At the Trump rally, panic and prayers when the shots ring out

Gunshots ring out. Screams of terror erupt. Spectators throw themselves at each other earth. Secret Service agents rush to protect Donald Trump, the former president for whom the crowd waited for hours under the blazing sun.

The lectern from which the Republican candidate for the November presidential election was speaking a few seconds earlier is swaying.

The audience who came to listen to the campaign meeting of the real estate tycoon in Butler, Pennsylvania, screams in horror as agents of the Protective Service for American Presidents and Former Presidents lift the former president up while covering him with their bodies.

Donald Trump, 78, appears dazed. He has lost his red cap but that does not stop him from raising his fist in defiance before the officers take him to an imposing black vehicle.

An agent wearing a protective helmet, weapon in hand, scans the crowd.

Former US President Donald Trump, injured in the ear, is evacuated from his campaign rally in Butler, July 13, 2024 in Pennsylvania © AFP – Rebecca DROKE

“USA, USA” chanted the spectators as a hesitant Donald Trump, his fist still raised, descended the few steps which led him from the stage to an SUV. The guards form a human hedge to protect him.

“They won't get you!”, shouts a man in the crowd.

Erin Autenreith, 66, says she was “sitting in the middle of the front row.”

“I was right in front of him”.

– National holiday firecrackers –

“I was in all my states. I was looking at him. Then I heard explosions. It sounded like something from the 4th of July, (the American national holiday), bang, bang, bang.”

“But when they all jumped on the stage, surrounded him and knocked him down, that's when we realized it was really shooting.”

Former US President Donald Trump, injured in the ear, is evacuated from his campaign rally in Butler, July 13, 2024 in Pennsylvania © AFP – Rebecca DROKE

“Then other people arrived and they evacuated the area,” continues this woman who should have attended her sixth Donald Trump meeting there.

200% Deposit Bonus up to €3,000 180% First Deposit Bonus up to $20,000

“They were talking to each other. “+Left, that’s good. On the right, it's good+. Then they picked him up. And he said, 'let me take my shoes'.”

According to his account, these words were the first spoken by the former president after the shootings. “And I saw on his cheek, on the right side, I saw a little bit of blood,” she continued. “He turned around and I could see it was coming from the ear. And then he raised his fist.”

Donald Trump later explained on his Truth Social network that he had been “hit by a bullet that pierced the top of his (his) ear”.

As people realized the enormity of the events, anger grew. Supporters of the Republican candidate insulted the media, clearly visible in the middle of the site.

-“Here we go” –

“That's what you wanted, eh”, says a man who refuses to identify himself.

Dozens of people gave the finger in the direction of where the shots appeared to have come from.

< IMG Alt = "AFP" SRC = "https://img-4.linternaute.com/scuo2SJC2K3ikz8RH6x7okp5mz4=/600x/smart/4cd67e6fb64827a388d691bd20738/ccmcms-lintern JPG " />Supporters of former US President Donald Trump in the stands after shots were fired at the Republican candidate during his campaign rally in Butler, July 13, 2024 in Pennsylvania © AFP – Rebecca DROKE

The shooter was outside the compound where the gathering was organized, said prosecutor Richard Goldinger.

“Come on, let's go , let's go,” shouts a member of the Secret Service as authorities try to assess the thousands of spectators.

“It's a crime scene”, adds another. A police helicopter flies over the site and a vehicle bearing the word “explosives” passes through the crowd.

Others attack the organizers, accusing them of security lapses.

“A nice way to organize a perimeter”, quips a woman.

Another spectator cries, inconsolable, inquiring about the state of health of the former president.

Secret Service agents surround former President Donald Trump to relieve and evacuate him after shots were fired, July 13, 2024 in Butler, Pennsylvania © AFP – Rebecca DROKE

Trumpists are kneeling and praying.

“When they picked him up, I had the impression that they wanted to evacuate him as quickly as possible and he wanted to stay, he raised his fist for the world to see,” exclaims Blake Marnell, a 59-year-old salesman, who was sitting in the front row.

“It's an incredibly sad day,” continues this man who shows up at Donald Trump's rallies in a characteristic suit, with a print that imitates the supposed red bricks symbolize the anti-migrant wall dear to the former president.

All rights of reproduction and representation reserved. © (2024) Agence France-Presse