Timeline on how the Trump assassination attempt unfolded

Summary

The script recounts the dramatic events surrounding the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. It details the timeline of the attack, the immediate response of the Secret Service, and the chaos that ensued. The aftermath includes a call for public assistance in the investigation, with questions about potential accomplices and the broader implications for political discourse. The discussion also touches on President Biden's response and the impact on the Republican convention.

Takeaways

• 🕔 The attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump occurred at his rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
• 🎤 Trump was on stage addressing an adoring crowd when the incident began at 6:04 PM.
• 🔊 A series of sharp pops were heard, initially mistaken for firecrackers, which caused chaos among the attendees.
• 🕵️‍♂️ Secret Service agents quickly responded, swarming the stage to shield Trump and coordinating his evacuation.
• 🔫 Security snipers opened fire on the assailant, neutralizing the threat within moments of the initial shots.
• 🚨 One rally attendee was killed, with bystanders attempting to rescue him before confirming his death.
• 📸 Images surfaced of a potential gunman on a roof, approximately 500ft away from where Trump was standing.
• 🚔 The FBI and law enforcement partners are conducting a methodical investigation to determine the assailant's identity, motives, and potential accomplices.
• 🏠 Trump's vice presidential pick and the Republican convention's focus were overshadowed by the assassination attempt.
• 🗣️ President Biden is scheduled to give an Oval Office address to address the nation on the incident.
• 🤔 The incident has raised concerns about the current state of political discourse and the safety of political events.
• 🔄 The event may have a significant impact on the direction of the Trump campaign and the upcoming Republican convention.

Q & A

What event is being discussed in the script?

The script discusses an attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.

When did the former President Donald Trump step to the podium during the rally?

Former President Donald Trump stepped to the podium at 6:04 PM on Saturday evening.

What happened 7.5 minutes after Trump stepped to the podium?

7.5 minutes after Trump stepped to the podium, there was pandemonium amid a series of sharp pops, prompting Trump to touch his ear and duck.

How quickly did the Secret Service agents respond to the incident?

Secret Service agents swarmed in to shield Trump three seconds after the initial shots were fired.

What was the initial reaction of the crowd to the shots?

The initial reaction of the crowd was that it sounded like firecrackers had gone off, leading to chaos among the attendees.

What happened to the man who was killed during the incident?

The man who was killed was carried down from the bleachers and taken to a tent behind the bleachers, where it was confirmed he was deceased.

How long did it take for the shooter to be neutralized?

The shooter was neutralized just over a minute after the violence started.

What was Trump's reaction after the initial evacuation attempt?

Trump asked to retrieve his shoes before being ushered away rapidly.

What did the images that surfaced show?

The images that surfaced showed what appeared to be a dead gunman on a roof, not more than 500 feet away from Trump's right side as he stood on the stage.

What is the FBI and partner agencies looking for in their investigation?

The FBI and partner agencies are looking into who the assailant is, how he got there, whether he acted alone, and ultimately, why he fired.

What is the significance of the upcoming Republican convention in the context of this event?

The shooting happened just two days before the Republican convention was set to begin in Milwaukee, potentially impacting the focus and tone of the convention.

Outlines

00:00

🕖 Trump's Rally Attack: The Timeline

The script details the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. It starts with Trump stepping to the podium at 6:04 PM, followed by a series of sharp pops at 7.5 minutes later, causing chaos. Trump ducks and touches his ear, and Secret Service agents quickly move in to shield him. Security snipers open fire on the assailant. The initial reaction of the crowd is compared to firecrackers going off. Despite the chaos, bystanders attempt to rescue a man who is later confirmed dead. The Secret Service coordinates Trump's evacuation, and he is ushered away at 6:12 PM. The shooter is reported down shortly after, and Trump is taken to a safe vehicle. The script also mentions the discovery of a dead gunman on a roof and the beginning of a methodical police investigation. The public is called to help identify the assailant and understand his motives.

05:02

😔 The Aftermath and Political Implications

This paragraph discusses the emotional and political aftermath of the attack on Trump. It highlights the anger and worry among Republicans, particularly about the nominee and the rally attendee who died protecting others. The speaker reflects on his own experiences with political rallies and the contrast with the current climate of fear. The conversation turns to the upcoming Republican convention and whether the mood will be one of unity or anger. The potential for Trump to project strength and unify the country is discussed, as well as the possibility of Nikki Haley's unexpected presence at the convention. The paragraph also touches on the broader implications for the political climate, including the role of rhetoric in fueling division and the need for leadership in times of crisis.

