see his head, the former president had go sideways, you can see blood and at that point i was not looking at anything. my friends were like you need to get down. everybody get down. people were around me, there were some young people crying. to be honest with you, at the time this happened, i was not even sure they were gunshots. then we heard three or four shots and then we heard shots returned. a friend of mine videotaped that and we just watched that and that is what we saw and heard. >> from your vantage point were you able to see where the shots were coming from x?

left. we have a route that runs outside the butler farm show. route 68. and it sounded like the shots were coming from out there near the field to the left hand side of where we were. so it certainly was scary. >> we look at the video tape and it appears some people didn't quite realize what was happening. were you someone who didn't know what you were witnessing? >> absolutely. i tell you it was chaos at the a time. >> have you been chto one of these rallies before? >> i have not. it was my first time at a rally

and i was so excited to go to one. we had so many people there. but i can tell you the chaos this created. everyone was scared. you see the former president and what is happening. and you know, and then when i acertained what had happened from my pennsylvania state police friend, it was scary. it was my enunderstanding they got the shooter but it doesn't make a difference because it was scary. >> our e understanding is the shooter is deceased and again, one of the spectators as well. one critically hurt spectator. the former president is going to be okay. but you bring up a point we are all talking about. we don't know what the motivation was for this. but it certainly comes at a time we are all keenly aware of the deep divisions and the risk

of political violence. is it something you even thought about as you attended this rally tonight? >> to be honest with you, no. not at all. there's political unrest in the country. but in no way did i think that this would happen. and what concerns me more is it is not only political, but you i know, there are innocent people here. and look what happened. and it shoulder just never happen. in our country. it really should not. >> your point is certainly well taken. i know you are with the da's office there. do you have any insight on how the investigation is proceeding? >> well i know i'm seeing a lot of news trucks around here. i know that there were tons of secret service here. and again, i just, i guess for

me i just questioned how somebody got through security or where this person was in a field that somebody wasn't looking after them. and i guess that's just me and from my perspective of what i do. >> yeah, thank you very much as we look at pictures of the aftermath. we have shown you some of the o still photos as well of people crouched down for safety. and i'm sure at that moment where the threat was coming from, i want to tell you we are hearing, we will hear from the president. we read his statement. we will hear from president biden at some point this evening. we don't have a firm time on that. but we'll let fiyou know when ww know more about that. in the meantime, let's bring in our ngsenior washington correspondent hallie jackson. we are all shocked, and a certainly saddened over the loss of life here and the injuries and we are certainly ar grateful that the former

president is okay. but this fois going to be a ver tough conversation in the weeks coming forward. share your thoughts if you would. >> none of it taking away lester from as you described the urgency and frankly the devastation of this moment. given what we have learned about what has happened in this rally in butler, pennsylvania. our team here at nbc news is n out to a myriad of campaign sources close to former president trump and obviously pr the latest we have heard and you have been reporting is thatn he is okay. he is in the words of a spokesperson fine and being looked at. we are seeking more information. i can also tell you based on a message to staff obtained by our colleagues. a top campaign official is telling staff members that af everything is okay. that we have no details to share at this time. but saying they will atfollow-u soon with more information. they are directing staff members to not speak iwith members of the media. they want what they describe as

a total lockdown here. they add your personal safety is of the utmost importance here. to pray, remain vigilant and be strong. that's the messaging now sa according to nbc news that trump campaign staff members are getting from the top. as there is just, it is always, it is chaotic in the moments. what and how we report what we know has occurred here. and what is just a historic day here in the united states. >> we are here in the weekend before the republican national convention. obviously. there will be some changes we don't know what is in effect. we are hitting prime time campaign season now. >> we sure are. and this is a moment where everybody begins to pay attention. especially considering the start of the convention. think about it, lester, not looking at the time here, just at 8:00 eastern, not maybe n, three plus hours ago, the biggest story that i think most campaign reporters were changing was who donald trump

