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2024 Donald Trump Rally Shooting
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Overview
The 2024 Donald Trump Rally Shooting or 2024 Donald Trump Assassination Attempt was a shooting that took place at a Butler, Pennsylvania rally for United States presidential candidate Donald Trump in mid-July 2024. During the incident, a shooter scaled a nearby building and attempted to kill Donald Trump during his speech by firing several shots from an AR-15, with one of the bullets grazing Trump's ear. The shooter, later identified as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, killed one spectator and critically injured two others before being shot dead by the Secret Service. The shooting quickly became a viral subject on social media and dominated international headlines in the hours following the assassination attempt, inspiring discussions, memes, artworks and other content online. The photo of Donald Trump raising his fist was particularly memed over the following days. Plus, a conspiracy theory that the shooting was staged spread online in the aftermath. Discourse and memes were also shared about the Female Secret Service Agents on Trump's detail. In a later interview with ABC News, Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle made a comment about the "sloped roof," noting it as a reason for the building not being cleared.
Background
On July 13th, 2024, at 6:11 p.m. local time, a failed assassination attempt on U.S. former President and presidential candidate Donald Trump occurred at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.[1] As Trump was giving his speech within the first few minutes, several shots were heard, with Trump grabbing his right ear before ducking behind the podium. One of the bullets fired by the gunman grazed Trump's ear, causing him to bleed. One person who attended the rally was fatally shot by one of the rounds, with two others critically injured. Secret Service then quickly huddled the presidential candidate, rushing him off the stage (video[2] shown below).
The shooter, later identified as 20-year-old local resident Thomas Matthew Crooks, was shot dead at the scene by a Secret Service sniper.[3] In the hours following the incident, it was reported that Crooks used an AR-15-style rifle with 5.56mm ammunition, firing a total of eight shots.[14]
Developments
In the minutes following the shooting on July 13th, 2024, videos of the event began circulating on social media. Within three minutes of the attempted assassination, X[4] / Twitter user @BehizyTweets posted a clip of Donald Trump raising his fist before leaving the stage, which received over 12 million views, 8,400 reposts and 46,000 likes in one day (shown below).
Trump just got shot in the head and got up like a fucking gangster and fist pumped
pic.twitter.com/3TAzY5mI5E— Hodgetwins (@hodgetwins) July 13, 2024
On July 13th, entrepreneur Elon Musk posted a photograph that depicts a bloodied Donald Trump raising his fist with a United States flag waving in the background taken by Associated Press photographer Evan Vucci (photograph shown below). The post garnered over 201 million views, 457,000 reposts and 3.3 million likes on X[5] in one day, with the photograph quickly going viral and inspiring memes, edits and artworks.
![Donald Trump Raised Fist Photograph 0000](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/002/861/320/bf0.jpg)
Shooter Identity
On July 13th, 2024, the New York Post[6] reported that Thomas Matthew Crooks, a 20-year old resident of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, had been identified as the shooter, which was later confirmed by other sources.
![Thomas Matthew Crooks ID’d as gunman who shot Trump during Pa. rally NEW YORK POST New York Post @nypost Thomas Matthew Crooks ID'd as gunman who shot Trump during Pa. rally trib.al/qehWgCI • 11:40 PM ⚫ Jul 13, 2024 5.9M Views](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/002/861/615/6ed.jpg)
![What we know about Thomas Matthew Crooks NEW YORK POST New York Post @nypost What we know about Thomas Matthew Crooks, gunman who tried to assassinate Trump at Pa. rally trib.al/wPy67WK 3344 5:50 PM Jul 14, 2024 112.7K Views ...](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/002/861/617/1ce.jpg)
In the following reports, Crooks was identified as a kitchen worker and a registered Republican. Crooks reportedly used a semi-automatic AR-15 rifle that belonged to his father and shot from a rooftop located roughly 130 yards (125 meters) away from the stage. Crooks was wearing a shirt from Demolition Ranch, a gun YouTube channel.[7] Crooks was killed by a Secret Service sniper shortly after firing.
