President Biden called for unity in a primetime address on Sunday, urging Americans to resolve their differences “at the ballot box, not with bullets,” just over 24 hours after a gunman opened fire on a Trump rally Saturday.
Law enforcement officials told reporters on Sunday that they are investigating a lone shooter, adding that the probe is being considered an act of domestic terror.
Biden has also ordered a full review around the security for Trump’s Pennsylvania rally, and to assess the security in place for the Republican National Convention (RNC) this week in Milwaukee.
Trump arrived in Wisconsin Sunday evening for the RNC as planned. He’d thanked the nation on Sunday morning for its concern in the wake of an attempt on his life the evening before.
Amid bipartisan condemnation of political violence, there are also growing questions about how the suspected shooter — Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, of Bethel Park, Pa. — was able to get so close to the former president, firing a bullet that grazed his ear.
Corey Comperatore, 50, a volunteer firefighter, was also killed in the shooting, reportedly after throwing himself on top of his family to protect them. Two others were critically injured, officials said.
Follow along for live updates here.
Local police officer reportedly encountered alleged Trump shooter seconds before shots fired
A local police officer encountered former President Trump’s alleged shooter on Saturday, just moments before a bullet grazed the former president’s ear at the Pennsylvania rally, The Associated Press reported.
After attendees at the former president’s rally noticed a man climbing to the rooftop of a nearby building, they warned local law enforcement officials, the AP reported, citing two law enforcement officials who spoke to the outlet on condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation.
— Sarah Fortinsky
House Democrat: ‘Hyperbolic’ rhetoric about election makes violence ‘unsurprising’
Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine) called on elected officials to drop the “hyperbolic threats about the stakes of this election,” in the wake of the attempted assassination of former President Trump.
In a multiple-post thread on the social platform X, the moderate Democrat chastised his fellow politicians for portraying their political opponents as “diabolical caricatures bent on destroying the country,” and as “enemies who would ruin us, to be defeated at all costs.”
— Sarah Fortinsky
DSCC, DCCC join 2024 campaign fundraising pause
The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee has joined its GOP counterparts and is also putting a pause on campaign fundraising following Saturday’s events.
A source familiar confirmed that the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee was doing the same, effectively pausing campaign fundraising efforts for all Democratic and Republican congressional campaign arms.
– Reporting by Caroline Vakil
Updated at 10:52 pm.
Axelrod: Vance’s post on Trump rally shooting ‘ought to disqualify him’
David Axelrod, former senior adviser to then-President Obama, said on Sunday that Sen. J.D. Vance’s (R-Ohio) response to the attempted assassination of former President Trump should be disqualifying for the position of Vice President.
“If @JDVance1 is on the short list for VP, this Tweet, sent an hour after the assassination attempt in PA, ought to disqualify him in the eyes of the Trump campaign,” Axelrod wrote on the social platform X, re-posting Vance’s statement.
— Sarah Fortinsky
Ohio governor ups security outside Vance’s home
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R) approved an increased state law enforcement presence outside Sen. J.D. Vance’s (R-Ohio) residence on Saturday afternoon, a spokesperson from the governor’s office confirmed on Sunday.
“I can confirm the Governor gave approval at 6:40 p.m. yesterday but cannot provide further comment on security matters,” the spokesperson said.
The heightened security measures came just hours after the assassination attempt on former President Trump.
Vance is a top contender to be Trump’s running mate, spurring speculation online that the heightened security was connected to his candidacy.
— Sarah Fortinsky
Biden speech ends after 7 minutes
The president spoke for roughly seven minutes, decrying the assassination attempt against Trump as part of a long line of political violence in America, citing the attack on Paul Pelosi and the riots at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
“I’ll continue to speak out strongly for our democracy, stand up for our Constitution and the rule of law, to call for action at the ballot box — no violence in our streets,” he said.
“That’s how democracy should work … we resolve our difference at the ballot box, not with bullets.”
Biden called the concept of unity in America “the most elusive of our goals,” but the most important.
— Brett Samuels
Biden Oval Office address begins
Biden began his Oval Office address to the nation shortly after 8 p.m. and called for cooler heads to prevail despite “strong disagreements.”