picked to be his running mate. that was sort of much of the attention here on this rally in butler, pennsylvania. the conversation has clearly and necessarily changed very ss dramatically since then. one of the questions will vebe the movements of former me president trump. how long will he remain at the medical facility where he is at now. does he still plan to be at the republican national convention? starting on monday, that kicks s off in milwaukee. with the expectation that at on some point, between now and of course next week, he would announce his vice presidential pick. >> let me bring in kristen welker. moderator of meet the press. are learning more a little more from the biden campaign. their immediate reaction to

this? >> we are. the biden campaign is pausing i all outbound communications and working to pull down ore television ads as quickly as possible. this underscores part of the conversation we were having earlier which this is a moment that brings the country together in shock, in condemnation for this political violence. the reports are horrifying. violence has arno place in american politics. we are grateful and pray for the former president and all those injures. house speaker mike johnson. on keand on, lester and it does come on the eve of the

republican national convention. former president trump, his campaign apparatus, republicans all over the country poised to go to milwaukee to officially nominate normer president trump as their party's nominee and as hallie was saying we anticipated and were working on trying to determine who the former president would pick to t serve as his vice presidential nominee. now the focus has shifted to this horrifying topic of political violence. and what this country needs to do to prevent something like this from happening again. >> all right, kristen welker, thank you very much. let me reset here from the viewers viewers. former president trump was

injured. here it is. >> that chart is a couple of months old. if you really want to see something, take a look at what happened. [ sound of gunfire ] [ screaming ] are >> move! move! go! >> are we ready? >> we're good. shooter is down. are we good to move? >> we are clear. we're clear.

>> watch out. >> i want to bring in evy poumpouras. a former secret service a. . one of the tactual clothed individuals says the shooter is down. as you watch that unfold, i take it they were not prepared to move him until they knew where the threat was. >> yes, you can hear the clear line of communication. communication very clear and succinct. can we move. are we clear? you hear shooters down. are we clear to move, clear to move. you are hearing them speak to

one another. radio communication is condition of the most important things. actually when it comes coms, you can hear them saying very simple words. they just want to create those air waves clear so the most vital communication can pass. they are hunkering down, you see them surround him. he goes down to the ground. they all surround him. again, when you are an agent, you are supposed to be a human shield and in that moment, that is what they become. they become human shields. your job in that moment is to protect your protectee. so they all encompass him. you don't want them to miss you and hit your protectee. you can see the front of the

stage. around it, you'll see that design, almost like a smaller, like a design barrier. has the flag around it. that typically and i can't say whether it is or is not in this case, but in some scenarios when you work as a side agent, you will pick a barricade that is something strong and sturdy. it could be concrete or steel. usually it is some type of steel and that is used for that when something does happen. unfortunately like we are seeing here, they get down to the ground so they have some type of cover. >> really important information we are learning from you. i want to let folks know, i believe we are moments away from hearing from president biden. he is going to stand at that podium and we believe this is in delaware. somebody can confirm for me. but he will address the nation about these events tonight in florida. the shooting that apparently wounded former president trump

who is said to be okay. the shooter who has not been identified, we know nothing about that person's background or what might motivate them. the shooter is said to be deceased as well. this story has been rolling out and here is the president. >> thoroughly briefed by all the federal agencies in the situation based on what we know now. i have tried to get ahold of donald. he is with his doctors. apparently, he is doing well. i plan on talking to him shortly. i hope. when i get back to the telephone. look. there is no place in america for this kind of violence. it's sick. it's sick. it is one of the reasons we have to unite this country. we cannot allow for this to be happening. we cannot be like this. we cannot condone this. and so i want to thank the secret service and all the agency including the state agencies that have engaged in

making sure that the people, we have more detail to come relative to the other people may be injured in the audience. i don't have all that detail. we'll make that available to you. i may be able to come back a little later tonight. the bottom line is the trump rally, the rally he should have conducted peacefully without any problem. but the idea, the idea there is political violence and violence in america like this is just unheard of. just not appropriate. and everybody, everybody must condemn it. everybody. i'll keep you informed and if i am able to speak to donald, i will let you know that as well. but so far, it appears he is doing well. number one. number two, that they are thoroughly investigating whatever happened to anyone else in the audience. we have some reports but not final reports and every agency in the federal government and