On July 14th, 2024, TMZ[8] posted footage of Crooks on a rooftop from which he fired at the rally (shown below).
BREAKING: TMZ obtains video of shooter on rooftop at Trump Rally pic.twitter.com/Sb4cxVnCgY
— Intel Point Alert (@IntelPointAlert) July 14, 2024
On July 13th, shortly before the identity of the shooter was reported, X user @jewgazing shared a misinformation meme in which he misidentified himself as the shooter. However, due to @jewgazing strongly resembling the actual shooter, his photograph was mistakenly used in multiple online reports in the following hours.[12][13]
![Shooter Lookalike Makes a Whoopsie Dopamingue @raypeatfan Dawg no way Of course the shooter was a beta male. Not surprised. 271 14 ill 246 口 4skin, 88 @jewgazing. 12m WAIT NO How The Spectator Index @spect....19m BREAKING: Images emerge of gunman • 12:06 AM ⚫ Jul 14, 2024 11.7M Views @jewgazing. 2r 12 山 f----- omg.... 271](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/002/861/547/ccf.jpg)
![the widely circulated photo of “Thomas Matthew Crooks” is actually X user jewgazing 😭 pagliacci the hated @Slatzism the widely circulated photo of “Thomas Matthew Crooks” is actually X user jewgazing he is unrelated to the attempted assassination of former president Trump x.com/libsoftiktok/s... 4skin, @jewgazing. 18m wowgazing yall im dying here heeeelpppp daddy gets the theater to himself :) Nick Sortor @nicksortor.27m #BREAKING: TRUMP SHOOTER IDENTIFIED 20 year old Thomas Matthew Crooks of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania Rot in hell. This post is unavailable. • 12:24 AM ⚫ Jul 14, 2024 · 1.6M Views 12](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/002/861/690/427.jpg)
Conspiracy Theories
The shooting rapidly became a subject of conspiracy theories, with some users expressing opinions that it was a staged stunt that aimed to boost Donald Trump's popularity, with others thinking nefarious government agencies or political rivals orchestrated it. Memes promoting or parodying the conspiracy theories were widely circulated online in the days following the shooting (examples shown below).
![Trump’s campaign team: Charles Conway @Charles_Conway Trump's campaign team: 6:57 PM ⚫ Jul 13, 2024 7.8M Views • Let's shoot you ...](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/002/861/519/e8f.jpg)
!["Trump after staging his own fake assassination" I Smoked The Staged Trump Assassination @Blackknight10k "Trump after staging his own fake assassination" 7:15 PM ⚫ Jul 13, 2024 8.9M Views ...](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/002/861/530/713.jpg)
Female Secret Service Agents at Trump Shooting
Female Secret Service Agents who were present at the shooting became the subject of memes and discourse following the incident. The women's ability to protect Trump was questioned, additionally centering on the Director of the U.S. Secret Service Kimberly Cheatle who reportedly wanted the Secret Service workforce to be 30% women by 2030. Many people called the women "diversity hires" in viral posts and blamed Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI). A video showing one of the female agents trying to holster her weapon went viral on Twitter / X. The agent was also seen seemingly hiding behind Trump on stage amid the gunfire. The particular agent was a brunette sporting a ponytail. Many of the memes and reactions about the women were dubbed sexist and misogynistic because they demeaned the women based on their gender, suggesting that men are inherently better Secret Service agents and bodyguards.
Watching the ladies at work here. pic.twitter.com/ySuIw78VfR
— Sharyl Attkisson 🕵️♂️💼🥋 (@SharylAttkisson) July 14, 2024
Online Reactions
The rally shooting became a viral subject of discussions, memes, art and other content on social media in mid-July 2024. The photograph of the bloodied Donald Trump raising his fist in the air as he was being escorted off the stage by the Secret Service achieved particular virality, being described by as "historic" and "iconic" and inspiring caption memes, edits and redraws (example shown below).
