Trump shooting latest: Secret Service denies diverting resources to Jill Biden speech - as Trump gives first interview (2024)

By Niamh Lynch, news reporter

Thomas Matthew Crooks has been named as the gunman in the assassination attempt against Donald Trump at a campaign rally on Saturday evening.

Described as a "outcast" who regularly wore hunting outfits to school, Crooks lived in a well-to-do city an hour from scene of his assassination attempt.

Investigators say bomb-making material was found in a vehicle at his home.

Who was the gunman?

Law enforcement said Crooks was 20 years old and from Bethel Park in Pennsylvania, a predominantly white, relatively well-to-do city in the southern part of greater Pittsburgh.

The site of the rally, Butler, is about an hour's drive north of Pittsburgh.

Crooks was registered as a Republican voter in Pennsylvania, but federal campaign finance reports also show he gave $15 to a progressive political action committee on 20 January 2021, the day Joe Biden was sworn into office.

An 'outcast' who wasn't let onto the school rifle team

A high school classmate, Jason Kohler, 21, said Crooks was a "loner" who was "bullied so much in high school".

He would regularly wear hunting outfits and was made fun of for the way he dressed, Mr Kohler said.

"He would sit alone at lunch. He was just the outcast," Mr Kohler said. "It's honestly kind of sad."

Crooks tried out for the school's rifle team but was turned away because he was "a bad shooter", said Frederick Mach, a current captain of the team who was a few years behind Crooks at the school.

Michael Dudjak, 20, who went to school with Crooks for most of his life, recalled him as a relatively reserved and quiet classmate. He didn't hear or see Crooks being actively bullied by their peers but Crooks was "on his own a lot".

He couldn't recall Crooks ever being outspoken about politics or very active on social media. Mr Dudjak was with some friends and acquaintances from high school on Saturday night when he learned that Crooks was the gunman.

They were all "in shock" and "couldn't fathom" the news, he said.

'What the hell is going on'

Thomas Crooks's father, Matthew Crooks, reportedly told CNN late on Saturday that he was trying to figure out "what the hell is going on" but wouldn't speak about his son until after he talked to law enforcement.

Crooks used an AR-style rifle, which authorities said they believe was purchased by his father.

Kevin Rojek, FBI special agent in charge in Pittsburgh, said that investigators do not yet know if he took the gun without his father's permission.

Crooks worked at a nursing home as a dietary aide, a job that generally involves food preparation.

Marcie Grimm, the administrator of Bethel Park Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation, said in a statement she was "shocked and saddened to learn of his involvement."

Ms Grimm added that Crooks had a clean background check when he was hired.

He is believed to have won a National Maths and Science Initiative Star Award worth $500 (£393) on graduating from Bethel Park High School in 2022, according to local news site the Tribune Review.

Demolition Ranch

He also appeared to wear merchandise promoting one of YouTube's most popular channels devoted to firearms during the attack, NBC News reported.

He was wearing a grey T-shirt with an American flag on the sleeve and block lettering that was partially obscured in photos from the scene.

The appearance and lettering on the shirt matches a shirt for sale by firearm YouTube channel Demolition Ranch.

After online speculation grew about the gunman, Demolition Ranch's founder posted to social media, sharing photos of the shooting's aftermath and writing: "Last night was crazy… I've got news stations calling me asking if I ever spoke with the shooter… what… the… hell."

Demolition Ranch has over 11 million subscribers on YouTube, where the channel frequently posts videos about various types of firearms.

Police said they were "not taking for granted that this was a lone wolf attack" and the attack has now been described as a potential domestic terrorism act by the FBI.

Law enforcement also said during a news conference on Sunday that there were suspicious packages around where the gunman was.

A body with a rifle beside it was visible to members of the public on the roof of a building near the rally after the attack.

FBI special agent Kevin Rojek said at a news conference that investigators had not yet identified a motive for the shooting.

The King has written a letter to Donald Trump, Buckingham Palace has said.

The message to the former US president was delivered yesterday via the British embassy in Washington DC.

The palace said the contents of the correspondence will be kept private.

However, it is understood it was in keeping with Sir Keir Starmer's conversation with Mr Trump, during which he condemned the violence, expressed his condolences for the victims and their families, and wished him and those injured a quick recovery.