10:02

🗣️ Political Commentary on the Current State

In this final paragraph, political commentators David Axelrod and Scott Jennings discuss the current political climate following the attack. They address the potential for the temperature of political discourse to be lowered and the need for unity. The conversation includes reflections on past political events and the impact of recent events on the public's perception of safety and the role of political leaders. The commentators also discuss the upcoming nomination and the responsibility of those in power to address the current state of affairs, acknowledging the culpability of certain individuals in escalating tensions.

Keywords

💡Attempted Assassination

An attempted assassination refers to a failed effort to kill a prominent person. In this script, it describes the attack on former President Donald Trump at his rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, where a gunman fired shots at him, prompting a rapid response from security.

💡Secret Service

The Secret Service is a federal law enforcement agency responsible for protecting the President, Vice President, and other high-profile officials. In the video, Secret Service agents swiftly act to shield Trump and neutralize the threat during the assassination attempt.

💡Pandemonium

Pandemonium refers to a state of extreme confusion and disorder. The term is used to describe the chaos that ensued at the rally following the sharp pops of gunfire, causing attendees to panic and react frantically.

💡Rescue Efforts

Rescue efforts involve actions taken to save someone from harm or danger. In the video, bystanders attempted to help a man who was shot, carrying his body to a tent and trying to revive him, though he was ultimately pronounced dead.

💡National Unity

National unity is the sense of togetherness and solidarity among a country's citizens. President Biden's planned Oval Office address is mentioned as an effort to call for national unity in the aftermath of the violent attack.

💡Republican Convention

The Republican Convention is a major political event where the Republican Party nominates its presidential candidate. The video highlights how the assassination attempt has disrupted plans and shifted the focus of the upcoming convention.

💡Political Implications

Political implications are the potential effects or consequences of an event on political processes and figures. The script discusses how the assassination attempt impacts the political landscape, including Trump's campaign and the general mood among Republicans.

💡FBI Investigation

An FBI investigation involves the Federal Bureau of Investigation conducting a detailed inquiry to uncover facts and evidence about a crime. The video mentions that the FBI is working to piece together information about the assailant and the circumstances of the attack.

💡Oval Office Address

An Oval Office address is a formal speech given by the President of the United States from the Oval Office. Biden's planned address is expected to address the need for unity and the political climate following the assassination attempt on Trump.

💡Political Climate

The political climate refers to the current mood, attitudes, and opinions in the political sphere. The video describes the tense and angry atmosphere among Republicans after the attack on Trump and discusses how leaders might address and influence this climate.

Highlights

Attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.

Pandemonium and chaos as sharp pops are heard, initially mistaken for firecrackers.

Secret Service agents quickly swarm to shield Trump, while security snipers open fire on the assassin.

One rally attendee is killed amid the chaos, with bystanders attempting rescue efforts.

Trump's evacuation is coordinated by Secret Service agents, with him insisting to retrieve his shoe.

The shooter is confirmed down within a minute after the violence started.

Trump pauses to address the rattled crowd before being escorted to safety.

Images surface of a dead gunman on a roof, approximately 500ft from Trump's stage location.

FBI and partners begin a methodical investigation to determine the assailant's identity, method, and possible accomplices.

President Biden announces a rare Oval Office address to address the nation following the attack.

Political commentators discuss the implications of the attack on the Republican convention and the Trump campaign.

Concerns raised about the current state of American politics and the potential for further violence.

The need for national unity and a lowering of political rhetoric is emphasized.

Nikki Haley's unexpected attendance and speaking role at the convention raises questions about the direction of the Trump campaign.

The potential for Trump to seize the moment and demonstrate leadership in the face of crisis is discussed.

The importance of Trump's response to the attack and its impact on the political climate is highlighted.

Transcripts

we are continuing to learn

more about

what happened in the lead

up to the attempted assassination

of former President Donald Trump

at his rally in Butler,

Pennsylvania, last night,

Senator Tom

Foreman takes a look

at the exact timeline of this attack.