i'm going back to my phone to speak with the federal agencies being put together again to give me an updated briefing. has anything happened. they are learning more the next couple of hours so thank you very much, and i hope i get to speak to him night and i will get back to you if i do. >> do you think it was an assassination attempt? >> i don't know enough. i have an opinion, but no facts so i want to make sure we have all the facts before i make any more comments. >> are you worried for your own safety? >> was the secure failing? >> the president stopping short of calling this an assassination attempt. but he plans to talk to donald trump and his understanding is that the former president is doing well. president biden speaking out. as we had reported a few moments ago, the biden campaign moving to take down its

advertising, a pause in its advertising in the wake of this. we know that the president couldn't confirm, but we have confirmed at least two spectators were shot. one killed. another who was in critical condition and again the shooter, we don't know a lot about right now, is also deceased. let me go back to kristen welker in our washington dc bureau. the white house getting out in front of this very quickly. >> reporter: lester, they sure are. president biden condemning this in the strongest terms possible which is what you would anticipate. he has long condemned political violence. he said this is unheard of. everybody must condemn it. he did say he had tried to speak with the former president who he referred to as donald. he also noted lester that he is receiving thorough, robust briefings from his national security team. from his federal agencies and that with undoubtedly cop

throughout the night. the white house will undoubtedly need to keep the public informed throughout the night. it come as you point out, they work to pull down their ads as the trump campaign is in a media blackout and it speaks to the seriousness of this moment. the gravity of this moment. the fact that quite frankly something has just shifted in our american politics. in our country. this act of political violence which as the president said cannot and will not be tolerated and it does come as everyone is preparing to go to milwaukee. the republican national convention. the perimeter will be quite strong, heavy security. getting into the actual area where the convention is taking place will undoubtedly require

going through magnitiles. making sure no one is armed going into that event. but again, this just underscores that something fundamental has really shifted in our american politics. >> the threat has been talked about. to see it play out on this scale is certainly horrifying. thank you for that. let's go back to hallie jackson. you have a statement from donald trump jr. >> reporter: via a spokesperson to our colleague peter nicholas. you heard president biden say he tried to reach former president trump on the phone. we know the former president's son has spoken with him in a statement saying they just talked on the phone. he will never stop fighting to save america. no matter what the radical left throws at him. what we can glean from this is former president trump is as his campaign says, fine. he is well enough to speak. he is well enough to be on the phone at least with his

immediate family members, at least with his son donald trump jr. we know that he is receiving medical treatment at a local facility with this rally happening of course in butler, pennsylvania. and there has been a slew of reaction. strongly condemning political violence after this very difficult day in american politics. tip tom, former ambassador to the u.n. was a fews from the former president when the shots rang out. thank you for joining us, sir, can you tell us what you saw? >> i was with the president a few moments earlierful everything seemed like a normal day. but when he walked down that red carpet and walked up to the podium, i was sitting in the front row at the end of the runway, all of a sudden the shots broke out and i think there were people who actually

thought it was possibly fireworks. but i had seen the gun smoke and obviously, there was a person about 15-foot behind me that was hit. severely wounded at least. nonetheless, the crowd stayed pretty calm for the most part. it sounded like there were six, seven shots to start with. and there will was a pause and we heard a different caliber gunfired. which i assume is the secret service. >> did you hear president trump say anything?

>> did he cry out? did machine tell him to get down? was it instinctive? >> yeah, we heard everybody say get down. but i think he was already going down. that's when everybody thought at first, maybe he had been hit. it hit his ear, it could have been a little closer, it could have been disastrous. but when he went down to the ground and he got up, he put his hand up in the air. so we knew he was okay. >> there are presumably a lot of people in that crowd. has it settled in how close a brush, everybody in that arena came tonight?

>> i was recalling the kennedy assassinations or other attempts made during my lifetime. recalling those thinking about those, and moving forward to where we are at today, we still have a problem with this. it is shocking. retired atf agent jim kavanaugh is with me. we have been reporting that the shooter in this case is deceased after being presumably shot by law enforcement. the next question will be is this a lone operator, the lone wolf or is this part of some kind of conspiracy? those are two different things. how will they begin to get at least put the dots together?

