said. “And one killed Corey, the firefighter. Great guy.”

The sniper who saved the day Trump credited a Secret Service sniper—whom he referred to as “David”—for stopping the attacker, 20-year-old Thomas Crooks, within seconds.

“Our sniper, within less than five seconds, was able to get him from a long distance with one shot,” Trump said. “If he didn’t do that, you would have had an even worse situation. It was really bad.”

“Just about four seconds, and that’s when it all stopped,” he added. “He got him perfectly from a very long distance. So, we got a little bit lucky in that regard.”

Accountability and failures While praising the Secret Service’s bravery, Trump acknowledged critical lapses in planning and coordination.

“They should have had somebody in the building — that was a mistake,” he said. “They should have had communications with the local police. They weren’t tied in, and they should have been tied in.”

This week, six Secret Service agents were suspended without pay, and a Senate report on the incident is expected soon.

Trump: “They had a bad day” Despite the failures, Trump maintained trust in federal agencies, expressing confidence in those responsible for his protection.

“I have great confidence in these people. I know the people, and they’re very talented, very capable, but they had a bad day,” he said. “I think they’ll admit that — they had a rough day.”

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US President Donald Trump says he is “satisfied” with the investigation into the assassination attempt that nearly took his life at a Pennsylvania rally last year, even as he acknowledged serious lapses by the Secret Service, calling it “a bad day” for the elite protection agency. The Secret Service on Thursday announced disciplinary action against six staff members in connection with the security lapses during the July 2024 shooting in Butler.

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In excerpts from an upcoming episode of Fox News’ My View with Lara Trump, scheduled to air Saturday, Trump, 79, reflected on the day of the attempt, describing the Secret Service as having “had a bad day.”

“There were mistakes made. And that shouldn’t have happened,” Trump said during the interview with his daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, who hosts the show on the Trump-friendly network.

TUNE IN: President @realDonaldTrump discusses the attempt on his life in Butler, Pennsylvania, in an exclusive interview with @LaraLeaTrump nearly one year later. Watch the full interview on @MyViewFNC, Saturday at 9 PM ET. pic.twitter.com/jYqdvwOiQ5— Fox News (@FoxNews) July 10, 2025

The Republican candidate was grazed by a bullet while speaking at an election rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, 2024. The attacker, 20-year-old Thomas Crooks, had taken a position in a “prime building” overlooking the venue, Trump noted.

One bystander was killed, and two others—along with Trump—were wounded before a counter-sniper fatally shot the gunman.

“The sniper was able to get him from a long distance with one shot. If he didn’t do that, you would have had an even worse situation,” Trump said. “His name is David, and he did a fantastic job.”

Reflecting on the investigation into the shooting and what he referred to as “the larger plot,” Trump said, “I’m satisfied with it.”

“It was unforgettable,” he added. “I didn’t know exactly what was going on. I got whacked. There’s no question about that. And fortunately, I got down quickly. People were screaming.”

In a statement released Thursday, the Secret Service called the 2024 shooting “nothing short of a tragedy” and “an operational failure that the Secret Service will carry as a reminder of the critical importance of its zero-fail mission.”

The agency cited a combination of communication breakdowns, technical problems, and human error. It announced ongoing reforms, including improved interagency coordination and the creation of a specialized aerial surveillance division.

Six staff members, who were not publicly identified, received suspensions ranging from 10 to 42 days without pay. All have been reassigned to restricted or non-operational roles.

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To strengthen presidential security, the agency is also expanding its fleet of armored golf carts. Trump, who frequently spends weekends at his golf courses, was reportedly the target of another assassination attempt in Florida in September 2024 while playing.

“The agency has taken many steps to ensure such an event can never be repeated in the future,” Secret Service Director Sean Curran said in a statement.

– Ends

Published By: Aashish Vashistha Published On: Jul 11, 2025

Tune In

President Trump said the Secret Service “had a bad day” when a would-be assassin’s bullet came within a quarter-inch of killing him during a 2024 campaign rally in Butler, Pa. — but insisted that “I have great confidence in these people.”

“Well, it was unforgettable,” Trump, 79, told daughter-in-law Lara Trump in an interview that will air on Fox News Channel’s “My View” Saturday night. “I didn’t know exactly what was going on. I got whacked. There’s no question about that. And fortunately, I got down quickly. People were screaming, and I got down quickly, fortunately, because I think they shot eight bullets.”

The president also praised the Secret Service counter-sniper — “his name is David” — who “did a fantastic job” taking down gunman Thomas Crooks, who had crawled across a rooftop to squeeze off rounds against the former and future president.

5 The suspensions were revealed nearly a year after the shooting. AP

5 Then-Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is rushed offstage by US Secret Service agents after being grazed by a bullet during a rally on July 13, 2024, in Butler, Pennsylvania. Getty Images

“He just, he went about his business. Less than just about four seconds, and that’s when it all stopped and he got him perfectly from a very long distance. So we got a little bit lucky in that regard.”

Late Wednesday, the Secret Service announced six officials had been punished for failings surrounding the Butler shooting, but Trump said he was “satisfied” with the briefings he’d received since his near-death experience.

“They should have had somebody in the building [Crooks shot from], that was a mistake,” he said. “They should have had communications with the local police, they weren’t tied in, and they should have been tied in. So there were mistakes made … But I was satisfied in terms of the bigger plot, the larger plot, I was satisfied.

“And I have great confidence in these people. I know the people. And they’re very talented, very capable. But they had a bad day. And I think they’ll admit that. They had a rough day.”

5 Trump is escorted to a motorcade following an attempted assassination at a campaign event in Butler, Pa., on Saturday, July 13, 2024. AP

The names of the six Secret Service personnel who were suspended have not been publicly released, though sources previously told The Post that none of them were in the group shielding Trump on stage as he pumped his first and told the crowd “Fight! Fight! Fight!” as blood trickled down his face.

Ten days after the July 13 shooting, agency Director Kimberly Cheatle announced her resignation. Trump has since replaced her with Sean Curran, who led his protective detail.

Despite multiple investigations into the shooting, including by federal law enforcement and by Congress, unanswered questions about the shooting remain.

5 A Senate report on the assassination attempt partly blamed “operational failures” by the Secret Service for the shooting. NY Post

5 Crooks shot Trump in the ear, killed one person and injured two others when he opened fire at a campaign rally in Butler, Pa., on July 13, 2024. Obtained by the NY Post

Former volunteer fire department chief Corey Comperatore was killed and two other rallygoers were wounded in addition to Trump.

Sunday will mark one year since the assassination attempt, the closest a gunman has come to killing a US president since 1981.

Earlier this week, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles told Post columnist Miranda Devine on the “Pod Force One” podcast that she believed Trump’s survival was “100%” down to divine intervention.

“You think the worst,” she said. “As a human, you can’t think otherwise. And when he stood up, I thought, ‘Oh my gosh.’ And then they raced us to the cars, and we went to the hospital and it was clear very soon that he was going to be OK. But it was a scary time, and it changed everything for us.”

“My View with Lara Trump” will air Saturday at 9 p.m. ET on Fox News Channel.