Attempted assassination of Donald Trump in Pennsylvania

On July 13, 2024, Donald Trump, then a former president of the United States and the presumptive nominee of the Republican Party in the 2024 presidential election, survived an assassination attempt while speaking at an open-air campaign rally near Butler, Pennsylvania. Trump was shot and wounded in his upper right ear by 20-year-old Thomas Crooks, who fired eight rounds from an AR-15–style rifle from a nearby building's roof. Crooks also killed an audience member and critically injured two others. Four seconds after he began firing, a member of the Butler County Emergency Service Unit shot at him and hit his rifle, preventing him from firing more shots. Twelve seconds later, Crooks was shot and killed by the Counter Sniper Team of the United States Secret Service.

As shots were fired, Trump clasped his ear and took cover behind his lectern, where Secret Service agents shielded him until the shooter was killed. Evan Vucci, a photojournalist for the Associated Press, captured photographs of Trump with blood on his face and ear, pumping his fist in the air. During this, Trump was saying "Fight! Fight! Fight!" as agents escorted him offstage; the images went viral on social media. Trump was taken to a hospital, treated, and released later that day. He made his first public appearance after the shooting two days later at the 2024 Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, wearing a bandage on his ear.

The incident is regarded as the Secret Service's most significant security failure since the attempted assassination of President Ronald Reagan in 1981. The director of the Secret Service, Kimberly Cheatle, faced bipartisan calls to resign when she testified before the United States House Committee on Oversight and Accountability on July 22; she stepped down the next day. President Joe Biden ordered an independent review of the security arrangements, condemned the violence, and called for a reduction in heated political rhetoric, emphasizing the importance of resolving political differences peacefully. Lawmakers called for increased security for major candidates in the election, and the Secret Service approved enhanced security measures, including the use of bulletproof glass at Trump's outdoor rallies.

The lack of security at the rally and of public information about Crooks has spawned conspiracy theories. According to public opinion polls, over half of Americans believe that Crooks did not act alone.

According to results from AP VoteCast/Fox News Voter Analysis, the assassination attempts that year galvanized Trump's supporters in the election. Of the 16% of 2024 election voters who called the assassination attempts against Trump the single most important factor to their vote, 81% supported him. While 52% of voters overall approved of the way the Secret Service was handling its job, only about a third of Trump voters agreed.