![The Avenging Candidate AMARINES](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/002/861/020/91f.jpg)
Other notable memes spawned by the shooting are Shinzo Abe Saving Donald Trump memes that imagined late conservative Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who was assassinated in 2022, saving Donald Trump, memes imagining Trump's reactions to the assassination, posts expressing disappointment that the assassination attempt failed, misinformation memes reporting Sam Hyde and other people as the shooter, and memes mocking the shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks.
In the hours following the event, terms such as "HOW DO YOU MISS," "THEY MISSED" and "ONE JOB" trended on X / Twitter in the U.S. On July 13th, 2024, X[9] user @buffys posted a screenshot of the trending bar, with the post garnering over 22,000 reposts and 238,000 likes in two days (shown below).
!["HOW DO YOU MISS" Trending on X / Twitter THEY MISSED 24.8K posts Trending in United States Staged 58.3K posts Trending in United States HOW DO YOU MISS 3,655 posts Trending in United States ONE JOB 26.3K posts Trending in United States](https://a.kym-cdn.com/assets/blank-b3f96f160b75b1b49b426754ba188fe8.gif)
Various jokes about the event and the way people learned about the shooting went viral on social media that day as well. For example, on July 13th, 2024, X[10] user @juiceswrId wrote, "imagine trump getting shot and his security yells 'donald duck,'" with the joke garnering over 41,000 reposts and 455,000 likes in two days (shown below, left). Later that day, X user @karlimarulli posted a Who Do You Think meme about Trump and Joe Biden that received over 2,800 reposts and 368,000 likes in two days (shown below, right).
![imagine trump getting shot and his security yells “donald duck” 999 @juiceswrId imagine trump getting shot and his security yells "donald duck" 7:40 PM ⚫ Jul 13, 2024 8.8M Views](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/002/861/538/37c.jpg)
![surgeon: who do you think gave you the ear 💕 Karli Marulli @karlimarulli trump: *waking up* wheres joe biden? surgeon: who do you think gave you the ear 7:48 PM ⚫ Jul 13, 2024 6.7M Views](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/002/861/539/ba8.jpg)
Memes juxtaposing Donald Trump and Joe Biden saw viral spread in mid-July 2024. For example, X[11] user @jeremyKauffman made a joke that Joe Biden would not have reacted to the shots if he was the target, which garnered over 9,100 reposts and 221,000 likes in one day (shown below).
![People are acting like Trump's reaction is so impressive but if someone shot at Joe Biden he wouldn't even flinch Jeremy Kauffman @jeremykauffman People are acting like Trump's reaction is so impressive but if someone shot at Joe Biden he wouldn't even flinch 7:06 PM ⚫ Jul 13, 2024 · 8.4M Views • •](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/002/861/529/249.jpg)
Related Memes
Donald Trump Raised Fist Photograph
Donald Trump Raised Fist Photograph refers to a photograph of the United States presidential candidate Donald Trump taken immediately after a failed assassination attempt on his life at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, in July 2024. The photograph, in which bloodied Trump raises his fist as he is rushed off the stage by security service, achieved virality and inspired numerous edits and redraws in the following days.
![Anime God Trump](https://a.kym-cdn.com/assets/blank-b3f96f160b75b1b49b426754ba188fe8.gif)
![All Might Donald Trump](https://a.kym-cdn.com/assets/blank-b3f96f160b75b1b49b426754ba188fe8.gif)
![Now what you've all been waiting for: The pony version!](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/002/861/204/b2f.png)
Shinzo Abe Saved Donald Trump
Shinzo Abe Saved Donald Trump refers to a series of memes that imagine former Prime Minister of Japan Shinzo Abe, who was assassinated in 2022, magically saving US presidential candidate Donald Trump during his failed assassination attempt in July 2024.
![](https://i.kym-cdn.com/entries/icons/mobile/000/050/583/cover5.jpg)
Joe Biden "We Resolve Our Differences at the Battle Box"
We Resolve Our Differences at the Battle Box is a quote spoken by President Joe Biden while addressing the Donald Trump rally shooting in which he misspeaks and says what sounds like "In America, we resolve our differences at the battle box," instead of "ballot box." Biden made the address on Sunday, July 14th, 2024 and it inspired reactions that night, including memes, largely on X / Twitter, about settling your differences in "the battle box."