>> yeah. we'll start with the deceased shooter, lester. and sweep his personal devices, phone, computer, et cetera for associates, confederates and start interviewing around the circle around him. you have dug out a lot from the reporters in the witnesses since we last talked and it appears that maybe the shooter, seemed like to me watching the video closely that the first shot or two is where president trump reacts. >> let me stop you for a second. i just receive add new piece of information i want to get your thoughts on. from a confirmed source, the shooter was firing from outside the perimeter. that changes a lot in terms of the security posture of these things doesn't it? >> yeah. it does. what is surprising to me is that a shooter could get in an

elevated position. they will get elevated positions and they will put their sniper teams up there. and lookouts with binoculars and rifles. the first shot or second shot, the first pop or two is when he grabs his right year he goes down but he doesn't fall down, he just squats down. you can see at the same moment that the spectators behind him are also hunching down as a normal reaction to gunfire and there's more rounds right after that. there is maybe another five rounds. and dasha burns had a witness she just interviewed. and he counted seven rounds.

and that was close, can't tell the exact number. but that sort of jives what the witness said. it looks like we had an assassin with a rifle. >> i want to bring in a former secret service agent again. thank you for staying with us. let me get your reaction to the fact this person was firing outside the perimeter. that raises a lot of questions. >> this is one of the most difficult things when you do outdoor sites.

you are outside, you have to worry about off side issues. line of sight is a massive problem. someone can really engage your target from a long range. so even though let's say you hunker this whole area down. how far do you go and can you cover everything? these are probably of all the types of advances you can do, these are probably the least favorite among secret service agents because you have the inability. even if someone is in an elevated position or not, how do you secure all those elevated positions when you have weapons with the capabilities that are able to shoot long distances? this is what you are up against. >> and you talk about weapons that shoot long distance, we think of those as long guns.

things that stand out certainly in a crowd no matter what side of the fence you are on. the fact this person at some distance was able to strike the former president, does that suggest some ability beyond the average gun user? >> well that would be interesting to see. it is hard to speculate at this point. one of the things that leafs me to think this person was at a distance. when we hear the gunshot, it sounds very faint. very soft. like an echo. that is why so many people mistook it for fireworks. that's why a lot of people weren't sure it was a gunshot. it leads us to believe it was at a distance. when you do security for these events. what i have to acknowledge is

all those folks held steady and fast. it is not just the danger of the attacker of what is going to happen. the danger a lot of times can come from within. so i really have to comment on everybody's ability to stay put, to not panic and allow the secret service and look at where that motorcade is. you see everybody hold their position. allow the security team to evacuate. >> workening on a story for the today show, i went to the secret service training facility outside of washington. they put me in the simulation in which i was the protectee waving to a crowd when shots rang out and the swiftness of these agents moving around me, getting me in the car and driving off was stunning though i knew it was going to come. so the training is obviously something they do.

they prepare for these kinds of moments. i'm sure there will be a lot of soul searching about what happened in this case. impressive group for folks who put their lives on the line for these protectees on a daily basis. i want to go back to nbc's dasha burns. she was there when the shots rang out. we are obviously grateful you and the rest of our team are fine but we do recognize two spectators were hurt, one killed. another in critical condition. you have had some heart- wrenching interviews. people saw a lot of things you can't unsee. >> reporter: yeah lester, that is absolutely right. people who came to trump rally, some of them for the first time looking forward to seeing the former president. people reuniting with friends here. not expecting anything like this. let me just set the scene for you right now.