“Tonight, I want to speak to what we do know,” Biden said. “A former president was shot. An American citizen was killed while simply exercising his freedom to support a political candidate of his choosing. We cannot, we must not go down this road in America.”
— Brett Samuels
Burchett calls for Trump shooting hearings this week: ‘To hell with the convention’
Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) on Sunday called for congressional hearings into the assassination attempt of former President Trump at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday.
Burchett said Republicans should forgo attending the Republican National Convention (RNC) in Milwaukee, Wis. this week, and, instead, return to Washington to investigate the shooting.
– Sarah Fortinsky
Trump lands in Milwaukee
The former president has landed in Milwaukee ahead of this week’s GOP convention.
Trump had said in an earlier social media post he was going to delay his arrival by two days following an assassination attempt at his rally Saturday, but opted to leave New Jersey for Wisconsin on Sunday.
— Brett Samuels
Biden campaign to start up activities Monday night
Biden’s reelection campaign and the Democratic National Committee (DNC) will start up activities on Monday night after he halted them on Saturday following the shooting.
The campaign and DNC “will continue drawing the contrast between our positive vision for the future and Trump and Republicans’ backwards-looking agenda over the course of the week” after Biden’s interview with NBC’s Lester Holt airs on primetime.
The campaign also noted that Biden “will give a forceful and needed address” on Sunday night during his remarks from the Oval Office and will call on political violence to end.
— Alex Gangitano
Biden to return to the campaign trail
President Biden will travel to Las Vegas on Tuesday for a two-day visit, the White House announced Sunday evening. Campaigning has been paused since the shooting at Saturday’s Trump rally.
Biden is scheduled to address the NAACP’s annual conference, as well as a conference of UnidosUS.
Secret Service not expanding inner perimeter, not planning to ban firearms within outer perimeter
The U.S. Secret Service is not planning to expand the inner perimeter for the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee this week and will not ban firearms in the outer perimeter, officials said at a press conference Sunday.
“Our state law allows for the particular right to carry a firearm. We, as a city, cannot legislate out of that,” Milwaukee Police Chief Jeffrey Norman said at the press conference, also noting that the inner perimeter is among the largest ever at a presidential party convention.
“In regards to our law enforcement aspect, we have to operate within those guidelines, unless it’s something that is against state law. We have to respect the second amendment right to carry your firearm, especially in regards to open carry or carrying concealed if your licensed,” Norman added.
Milwaukee Mayor Cavaliar Johnson added in the press conference that “local ordinances in the state of Wisconsin do not supersede state law. Wisconsin is an open carry state and therefore the City of Milwaukee and no other jurisdiction in this state and supersede that state law.”
– Sarah Fortinsky
Social media platform Discord says they’ve removed an account that appears to be linked to suspected shooter
A spokesperson for the social media platform Discord said in a statement that the company has found and removed an account on their site that appeared to be linked to the suspected shooter.
“We have identified an account that appears to be linked to the suspect, and we removed the account according to our off-platform behavior policy,” a Discord spokesperson said.
“It was rarely utilized, has not been used in months, and we have found no evidence that it was used to plan this incident, promote violence, or discuss his political views,” the spokesperson continued. “Discord strongly condemns violence of any kind, including political violence, and we will continue to coordinate closely with law enforcement.”
– Caroline Vakil
Pennsylvania police name the two victims injured in the shooting
The two victims who were injured in the shooting on Saturday were identified as David Dutch, 57, of New Kensington, Pa., and James Copenhaver, 74, of Moon Township, Pa., according to Pennsylvania State Police. Both men were listed as in stable condition.
State police said that Corey Comperatore, the man who died during the rally, was 50 years old and was from Sarver, Pa.
“These victims and their families are certainly in our thoughts today,” said Pennsylvania State Police Commissioner Col. Christopher Paris in a statement. “The Pennsylvania State Police continue to work tirelessly alongside our federal, state and local partners as this investigation continues.”
– Caroline Vakil
Secret Service RNC coordinator says ‘we’re not anticipating any changes’ to current security plan
The U.S. Secret Service is not making any changes to its security plans for this week’s Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, where former President Trump is slated to be named officially the party’s presidential candidate.
