It has been nearly a year since the chilling and jaw-dropping moment in Butler, Pennsylvania, when a would-be assassin opened fire at then-presidential candidate Donald Trump. This moment, which many feared could have been fatal, became a defining chapter in Trump’s political comeback as he overcame the terrifying assassination attempt.
In an exclusive excerpt from the upcoming book 2024: How Trump Retook the White House and the Democrats Lost America, obtained by The Washington Post, Trump shared his perspective on the events that followed the shooting, revealing just how close he came to death.
The book explores not just the immediate aftermath of the shooting, but the long-lasting impact it had on Trump’s image, his political fortunes, and his relationship with former critics. This assassination attempt, which took place on July 13, 2023, set the stage for a remarkable transformation in Trump’s campaign.
The Butler Assassination Attempt: A Close Call

A Bullet Fired at Trump

On that fateful day, Trump had just stepped off the stage at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, when a sniper, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, took aim at the former president. Positioned on a rooftop about 100 yards away from the rally, Crooks fired at Trump. The shot rang out, sending immediate shockwaves through the crowd and the Secret Service. Trump was caught in the crosshairs of a life-threatening assassination attempt.

In an extraordinary display of professionalism and quick action, Secret Service agents immediately rushed Trump, tackling him to the ground and securing him away from the sniper’s line of fire. They quickly evacuated him from the venue, and the chaos that ensued was the stuff of nightmares. The attack on Trump was the last thing anyone had expected, yet it happened so suddenly and with such precision that even those closest to him feared for the worst.

The book reveals that, despite the severity of the situation, Trump was surprisingly composed. “Trump was sitting up in bed, still wearing his suit. A bandage covered his ear. There was blood everywhere,” the book recounts. The amount of blood was so severe that even his closest aides were convinced that Trump had been shot multiple times. The bleeding was intense and far beyond what anyone had anticipated, which led to serious concerns about his condition.

Trump himself later recalled the harrowing experience, commenting in an interview that the blood loss was so substantial that it almost felt like he was losing control. “It was bleeding like a b****,” Trump said, referring to the amount of blood he was losing. However, despite the traumatic events and the grave situation, Trump showed a level of resilience that was almost unexpected.

The Humor That Followed: Trump’s Resilience in the Face of Danger
One of the most striking aspects of Trump’s recovery was his ability to inject humor into the situation, even in the face of danger. Within hours of the assassination attempt, Trump began making jokes, lightening the mood in what could have been a grim and somber hospital room. His aides, who were initially shaken by the gravity of the situation, began to relax when they realized Trump was alive and in relatively good spirits.