And at 604 Saturday evening,

before an adoring and roaring

crowd, former President Donald

Trump steps to the podium.

7.5 minutes later,

take a look at what happened over

pandemonium amid a series of sharp pops.

Trump touches his ear and ducks.

Three seconds

later, Secret Service

agents are swarming in to shield him,

and security snipers

have opened fire on the would be assassin

team.

Initially, like firecrackers, went off

as chaos erupts among the attendees.

But he's not done one rally goers.

He's another man has been killed.

Despite the rescue efforts of bystanders,

they jump up and start

clearing the bleachers

and then help carry

the body of the man

down out of the bleachers,

and they took him to a tent

behind the bleachers.

We put a towel over his head, but

he is deceased.

It all happens fast.

30s.

After the first shots

ring out

the podiums,

microphone catches Secret

Service agents

coordinating Trump's evacuation

from that stage

care home when you're ready on you.

Then, just over a minute

after the violence started,

the all clear down shooter's down.

At 6:12 p.m.,

the agents

rise with Trump

and try to usher him rapidly away.

But he says, let me get my shoe.

Let me get my shoes.

Shortly after,

he's on his way to a safe vehicle,

but he tells agents to pause again.

He turns to the rattled crowd

in what will become and his stoic photo.

Soon, pictures

start surfacing

of what appears to be

a dead gunman on a roof

not more than 500ft away from Trump's

right side.

As he stood on the stage

and the much more methodical

police work begins.

We need the public's help.

Anyone who was on scene, who saw anything

as the FBI and partner

start piecing together

who the assailant is,

how he got there, whether he acted alone

and ultimately,

why he fired an investigation

that certainly will go on

for months

into a violent explosion of seconds.

We know so

much more now than

we did in those frantic moments.

But it is the unknowns

that will keep this going

for so long in the investigations,

the unknowns about

whether anybody else

was involved

in helping plan this attack

or facilitating it,

and whether or not

anybody else should be held accountable

for not stopping it.

Caitlin.

Yeah, it's

amazing to see

just how quickly it all unfolded.

Tom Foreman,

thank you for laying it all out for us.

And that shooting was just two days

before the Republican convention

was set to get underway

here in Milwaukee.

That's what most of the Trump

campaign had been focused on

and what that was going to look like.

Speeches. His vice presidential pick.

All of that has been upended

by what happened last night

on stage in Butler, Pennsylvania,

here to talk about

the implications of it all.

Scott Jennings, CNN senior

political commentator

and also former special assistant

to President George W Bush,

and also David Axelrod,

a CNN political commentator

and former senior adviser

to President Obama.

Obviously,

so much has changed

from what we thought

we would be talking about 24 hours ago.

David Axelrod,

let me start with you,

because President Biden

gave those brief remarks

with the vice president

and the attorney general flanking him.

He did announce he's giving a rare Oval

Office address tonight at 8 p.m.

eastern.

What's he going

to use a moment like that?

What would you advise him

to use a moment like that?

Well,

I think what he's going to try

and do

is speak to this need

for national unity

in the face of this, for a

lowering of voices and so on.

you know,

I think he is working

hard to play the role of president here,

which has ancillary

political benefits for him.

but he wants to

seize control of this moment

and show that he is the national leader.

And,

the way you do

that is through an Oval Office speech.

Scott,

what do you think that should look like?

Well, he certainly should ask for people

to to settle down

and to think hard about the way

we're treating each other.

I mean, it's, it's a scary time.

I think when you think about

what happened to Donald Trump, I'm

thinking about what happened to Corey.

you know who got

killed behind Donald Trump

for nothing other than showing up

to a political event to exercise

his rights as an American,

to go to an assembly

and have free speech.

I mean, that that's why he's did.

And I think for a lot of ordinary people,

they're they're worried about

is this what our politics

is going to be like

for the rest of this year

and for the foreseeable future?

So, I hope he's right.

I think he should ask for that.

I think everybody should ask for that.

but right now,

the mood among Republicans is

pretty sour,

and,

and pretty worried and

and pretty angry about,

you know,

what's happened to their nominee

and, and, what happened to that?

That rally goer

who had a beautiful family

and everybody's devastated for him

and then died in service

of protecting them.

