President Donald Trump said in an interview published on July 13 that he is “satisfied” with federal officials’ investigation and response regarding the first assassination attempt made against him exactly one year ago at a rally in Pennsylvania that resulted in a bullet injury to his right ear.
When asked by Fox News about the attempt on his life in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, 2024, Trump indicated that officials have briefed him on the investigation.
“I’m satisfied with it,” he said.
“They should have had somebody in the building,” Trump said, referring to how Secret Service agents in Butler coordinated their efforts to secure the rally. “They should have had communications with the local police—they weren’t tied in.”
He said that “there were mistakes made” in rally security and that “that shouldn’t have happened,” referring to the shooting.
The building where the 20-year-old would-be assassin was perched before he opened fire on Trump and the rally “was a prime building in terms of what [Secret Service agents] were trying to do,” he said.
The shooter was shot and killed by Secret Service countersnipers almost immediately after he opened fire on the rally, striking Trump in the ear, killing a local man, and wounding two others.
“I have great confidence in these people—I know the people,” the president noted, referring to the Secret Service. “They’re very talented and very capable. They had a bad day.”
After the shooting, numerous questions were raised about the Secret Service’s capacity to protect political candidates and politicians, while the agency’s then-director, Kim Cheatle, resigned after a contentious congressional hearing in which she was asked about the assassination attempt.
The Secret Service issued a report last week about what it has done to address problems laid bare at Butler, coming as the agency’s deputy director confirmed last week that six agents had been suspended over how they handled security at the Butler rally.
“The Secret Service is totally accountable for Butler,” Deputy Director Matthew Quinn told CBS News on July 10. “Butler was an operational failure, and we are focused today on ensuring that it never happens again.”
The agency said it had implemented 21 of the 46 recommendations made by congressional oversight bodies. The rest were either in progress or not up to the agency to implement.
“Since President Trump appointed me as director of the United States Secret Service, I have kept my experience on July 13 top of mind, and the agency has taken many steps to ensure such an event can never be repeated in the future,” said Sean Curran, whom Trump has tasked with leading the agency. Curran was one of the agents standing next to Trump as he was hustled off the stage after the shooting.
Few details about the shooter have been released since the incident. No motive has been ascribed to him by the FBI or other agencies.
During a congressional investigation, the shooter’s father, Matthew Crooks, was asked by investigators about his son. He replied at one point, “I don’t know anything about my son.”
Another incident occurred in September 2024, when a man with a rifle camped in some shrubbery outside one of Trump’s golf courses before being spotted and shot at by a Secret Service agent. This incident also raised questions about the agency’s performance.
That suspect, Ryan Wesley Routh, is being held without bail as he awaits trial on attempted assassination charges and others.
In an interview about a month ago, Deputy FBI Director Dan Bongino was asked by Fox News about the two assassination attempts.
“In some of these cases, the ‘there’ you’re looking for is not there,” Bongino said. “It’s not there. If it was there, we would have told you.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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