On Politics: What my colleagues saw at the Trump rally shooting
What my colleagues saw at the Trump rally shooting
Former President Donald Trump was onstage in Butler, Pa., launching into a familiar riff about immigration, when the pop-pop of gunfire tore through the 90-degree air on Saturday evening. Trump grabbed his ear and dropped to the ground, as the rallygoers behind him dove for cover. He pumped his fist as he was rushed offstage with blood on his face, seizing the chance to project strength before speeding off to the hospital. He said later, on social media, that he had been shot in the ear. The shooting at the Trump rally, coming just days before the start of the Republican National Convention, is a shocking and deadly twist in this year's presidential election — and another disturbing chapter in this country's recent history of political violence. One person who was in the crowd is dead, and two more are gravely injured. A suspect was killed by law enforcement. And the shooting is being investigated as an attempted assassination. Trump and other Republicans have already seized on the images of his defiance and insisted that the gathering in Milwaukee will proceed. We do not know yet what this fractured country will make of this moment, or basic details about the suspect. What we know right now, though, is what we saw. And so tonight, I want to highlight the words of two of my colleagues who were there. One of them, Simon Levien, wrote that he heard the shots and ducked. I came out and saw Mr. Trump raising his fist defiantly. The crowd, though subdued, cheered. I saw Mr. Trump led down the stairs of the stage to his left, taken immediately to a vehicle. An armored truck also arrived. I saw police and men in military fatigues yank someone off the bleachers on the other side, in the direction where I'd heard the sound of gunfire. On those stage-right bleachers, there were people crowded around several people lying prone. "Trump was just elected today, folks," I heard a man shout. "He is a martyr." Another colleague, the photographer Doug Mills, described the scene as the most horrific he had experienced in decades of photographing presidents. Doug heard the pops and kept taking pictures before he realized what they were. I went from one side of the stage to another to see if I could see him any better. And that's when he got up and put his fist in the air. And I thought, "He's alive, he's alive." I could see blood on his face. I kept taking pictures. As tough as he looked in that one picture with his fist looking very defiant, the next frame I took, he looked completely drained. Very, very shocked. Doug turned around and saw people screaming. After he was held in a tent for about 30 minutes, he saw that people had abandoned cellphones, and even a wheelchair, in the field. I've always feared being in this situation. I always wondered what I'd do in this situation. I hope I get the right shot. I hope I'm not shot myself. At first I thought right away, "Could I be shot?" It was scary. Backstage, he said, members of Trump's staff were crying, hugging and expressing relief that they were all OK. Read past editions of the newsletter here. If you're enjoying what you're reading, please consider recommending it to others. They can sign up here. Have feedback? Ideas for coverage? We'd love to hear from you. Email us at onpolitics@nytimes.com.
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