“We’re not anticipating any changes to our operational security plans for this event,” Audrey Gibson-Cicchino, RNC coordinator for the Secret Service, said at a press briefing on Sunday.
“We are confident in these security plans that are in for this event, and we’re ready to go. It’s been an 18-month process. We’ve worked together over that 18 months to develop operational security plans for any and all aspects of security related to this event,” she said.
The press briefing comes as questions swirl about security at the Republican National Convention this week, in light of the recent attempt to assassinate Trump at his rally on Saturday.
— Sarah Fortinsky
Biden, first lady send ‘deepest condolences’ to victim that died at rally
President Biden wrote in a post on X on Sunday that he and first lady Jill Biden were sending their condolences to Corey Comperatore, who died during the Butler, Pa. rally on Saturday.
“Jill and I extend our deepest condolences to the family of the victim who was killed at Donald Trump’s rally – he was a father protecting his family from the bullets being fired,” Biden wrote.
“We’re also praying for the full recovery of those who were injured.”
– Caroline Vakil
FBI investigating Trump assassination attempt as ‘potential’ domestic terrorist act
A top official at the FBI said on Sunday that the agency is investigating the shooting that took place at Trump’s campaign rally as an assassination attempt in addition to a potential domestic terrorism act.
“At this point [in] the investigation, it appears that he was a lone actor, but we still have more investigation to go,” explained Robert Wells, the executive assistant director of the FBI’s National Security Branch, referring to the suspected shooter.
“We are investigating this as an assassination attempt,” but also as a “potential domestic terrorism act,” he explained.
“So our counterterrorism division and our criminal divisions are working jointly together to determine the motive.”
— Caroline Vakil
Top FBI official say they’ve received over 2,600 tips
A top official at the FBI said on Sunday that they had received over 2,600 tips regarding the attempted assassination against Trump in Pennsylvania.
“We also have a tip line that has been set up, and we’ve received over 2,600 tips,” Robert Wells, the executive assistant director of the FBI’s National Security Branch, told reporters.
“Every single tip that we receive, we will be investigating and running it down as quickly as we possibly can,” he added.
– Caroline Vakil
Garland says DOJ ‘has no tolerance for such violence’
Attorney General Merrick Garland says the Justice Department “has no tolerance for such violence” while speaking to reporters on Sunday.
“I want to reiterate that the violence that we saw yesterday is an attack on our democracy itself. Justice Department has no tolerance for such violence, and as Americans, we must have no tolerance for it. This must stop,” Garland said.
He said he was “grateful” that Trump was safe following the shooting at his campaign rally in Pennsylvania and explained that he “directed the FBI, the ATF, U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Pennsylvania, and the department’s National Security Division to bring every available resources to bear on this investigation.”
– Caroline Vakil
Law enforcement finds ‘suspicious device’ in searching shooter’s car
Rojak detailed that a search of the shooter’s car turned up “a suspicious device.” Bomb technicians inspected it and neutralized it.
“This caused a significant delay in our processing of the scene for officer safety reasons,” he said.
The device is also on its way to the Quantico lab for analysis.
– Katie Wadington
Officials suggest shooter acted alone, still investigating motive
FBI officials said the investigation so far indicates the suspected gunman acted alone in the assassination attempt against Trump.
“At this time, the information that we have indicates that the shooter acted alone and that there are currently no public safety concerns,” Kevin Rojek, special agent in charge of the FBI field office in Pittsburgh, said Sunday.
Rojek said authorities are still trying to determine the gunman’s motive.
“At present, we have not identified an ideology associated with the subject, but I want to remind everyone that we’re still very early in this investigation,” he added.
“We’re looking into the background, state of the activities, any writings and social media posts that might help us identify what led to this shooting,” he added later. “And we have not seen anything threatening at this time.”
— Miranda Nazzaro
FBI confirms the weapon was AR-style rifle
Kevin Rojak, FBI special agent in charge, said the weapon used in the rally shooting “was an AR style 556 rifle, which was purchased legally. We located the weapon at the scene located immediately adjacent to the shooter at the scene.”
The weapon was purchased legally, he said, and was found on-scene.
It, among other items from the scene, is on its way to the FBI lab in Quantico, Va., for processing.