we are in the parking lot outside of the venue. we will see people are kind of in a traffic jam right now. this was a one-way in, one-way out kind of road situation. this is butler county. a pretty rural county. not a lot of big highways or roads. this is now hours later. people are still waiting to get out and waiting and processing everything they have experienced. i want to introduce you to tracy who is as stuck in this traffic jam right now. they were right there. and tracy, we have been hearing some of these stories. can you walk us through what you saw? >> absolutely. president trump was up there. then five minutes we were hearing pop, pop, pop, pop. and everybody is on the ground. everybody is on the floor and

it was just like what? and we were on the ground level. we were four rows back from the stage. are you coming? >> they are moving along. >> from the stage, and, the people in the bleachers behind us, something got popped. somebody got killed. somebody died. somebody got shot. shh close to where we were. those bullets, i pray to god for these people's families. oh my god. how is this happening in our country today? and why? why is it happening? >> you and tyler, you know this county, you know this area. did you ever think something like this would happen here? >> never. never. absolutely never. this shows you how much hate and hostility is in our world today. this is not a good thing. we need to all come together as

a human race, you know? we need to help each other out. >> can you describe this area, this county, this place you and tyler grew up? >> yeah. tyler? >> rural. >> cows, chickens, this is farmland. >> most of the county is probably farmland. >> tracy, we talked about trump rallies, people coming to celebrate, to see the former president coming in with an excited attitude. can you walk me through what you came in and what you are coming out with? >> i came in with hope and excitement. have you ever been to a trump rally? >> oh we cover them all the time. >> how does it make you feel? >> how does it make you feel? >> it makes me feel absolutely

great and wonderful. in my heart, i feel that this man really want to help our country. because i really feel that. i honest to god, i do because this country for so long seems to be going down a path that it really shouldn't be doing. >> so you came in to hear the former president speak. someone you are a fan of. and, what is your state of mind now? >> not good. there's too much hate. this is too much. we can't do this as a country. we can't do this. we need to come together as a country and god willing we will. i don't know if you allowed to put that stuff on. my son is a fourth year seminary and he prays for this country every day. my child. >> reporter: thank you very much, i'm so glad you and tyler are safe. drive safe, we hope you get

home. thank you, i appreciate you. >> thanks guys. >> reporter: lester, they have a ways to go still. there's a lot of cars piling up here. there are a few different places that people are trying to exit at this point. people are trying to come in. and again, just reeling from what they witnessed. some people very much firsthand, the high level point of view. at the end of the day, lester, the people who were here on the ground, particularly those who were close to that violence, it is something they are never going to forget. and it is now associated of course with politics, with the state of our democracy for so

many of the people we have been talking to. >> thanks dasha burns. nbc news campaign joins us on the phone. she is at the hospital where there is heavy presence. it is 15 minutes away from where the rally took place. gillian is there. what are you seeing? >> reporter: lester thoughtst that's right. we do not have confirmation this is where former president donald trump was taken. there is a heavy law enforcement presence. there is law enforcement at the top of the hill looking down. there is also law enforcement at the top of the roof of the hospital itself. there was a helicopter circling

the building. heavy police presence here. when i pulled up, i asked the officer how they were doing. he said they are hanging in there. obviously, terrifying scene here in butler tonight. lester? >> yeah. the access road is cut off to this area? >> it is. we are not allowed to go up there. the police vehicle has moved but we are not allowed to go up to the hill to the hospital itself. and media was staged across the street. they are sending us further away from the hospital itself momentarily. so yeah. completely blocked off when i arrived. >> all right. gillian, thank you very much. we haven't had a complete description of the wound suffered by the former president. we have all seen the blood coming out from near his ear. his right ear. it appears he might have been grazed by the bullet but again,

we haven't received a complete medical terminology description of the wound. it does appear he was certainly hit during all of this. he is largely under his own power. certainly being escorted down to the armored vehicle. but again, seems to be doing okay. we heard from president biden a while ago who said that he appears to be okay. we should note that president biden says he will be trying to call former president trump as some point here in the not too distant future. the signal of triumph from former president trump as he was put in the armored car and taken to we believe the hospital we were just showing you a moment ago. our investigative correspondent tom llamas is with us. what more can you tell us? >> reporter: a couple of these things coming from official statements from law enforcement to myself and our colleague jonathan. we know that the fbi is now on

