BUTLER, Pennsylvania (Reuters) -Donald Trump was safe, the U.S. Secret Service said on Saturday after multiple shots rang out at a rally by the Republican presidential candidate in Pennsylvania as video showed Trump grimacing and raising his right hand to his right.
“The Secret Service has implemented protective measures and the former president is safe,” a Secret Service spokesperson said on X after what the agency called an incident. “This is now an active Secret Service investigation and further information will be released when available.”
Multiple shots were heard at the outdoor rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, shortly after Trump began his speech.
Body guards then crowded around Trump as he ducked below the podium and armed officers took up positions at the front of the stage. Trump repeatedly raised his fist to the crowd and shouted as he was escorted to a vehicle by the U.S. Secret Service.
CNN reported that Trump was injured, but gave no other details. It was not clear how or what injuries he may have sustained. Video showed him with blood on his right ear and the right side of his face.
Trump’s campaign spokesperson said Trump was fine and that he was being checked out at a local medical facility, according to a CNN reporter on X.
The venue was abandoned with chairs knocked over and yellow police tape around the stage. A helicopter flew above and law enforcement officers walked through the area, the video feed showed. Armed law enforcement officers were also seen on a roof near the stage where Trump was standing.
U.S. President Joe Biden received and initial briefing on the incident, the White House said.
Trump and Biden are locked in a close election rematch, with most opinion polls including Reuters/Ipsos showing the two evenly matched.
Biden has been facing his own pushback within his own party following a disastrous debate performance against the former president a little more than two weeks ago.
Trump, who served as president from 2017-2021, easily bested his rivals for the Republican nomination early in the campaign and has largely unified around him the party that had briefly wavered in support after his supporters attacked the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. attempting to overturn his 2020 election defeat.
(Reporting by Nathan Layne, Jarrett Renshaw, John Kruzel, Daniel Wallis, Scott Malone, Jasper Ward; Writing by Susan Heavey; Editing by Nick Zieminski and Daniel Wallis)
