Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump pumps his fist as he is helped off the stage at a campaign event in Butler, Pa., on Saturday, July 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Donald Trump was the target of an assassination attempt as he spoke during a rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday, law enforcement officials said. The former president, his ear covered in blood, was quickly pulled away by Secret Service agents and his campaign said he was “fine,” the Associated Press reported.

The former president and presumptive Republican nominee was at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania when gunshots were heard throughout the crowd. Butler County district attorney Richard Goldinger said in a statement that the suspected gunman is dead and at least one rally attendee was killed.

Trump later said in a social media post that he was shot in the upper right ear.

Sid Miller, the Texas agriculture commissioner and a long time Trump ally, was at the rally, standing about 30 feet away from the former president.

“It looked like the first maybe three shots missed him and he was turned looking towards me. And then the one grazed his ear and then he got down,” Miller recounted in a brief interview with The Texas Tribune.

Miller said Trump would be fine and expressed confidence that he would continue to the party’s national convention as planned. Miller had been accompanying Trump through swing states before the convention. Miller said he was unharmed.

The Secret Service is investigating the incident as an attempted assassination. 

East Texas officials and state and federal leaders expressed disbelief in their reactions immediately following the shooting.

“Today’s incident will be remembered as a sad commentary on the state of our Nation,” said David Stein, chairman of the Smith County Republican Party. “We’ve seen four Presidents assassinated while in office with the last one being the shooting of President John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963, almost 61 years ago. We remember the attempted assassination of President Reagan in 1981.

“As a nation, we must be better than this and those involved in this must be brought to justice. We live in a time of political vitriol and polarization that has caused our Country to be as divided as we’ve seen in recent history,” Stein said.

Stein said people “must pray for President Trump’s health and safety and that of all elected officials who serve our Nation.”

“As a Republican, I am saddened to see the deterioration of our traditional values as a people and ask all who believe as I do to join with me to be successful on November 5,” Stein said. “We’ve watched as a group of people in current power have hidden the current danger of a compromised current President and must hold them accountable.”

Democrats are also commenting on the incident.

Dr. Nancy Nichols, Smith County Democratic Pct. 14 Captain, said the following in a statement provided to our news partners at CBS19.

“While we are grateful that another life was spared, this draws immediate attention to the critical need for commonsense gun laws,” Nichols said. “Americans, whether they are a past president or a school child, should not be fearful, fearful that anyone in their surroundings may be carrying a deadly weapon. No American should be fearful that people with mental instabilities or people with histories of violent crimes are poised to use firearms to injure or kill others. This has got to change!

“We know that Americans have been pummeled with messages of violence through every form of media. Glorifying guns is much like glorifying cigarette smoking. Everyone knows it’s bad. Everyone knows the push is to simply SELL guns. It is shameful. The only answer is to take combat weapons out of the hands of untrained civilians. May God guide our leaders to make the changes to protect former President Trump and all Americans.”

Smith County Democratic Chairman Hector Garza said he was “flattened” by the news.

“It’s unbelievable. What gun violence has taken us to an extreme, and then I’m disgusted with the events today. I’m really disappointed, really disappointed,” Garza said in a statement to CBS19. “Speaking on my behalf, and of course, Democrats in general, not just Smith County, I can tell you that we do not condone, and absolutely no way do we think that’s acceptable behavior. Violence is not an answer to any of our problems, much less in the political realm. People’s beliefs and politics should remain exactly that — strictly a belief. There’s no winners at all when it comes to gun violence.

“… I do wish and I pray for Donald Trump’s health. I pray for a very speedy recovery on him. Nobody deserves this. It doesn’t matter. You know, leaving politics outside of this. Nobody deserves this. So, we wish for a speedy recovery on on his side,” Garza concluded.

President Joe Biden said in a statement that he was briefed on the shooting.

“I’m grateful to hear that he’s safe and doing well. I’m praying for him and his family and for all those who were at the rally, as we await further information. Jill and I are grateful to the Secret Service for getting him to safety. There’s no place for this kind of violence in America. We must unite as one nation to condemn it,” he said.

A spokesperson for the president also said “the Biden campaign is pausing all outbound communications and working to pull down our television ads as quickly as possible.”

“It’s sick. It’s sick,” Biden said, according to the AP.

Other Republicans like Rep. Matt Schaefer (R-Tyler) reacted immediately as well. Schaefer posted on X, “Our country came an inch from civil unrest. God help us.”

Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan called the situation “horrible and scary” in a post on his X profile.

“Please join me in praying for President Trump and all those at the rally right now,” Phelan said.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott posted on X that Trump is a “LEGEND.”

“They try to jail him. They try to kill him. It will not work. He is indomitable,” Abbott’s post reads.

U.S. Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) said he is sending prayers for Trump.

“Thank you to the U.S. Secret Service for acting quickly to ensure his safety. Whoever is responsible must face swift justice. May we all pray for our country tonight,” he said in a statement.

U.S. Rep. Nathaniel Moran, who represents the First Congressional of Texas in Congress, said he is praying for Trump and called the act “horrific.”

“Praying for President Trump, his family, and our country after this horrific act. May God be with President Trump and with our nation,” he said.”

Texas Sen. Bryan Hughes also asked for prayers for Trump and those who were injured and affected.

The attack is likely to loom over the rest of the convention — the first of its scale since 2016 when Trump was first nominated for presidency, the Texas Tribune reported. The 2020 convention was drastically scaled down due to the pandemic). Several Texans will be speaking at the convention, including Abbott and Cruz.

As Secret Service were hurrying the president off the stage, he insisted on going back to the lectern to raise his fist in a show of strength. The image of him doing so in front of an American flag became a rallying cry for Republicans, with several Republicans posting it on social media, the Tribune reported.