As the weekend wore on, more and more footage was shared showing the momentThomas Matthew Crooks shot at former president Donald Trump.

This video shows all the angles.

Watch below...

By Martha Kelner, US correspondent

Donald Trump, even if he didn't fully appreciate it at the time, with adrenaline coursing through his veins, created a historic image of defiance just seconds after being repeatedly shot at.

He scrambled to his feet, right ear and cheek bloodied, dishevelled and without his shoes, and pumped his fist to the skies, conjuring cries of "USA, USA" from his supporters.

Even in awful circ*mstances, the former president demonstrated why he is considered the ultimate political performance artist.It is a picture for the ages.

In the 24 hours since the shooting, Team Trump is insisting the show will go on. The venue for this resilience tour will be the Republican National Convention (RNC) in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

On his Truth Social platform, Trump wrote that he was going to delay his trip to the RNC but decided that he could not "allow" a "shooter", or "potential assassin", to disrupt his plans.

Even before the weekend's attempted assassination, the RNC was a big deal.

It happens once every four years and is where the party will confirm Donald Trump as its nominee and Trump will announce his Vice Presidential pick from a presumed shortlist of three candidates; North Dakota governor Doug Burgum, Ohio Senator JD Vance and Florida senator Marco Rubio.

The convention, which will be held at the Fiserv forum, home to the Milwaukee Bucks Basketball team, is now taking place under drastically different circ*mstances. Some speakers have been told not to alter their speeches because organisers don’t want them to be repetitive and want to avoid Saturday’s shooting being the sole focus.

Trump's motorcade arrived at his hotel in Milwaukee in the early evening on Sunday.

The entrance to the hotel was guarded by police instructing guests to walk through airport style scanners and the lobby was swarming with secret service agents, local police and homeland security investigations agents.

A black curtain was drawn across one back entrance to the hotel, obscuring the view from other guests and Donald Trump was whisked from his motorcade into a lift and directly up to his suite. It was a departure from his usual arrival at these sort of events, where he would normally wave to supporters in the lobby.

A short while later his son, Eric, arrived but remained schtum when asked by reporters how his dad was doing.

Two party delegates having a drink in the Trump hotel bar told me they had been "extremely distressed" watching events unfold at the Pennsylvania rally.

"I was horrified, disgusted, sickened," one woman said, "I regularly go to Trump rallies and feel very safe. I probably would go again but I want the Secret Service to start using drones to identify any threats."

Secret service police said they had not adjusted their security plans in Milwaukee in light of the shooting and that there would be no changes to the security perimeter. But there was, palpably, more anxiety among law enforcement officers on the ground.

Donald Trump will be closely guarded throughout the week and won’t access the venue via public entrances. He is expected to appear at the convention as soon as Monday and will make a speech on Thursday evening.

The theme for Wednesday's proceedings at the RNC is "Make America Strong Again".

The Trump campaign calls Joe Biden, "the weakest commander-in-chief in our country's history."

That image of Donald Trump, pumping his fist and shouting "fight, fight, fight" will only serve to help them in conveying his strongman image.

More images have been released of the man killed during the attempted assassination of Donald Trump at a rally in Pennsylvania.

Corey Comperatore, who was 50, died a "hero" after he dived on top of his family to shield them from the bullets, state governor Josh Shapiro said.

President of the Buffalo Township volunteer fire company Randy Reamer said Mr Comperatore had served as chief of the company for about three years and was a "stand-up guy" and a "true brother of the fire service".

Donald Trump has said it is a "miracle" he survived an attempt on his life on Saturday.

The former president made the comment while speaking to the New York Poston a flight bound for Milwaukee for the GOP National Convention.

Wearing a loose white bandage that covered his right ear, he said: "The doctor at the hospital said he never saw anything like this, he called it a miracle."

"I'm not supposed to be here, I'm supposed to be dead," he added.

"I'm supposed to be dead."

He said that turning his head slightly to the right as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks pulled the trigger saved his life.

Throughout the conversation, his staff insisted that no photos be taken of him.

President Joe Biden has stressed the need for divided Americans after Donald Trump was shot in an assassination attempt.

