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Was trump shot
Executive summary
Multiple reputable sources in the provided set report that Donald Trump was shot and wounded at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on July 13, 2024 — a bullet grazed his upper right ear — and that a later separate attempted assassination occurred at a West Palm Beach golf course in September 2024; the FBI has concluded the Pennsylvania gunman acted alone [1] [2] [3] [4]. Reporting also documents a later Florida plot and trial connected to a separate September 2024 incident [5] [6].
1. What happened in Butler, Pennsylvania: a rally turned into a shooting
Eyewitness and press accounts from mid‑July 2024 describe eight shots fired from a building during a Trump campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania; Thomas Matthew Crooks, age 20, opened fire, was shot dead by Secret Service counter‑snipers, one rallygoer died, others were wounded, and a bullet grazed Trump’s upper right ear — leaving him with a wound described in several summaries of the event [1] [2] [3].
2. Official investigations and conclusions: FBI says the shooter acted alone
According to recent reporting in the provided material, the FBI concluded its probe into the Butler shooting and determined the deceased suspect acted alone and “without motive,” a conclusion communicated publicly by FBI officials and cited in contemporary coverage [4] [2] [6].
3. The nature and severity of Trump’s injury: what sources report
Contemporaneous press pieces and later summaries state Trump suffered a gunshot wound that grazed his upper right ear; some accounts quote Trump saying he “felt the bullet ripping through the skin,” while other reporting frames his injury as a graze rather than a penetrating, life‑threatening wound [2] [1] [3]. Available sources do not offer independent medical records here; they rely on official statements and media observations [2] [1].
4. Follow‑on events: a September Florida attempt and prosecution
Separate from the Butler incident, the provided sources document an apparent assassination attempt at a West Palm Beach golf course in September 2024; that incident prompted an FBI description of an “apparent assassination attempt” and led to prosecutions in related cases, including the conviction of Ryan Routh in a later 2025 trial for his West Palm Beach attempt [3] [6] [5].
5. Disputed narratives and conspiracy claims in public discourse
After the Butler shooting, conspiracy theories circulated — including claims of foreknowledge tied to shorted stock filings and allegations about the FBI’s handling of the suspect’s online footprint — and some outlets and commentators have disputed aspects of official accounts; for example, commentary in The Federalist cited New York Post reporting alleging omitted online activity, while the FBI publicly reported no online history pointing to motive [7] [8] [4]. These conflicting claims have fueled partisan debate about transparency and responsibility [7] [8].
6. What investigators and courts later did: accountability and oversight
The FBI’s investigative conclusions into the Butler shooting were issued later (reported in November 2025 in some items here), and separate prosecutions from other incidents moved through the courts — notably the conviction of Ryan Routh for the September 2024 West Palm Beach attempt — illustrating ongoing legal responses to two distinct violent events against Trump [4] [6] [5].
7. Limits of the current reporting and what remains unclear
Available sources here do not provide primary medical records, complete forensic files, or full transcripts of every investigative interview; some outlets emphasize the FBI’s lone‑shooter finding while others highlight newly unearthed social media or reporting that challenges aspects of the official narrative. Where a claim is not covered in these items, it should be treated as not found in current reporting rather than proven false [4] [8] [7].
8. Why the distinction matters: grazing wound vs. fatal injury and political effects
The difference between a graze wound and a penetrating, fatal injury matters for legal classifications and political rhetoric. Sources here consistently describe the Butler bullet as grazing Trump’s ear and causing a visible wound, not immediate fatal harm; nevertheless, the event produced profound political fallout, security reviews, and polarized claims about motive and responsibility [1] [2] [3].
Summary note: The provided reporting establishes that Trump was shot (a graze to the upper right ear) at the Butler rally and that subsequent, separate attempts occurred in Florida; the FBI’s later public conclusion was that the Pennsylvania shooter acted alone, while alternative narratives and questions about investigative transparency persist in some outlets [1] [2] [4] [8].