scene. and is assisting the united states secret service along with the u.s. attorney's office in their investigation into this shooting. today at the trump rally. you were asking a question about whether or not the former president was shot directly. either raised in the ear or the cheek or whether or not this was a ricochet. this is something they are trying to get a handle on, whether or not a piece of glass is what may have struck him. but either way, he obviously from the photographs was struck in some fashion by something. the other information we are being told is that is shooting happened outside the secret service perimeter. so folks who attended any political rally, you will notice if you go that you are wanded or have to go through a

magnetometer. an airport style security. that happens within the perimeter of the event. and leafing up to the event, the u.s. secret service goes through the event site itself to make sure that there is nothing nefarious stored inside. nobody is waiting for a rally to begin. and they try to establish a perimeter that would allow them to be able to have a real control over the event. what we are told is the shooting happened from a high point. specifically where it is i can't yet tell you, we are waiting to hear about that. but that is some of the information we are waiting to get on. this is standard protocol. you are looking at the secret service close protective detail of former president trump and this would be very similar at any event involving a former

president that they immediately surround him. obviously, the secret service agents there are putting their lives into their hands if this individual was going to continue to firement speaking of the individual that law enforcement believes is deceased, that individual is deceased. that individual may have been shot by law enforcement. that appear to be coming into clarify at this time. whether or not there was a counter sniper team or somebody, who did this and what their motivations are. there is some background information coming in to view, but as you can imagine, there are a lot of names on social media at this hour. a lot of names mentioned to user and we are really trying to get a lot more clarity on that before we suggest a possible name of the individual who did this. but at this point, there appear to be no ongoing threat and no indication they are looking for anybody else.

but this is now a full blown federal criminal investigation as you can imagine. and they will certainly try to determine whether this individual had any help. not that we have received any indication of that. but that is something they will be looking into. and the type of rifle to fire from outside the perimeter to get close to that stage. would be a high powered rifle. >> all right tom. thank you very much. let me get to kristen welker who has more. >> reporter: just a reset for everyone. we are tracking the ongoing investigation that tom was just talking about in the wake of former president trump having been rushed off the stage after shots were fired at the pennsylvania rally where he was speak to set the scene for everyone, the day started with the anticipation. the questions swirling about whether this might be the event where he announced his nominee

for vice president. obviously now, the mood, the focus has shifted to this political unviolence that unfolded at this pennsylvania rally. president biden did address the nation just a short time ago. saying this is unheard of. everybody must condemn it. he said he had tried to speak with the former president. he is continuing these attempts. he is also getting briefed. i want to go to kelly o'donnell who is following this along with us. what's the latest there? >> reporter: well from the biden white house perspective, this is a moment for trying to get information to the president. he is in charge of the department of justice and the agencies working on this. there is always a careful separation between the executive and law enforcement capabilities. that is why the biden white

house has a critical role to investigate this. the president indicated he recognizes that state and local officials are very much involved in this right now. part of what will be a question going forward is what is the immediate change if any to the political calendar scheduled this week with the republican national convention expected to be in milwaukee with lots of important events. obviously a full assessment of what is the condition of the former president. when he left the event site. he was taken and has the resources around him for medical care. president biden has said he wishes to speak to donald trump tonight. that can happen when the two are able to connect. that is not necessarily a vital piece in terms of next steps but it is the kind of gesture and important connection that

actually does send a message this is not about the politics of the moment and there are bigger issues here with the current president and several former presidents. and right now, we are in a period of a few different streams of information. all of those questions need to be sorted out and there is the political fall-out. there is typically a quieting period after an unexpected event. normally in campaigns that would be something far less

graphic than this. typically a quieting period. everyone catches their breath before the rigor of a campaign resumes again. so this is a critical evening to gather facts and get a sense of the scope of this to get direct communication between president biden. as a person and former president donald trump as a person. and not so much as candidates or in their office and former office. that is part of it. to indicate he would communicate again if there were further developments. and there are questions to be identified about what next steps there should be where does president trump go in the immediate hours ahead. he was on the road as a candidate in pennsylvania. what is the immediate plan for his next steps? presidents and former presidents have not only a lot of security around them.