![](https://i.kym-cdn.com/entries/icons/mobile/000/050/590/bbcover.jpg)
Donald Trump Van Gogh Parodies
Donald Trump Van Gogh Parodies refers to a series of photoshopped images combining Dutch Post-Impressionist painter Van Gogh's portrait with the 2024 Donald Trump Rally Shooting incident, which Trump said on social media that he was shot in the upper right ear during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. The Trump Van Gogh parodies grew popular on Twitter / X, Reddit and TikTok in July 2024.
![](https://i.kym-cdn.com/entries/icons/mobile/000/050/586/trump_van_gogh_cover.jpg)
Sloped Roof Secret Service Director Comment
Sloped Roof Secret Service Director Comment refers to a series of memes based on a quote from U.S. Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle who said that the shooter was on a "sloped roof," making it dangerous for her Secret Service agents and snipers to clear the building before the shooting. Her exact quote was, "That building in particular has a sloped roof at its highest point, and so, you know, there’s a safety factor that we considered. We didn’t want to put someone on a sloped roof." Her statement was made in an ABC News interview. Sloped Roof memes trended en masse on social media sites going into July 2024, all making fun of the idea of a sloped roof being too dangerous to save the Former President.
They wouldn’t want to put a Secret Service agent on a sloped roof. Because that would be a security concern.
So they secured it from the inside.
Which means that Secret Service was in the building from which a sniper was shooting the President from the unsecured sloped roof.… pic.twitter.com/xXlRthVV3E— Viva Frei (@thevivafrei) July 17, 2024
Various Examples
![Strongest president assassin of history versus strongest president assassin of today | /r/dankmemes Oswald D------ .22lr/air gun user I will hit a perfect headshot on a moving vehicle while hiding behind a small window nooooo please don't move 8 shots isnt enough i just have to kill this bystander instead noooo imgflip.com](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/002/860/836/20c.jpeg)
![Trump's new single "I got shot and surived" KURACO PARENTAL ADVISORY EXPLICIT CONTENT](https://a.kym-cdn.com/assets/blank-b3f96f160b75b1b49b426754ba188fe8.gif)
![Abe saved him from beyond the grave "Mr. President why did you suddenly turn your head" Well... for a moment I thought I heard the voice of an old friend... SEE YOU SPACE COWBOY...](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/002/861/150/2ea.jpg)
![This wont back fire on us imgflip.com LEFT EXIT 12 I HATE TRUMP BUT YOU CANT JUST SHOOT POLITICAL OPPONENTS YOU DONT LIKE WHY DID HE MISS](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/002/861/050/03a.jpg)
![Nothing ever happens Bro, Chudjak is literally defending the president. > Chudjak, it finally happened. They got me. I'm going to die. No, you're not Mr. President. >How can you be so sure? Because nothing ever happens.](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/002/861/062/484.png)
![Probably ever | /r/dankmemes THIS HAS BEEN THE WORST ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT IN THE HISTORY OF ASSASSINATION ATTEMPTS](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/002/860/807/15e.jpeg)
Search Interest
External References
[1] POLITICO – Photo of bloodied Trump fist pumping immediately spotlighted by his allies
[2] YouTube – WATCH: Moment Trump appears to be shot at rally
[3] BBC – Thomas Matthew Crooks: What we know about the Trump attacker
[4] X – @BehizyTweets
[6] X – Thomas Matthew Crooks ID’d as gunman who shot Trump during Pa. rally
[7] X – @CollinRugg
[8] X – @IntelPointAlert
[10] X – @karlimarulli
[11] X – @jeremykauffman
[12] X – @raypeatfan
[14] WSJ – A Divisive Symbol Behind Trump’s Attempted Assassination The AR-15
Top Comments
40kOracle
Jul 13, 2024 at 09:57PM EDT
martinprince12345
Jul 13, 2024 at 08:07PM EDT