You,

we will remind my daughter said that

he threw them to the ground

and shielded them.

Essentially,

my first political experience

was as a five year

old going to a John F Kennedy

rally in New York City.

And, you know,

no one there would have thought

there was any danger.

I'm sure no one there

thought there was any danger.

No. Yesterday.

And, that was a formative

event in my life.

I'm worried it's

this certainly was a formative

event in that,

in that firefighter's life, and,

you know, just for his children,

it's going to stay in them

for the rest of their lives. So,

but look,

the question for this convention

is, are they is

the move

was the mood going to be one of unity?

Is there a sense of a pulling back

and pulling together as a country,

or is it going to be a mood of anger?

and if it, if,

if this convention projects

and Donald Trump projects,

the spirit of, of unity

and coming together,

it'll be much more successful

whether he can you're

trying to reel in forces

that you've been covering

for years and years and years.

That isn't the spirit in which

I think people expect it

to come to, Milwaukee.

But he has a chance to do it.

I mean, he

he looks

strong coming off that stage last night,

he projected strength.

And he's running

against someone who right now

does not project strength.

And I think the American people

are looking for a president who can

project strength

and then use it for a good end.

And right now,

using your strength,

using your voice and using

what's happened to Donald Trump,

to me, looks like unifying this country

and talking about a future where

we're not worried about getting shot

at political rallies,

and we're not worried

about being at each other's throats

all the time.

I sincerely,

sincerely hope that's where we go.

But that's.

But the fact that Nikki Haley is coming,

she was not invited.

And last week,

a few days ago, when you talk to people,

there was no

they weren't even considering

the possibility of her coming.

And now we have a source close

to her confirming that she will be here.

She'll be speaking in this room

behind us on Tuesday night.

Obviously,

she and Donald Trump probably had the

most challenging primary battle.

If I'm putting it in nice terms

there at the end.

Yes, in the terms

of how they talked about each other,

what does it mean

that she will have a speaking slot?

A couple teachers think that

that this news surfaces,

after the events of yesterday.

And it'll be interesting to find out,

whether that had anything

to do

with her decision

to come, but, she certainly is someone

who can deliver

a message of coming together.

that would be more consistent

with, with with her politics.

so maybe that's the message

that she's going to deliver.

But, again, you know,

this is a big

turn in direction from,

the kind of nature of the Trump campaign

for a couple of years here.

So it is a chance

for him to enlarge himself.

Yeah.

and the question is,

is he capable of seizing it?

It's it's

really a chance for him to leave

Joe Biden behind.

I mean, if you look at where Biden sits

in the polling 30 approval rating,

the vast majority of the country

doesn't think he's up to another

four years.

He's sort of operating out

of a position of weakness right now.

People are unhappy with the job

he's done.

Donald Trump has all the leverage,

all the capital,

and all the ability in this campaign

right now

to drive a message

and to really set the tone

and set the contours

of the rest of this year and leave

Biden behind.

This is this is the week to do it.

He could do it.

I think that's the reason

why this Oval Office

speech is happening tonight.

I mean, I think it is the right thing

for the president to do, but politically,

I think he wants to seize

some of that leadership,

in this moment and demonstrate it.

And I think actually,

this is going to be

an important speech for him.

I don't I'm sorry.

I just

I don't think he should underestimate

how angry Republicans

are with his rhetoric

and with the rhetoric of a lot of people.

I mean, Donald Trump and and my opinion,

he needs to speak to that tonight,

and he does not need to equivocate on it.

And he does not need to both sides that

he needs

to speak to his people tonight and say,

no more Hitler, no more.

The country's coming to an end.

No more. We're dissolving the cars.

That's got to stop.

And I think he can do it. Well, listen,

I mean,

Donald Trump

has been the author of so much.

You know, if you don't vote,

if I don't win,

we're going to lose our country.

I mean,

I mean,

I'm old enough to remember, January 6th.

And so,

you know, to say don't both sides it

I think, ignores the reality of where

we've been in our politics.

There's a lot of culpability here.

And I think more than a little falls

on the guy who's going to be nominated

in that building.

I never one, of course, is yearning

for the temperature to be taken down.

Regular people are David

Axelrod, Scott Jennings,

thank you both for being here.