Mr Bidensaid "politics should never be a political battlefield or, God forbid, a killing field" as he spoke in a televised address from the Oval Office yesterday.

"We need to lower the temperature in our politics," he added.

"There is no place in America for this kind of violence, for any violence ever. Period. No exceptions.

"We can't allow this violence to be normalised. The political rhetoric of this country has gotten very heated. It's time to cool it down."

He said passions would run high on both sides and the stakes of the election were enormous.

"We can do this," Mr Biden implored, saying the nation was founded on a democracy that gave reason and balance a chance to prevail over brute force.

"American democracy - where arguments are made in good faith. American democracy - where the rule of law is respected. Where decency, dignity, fair play aren't just quaint notions, they're living, breathing realities."

The Secret Service has denied claims it diverted resources from Donald Trump's rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday toward a Jill Biden speech.

The first lady was speaking in Pittsburgh - at an Italian Sons and Daughters dinner - while the former president spoke in Butler County, where he was shot at.

The Secret Service has come under fire for not securing the area where the gunman shot from, around 150 metres from the former president.

A reporter for RealClearPolitics claimed on X that "Secret Services resources were diverted to Jill Biden's event and away from Trump's because they followed agency protocol applying to Trump as a former president, according to two sources within the Secret Service community".

"There were also many supplemental agents from different field officers (not Trump's regular detail) providing security at the rally because Trump's regular detail has been overworked (some working seven days straight), and only two counter-snipers," Susan Crabtree claimed.

Responding to the statement, a Secret Service spokesman said: "Susan, this is very wrong.

" We did not divert resources from FPOTUS (former president of the United States) Trump and protection models don't work that way.

"As far as 'field office teams', these are the candidate nominee operations teams that are added during election years for the heavy travel tempo."

The attempt on Donald Trump's life has left sitting President Joe Biden vulnerable, reports ourUS correspondentMartha Kelner.

"We've now heard in several different formats over the past two days, President Biden calling for unity across the political aisle in condemnation of political violence of this sort," she said from Milwaukee, where the Republican National Convention is set to open later today.

"To be crude, this is politically a no-win scenario for President Biden - his major political rival has been shot, is thankfully well, but has emerged looking very powerful, very strong, very defiant at a time when questions remain over President Biden's own vitality, his fitness, his mental wellness and ability to lead this country for another four years," she added.

She noted the "deep contrast" in the imagery between the former president with his fist held aloft shouting "fight, fight, fight" just seconds after being repeatedly shot and that image of President Biden in the Oval Office looking, "quite frankly very elderly and very lonely".

"It is a difficult political moment for President Biden."

The convention

Turning to the events of the next few days, Kelner said "the message from team Trump has been the show must go on".

"[Trump] is, of course, the ultimate political showman."

He's set to be confirmed as the Republican Party's nominee, and he'll also reveal the identity of his running mate in the coming days.

He'll be picked from a "presumed shortlist of three men - the Florida senator, Marco Rubio, the Ohio senator, JD Vance and North Dakota's governor, Doug Burgum".

As we reported in our last post, he's also set to speak on Thursday.

"He says that speech is drastically altered from what he had planned two days ago," Kelner said.

"I expect what we'll see is a more statesmanlike performance from Donald Trump and calls for unity."

Donald Trump says he has changed his upcoming speech to the Republican National Convention after the attempt on his life.

The former president arrived in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, for the convention a day after gunmanThomas Matthew Crooksshot at him from a roof during a campaign rally.

The convention begins today, with Mr Trump set to address it on Thursday.

In an interview with the Washington Examinerduring a flight on Saturday evening, Mr Trumpsaid: "The speech I was going to give on Thursday was going to be a humdinger.

"Had [the assassination attempt] not happened, this would've been one of the most incredible speeches" aimed mostly at the policies of President Joe Biden, he said.

"Honestly, it's going to be a whole different speech now" and will be a message of unity for the country and the world, he said.

"It is a chance to bring the country together. I was given that chance."

His plane landed at Milwaukee airport yesterday evening. He raised a fist on the stairs before travelling in his motorcade, cheered on by supporters, to a hotel.