but often their homes have additional security as well. finding a way to transport him. and the necessary communication of the white house and the former president. those are things we are watching. >> kelly o'donnell at the white house for us. thank you. we are watching these chilling horrified images of the president rushing off the stage, bloodied, defiant. the traditional fist pump he is known for as he is whisked away to get medical care. lester holt is back with us. lester? >> kristen welker, thank you. nbc's dasha burns is just outside the trump rally. she was there when the shots rang out and she is now in a sea of traffic of people trying to leave the area. many with some pretty horrific stories to tell. >> reporter: yeah lester, that's right. we are speaking to people stuck

in the traffic jam and processing what they witnessed. i want you to hear from, remind you your name? >> vanessa asher. >> reporter: you were very close to the former president when this happened. can you describe to me where you were and what you saw? >> we were six rows back right in front of his podium straight back. and he was talking about his chart on this side. and he put, he was looking directly at his chart. when he went over to this one, that is when he was grazed here. he was shot. if he wouldn't have look at his other chart, it probably would have gotten him in the head. >> reporter: so he turned his head just in the nick of time? >> yes he did. in the nick of time. >> reporter: and lester let me explain to you and i want to follow up with you more. this is what we were talking

about earlier. back to you. >> reporter: we are hearing from the former president himself. i apologize, things are moving quickly. hallie jackson has it. hallie? >> reporter: all right. it is a new post on his online platform truth social, lester in which the former president says and i will read this in full because obviously, this is the first time that we are now hearing from the former president himself since this incident at his rally in butler, he says i want to thank the united states secret service and all of law enforcement for their rapid response on the shooting that just took place in butler, pennsylvania. most importantly, the former president continues, i want to extend my condolences to the family of the person at the rally who was killed and also to the family of another person that was badly injured. he goes onto say it is incredible. he also adds nothing is known at this time about the shooter who is now dead. the former president says he was shot with a bullet that pierced the upper part of my right ear. you are looking at that online post now. he is confirming he says that he was shot with a bullet that

pierced the upper part of his right ear. he said i knew immediately was something wrong and i heard a whizzing sound, shots and immediately felt the bullet ripping through the skin. much bleeding took place so i realized what was happening and he ends the post saying god bless america. significant questions being answered now from the former president here. as to how he is doing, as to his state of mind, and again, significant in that he is describing a rather vivid detail. the moment he says the bullet went through his ear. you are seeing images including some circulated by his allies with the former president. his fist raised in the air. he felt the bullet ripping through the skin with a lot of bleeding taking place. what we don't know now is where the former president is headed next. we understand that he is obviously getting treated at

that local medical facility. this image we have been showing able to move, able to pump his fistment but you see the blood he is talking about there on his right ear as a former president is describing what happened. important to note he is also of course extending condolences to the person who was hurt. the person who is believed to have been killed there. and thanks law enforcement for their incredibly fast response. given that he is the presumptive republican nominee. before this happened. you have seen the chaos in butler. from dasha burns, gillian, jake and bianca as the rest of it unfolded there. again lester the first statement we are getting from

the former president himself posted as donald trump is wont to do. posted on and online platform there on truth social as he is looking to get the message out immediately as quickly as he can. it appears to the american people he appear to be okay. he is extending his condolences and specifically what happened as he says that bullet hit his ear, lester. >> incredible to look at how close that was to hitting a vital area of him. that first description from the former president himself. hallie jackson, thank you so much t. our seen your white house correspondent. we're going to garrett haake now. >> reporter: lester, in reading that statement from donald trump, confirming that in fact he was shot in this incident and in butler. i think about the times i have discussed his safety over the last year or so.