– Katie Wadington
Wray: Trump incident ‘nothing short of an attack on democracy’
FBI Director Christopher Wray in a call with reporters Sunday lamented that “what we witnessed yesterday was nothing short of an attack on democracy and our democratic process.”
“An attempt to assassinate a presidential candidate can only be described as absolutely despicable and will not be tolerated in this country,” Wray continued, saying he gave his condolences to the victims of the shooting and Trump and his family.
“I want to make sure they know, and the American people know that the men and women of the FBI are working tirelessly to get to the bottom of what happened,” he continued, adding that “we have committed the full force of the FBI to this investigation.”
– Caroline Vakil
50 Cent, Kid Rock, other artists react to Trump rally shooting
A series of celebrities, including rapper 50 Cent and singer Kid Rock, took to social media in reaction to the attempted assassination of former President Trump at a rally in Pennsylvania.
The former president on Saturday said he was hit in the ear by a bullet while speaking at a rally in Butler, Pa. One rally attendee was killed, as was the suspected shooter, whom the FBI identified as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks of Bethel Park, Pa.
–Miranda Nazzaro
Trump campaign GoFundMe for rally shooting victims raises more than $2 million
Former President Trump’s campaign raised more than $2 million through a GoFundMe campaign this weekend for the victims of the Trump rally shooting in Butler, Pennsylvania.
By Sunday afternoon, just before 3 p.m., the Trump campaign more than doubled its $1 million goal, reaching $2.034 million in donations.
The total number of donations reached 27,900, according to the website, and the top donation was listed as $50,000.
–Sarah Fortinsky
DSCC, DCCC join 2024 campaign fundraising pause
The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee has joined its GOP counterparts and is also putting a pause on campaign fundraising following Saturday’s events.
A source familiar confirmed that the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee was doing the same, effectively pausing campaign fundraising efforts for all Democratic and Republican congressional campaign arms.
– Reporting by Caroline Vakil
Updated at 10:52 pm.
Johnson after Trump rally shooting: ‘Everyone needs to turn the rhetoric down’
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-La.) called on the former president’s opposition “to turn the rhetoric down” following the assassination attempt at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania.
“When the message goes out constantly that Donald Trump would be a threat to democracy and the republic would end, I mean, it heats up the environment,” Mike Johnson told NBC’s Today show on Sunday. “Everyone needs to turn the rhetoric down.”
–Eden Teshome
GOP congressional campaign arms pause fundraising efforts
The National Republican Senatorial Committee as well as its House counterpart, the National Republican Congressional Committee are pausing their digital fundraising efforts following Trump’s attempted assassination.
It comes as larger efforts are underway to put a temporary pause on 2024 campaign events, including by President Biden who postponed a rally in Texas that was slated to occur Monday and has halted TV ads in the wake of the incident.
– Reporting by Caroline Vakil
Biden talks with Trump, directs independent review of rally security
President Biden on Sunday said he had a good talk with former President Trump and that he has directed an independent review of security at the Pennsylvania rally where the shooting took place.
Biden and Trump spoke the night prior and the president said, “I’m sincerely grateful that he’s doing well and recovering. We had a short but good conversation.”
He said the FBI is leading the investigation into the shooting but that so far, there is no information about the shooter’s motive available, urging Americans not to jump to conclusions.
– Alex Gangitano
Suspected shooter was a dietary aide at nursing and rehab center
The suspected shooter, Thomas Matthew Crooks, was a dietary aide at the Bethel Park Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, the organization said in a statement on Sunday, adding that they were “shocked and saddened” to hear he was involved.
“This morning, Bethel Park Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Center became aware that Thomas Matthew Crooks, a dietary aide at the Center, was the alleged shooter in the assassination attempt on Former President Trump,” Marcie Grimm, the administrator for the center, said in a statement.
“We are shocked and saddened to learn of his involvement as Thomas Matthew Crooks performed his job without concern and his background check was clean,” she continued. “We are fully cooperating with law enforcement officials at this time. Due to the ongoing investigation, we cannot comment further on any specifics. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Former President Trump and the victims impacted by this terrible tragedy. We condemn all acts of violence.”
– Caroline Vakil