there has always been tension and awareness in the minds of his campaign staff of the risk he takes every time he goes out. campaign officials will tell you that he gets an enormous amount of threats. frankly as many politicians do across the political spectrum. the campaign has worked to cross this very long period of time since he announced more than a year ago he would be running for president to balance in some cases his desire to hold these megarallies with his personal safety. they are very cautious about using otr stops. appearing at short notice in certain locations where folks cannot necessarily be screened in the same manner as they are at events like this. any campaign thinks about the president's safety. it's a major part of the job, you work with the secret service for that reason. but this has been front and center in the mind of campaign staffers going back since

before the launch of this campaign. obviously an unusual campaign in the sense here is someone who never had secret service protection from the time he was first sworn in, in 2017 through this moment. looking ahead now, what if anything will change about the republican convention next week? obviously the former president was set to arrive there on monday morning expected today be in milwaukee across those four days. his conventions are very much high security situations, downtowns, locked up to days in advance. very difficult to go in or out. what will change in the security and what will change in the messaging of this convention? we have already seen some of donald trump's allies. perhaps most notably, his son eric trump making use of that image on your screen right now. the fist pump from donald trump in the moments after. we know he was shot. no say this is the fighter america needs.

and in the words of his allies setting aside the moment we are in now. especially knowing from the former president's own lips now, his own fingertips i suppose, that he is going to be okay. this image of him as a fighter is so central to his political identity. central to his campaigns, strategy, and something that i'm sure will be incorporated into whatever we see of the convention next week. what changes might be taking place right now, very difficult to say. the campaign is on a complete lockdown. not talking to the press, really working through first what's going on with their candidate. and what their next steps will be tomorrow and in the days ahead. >> all right, we are looking at a motorcade leaving a nearby hospital that was under heavy security since all this happened. we have not received confirmation that former president trump has been treated there. but we saw looked like a maul

motorcade. certainly we are looking at a case where there has been a loss of life. this come as the country is wrestling over president biden's performance in the debate. now this. i guess it will take some days to play out as to whether we are looking at another reset. and changing how people view this campaign. >> i think that's right lester and it would be a mistake to speculate on exactly what will go forward now. i can only say what has come to now. the campaigns i have covered in the past, the level of intense focus and scrutiny on this presidential election here in early july is very unusual. especially for an election i think that a lot of people had kind of tuned out.

a battle of two incumbents. the question about whether joe biden would continue in this race. now an intense focus on donald trump. on political violence, we know nothing about the shooter. nothing ability why this event took place. it has been heated going back for years. the threat level in congress has been a huge boost the last several years. more threats against members so the political environment has changed in that sense. and the heat has turned up to a level we are just not used to seeing in the summer which is often the doldrums of the presidential campaign. the veep stakes speculation is the kind of things folks talk about. news only for the most dialed

in of the political viewers out there. now we are talking about what appears to be, what appear to be investigated, the nominee or soon to be nominee of the president of the united states. here we find it once again perhaps the most appropriate way to view our political dynamic. >> let's bring in your senior washington correspondent hallie jackson. we have received a statement from the secret service. >> a new statement putting on the record officially lester what our team has been able to report out from their sources over the course of the last two hours or so. i will read it in full here. it is important to note what the secret service is saying. during the rally in butler tonight, a suspected shooter fired multiple shots to the stage from an elevated position outside of the rally venue. secret service neutralized the shooter who is now deceased.

they responded with protective measures and the former president is safe and being evaluated. one spectator was killed and two critically injured. the incident is under investigation and the secret service has formally notified the federal bureau of investigation. significant in that this is the official confirmation as we have been reporting. the suspected shooter here is dead. two people have been badly hurt. one person was killed here. in a moment reverberating not just in a political world but around the country. international reactions coming in from world leader. reaction coming in from the former president's daughter posting now in just the last couple of minutes she is thanking people for their love and prayers. and other victims of this senseless violence. she continues to pray for our

country ending by saying i love you, dad. again, from ivanka trump, today and always. >> all right hallie. thank you. for our viewers, we are on the air with breaking news. we have been on the air several hours now. the former president has been injured. he says he was shot. he felt it ripping through his skin. i want to pause for a moment and roll the video of what happened shortly after 6:00 p.m. on the east coast when mr. trump was speaking. listen closely to the sound of the gunshots sound of the guns hots sound, and the moments until he is rushed into the car. >> that chart is a couple of months old. if you really want to see something this sad, take a look at what happened [ so