Behind-the-scenes rally video reveals why Trump kept demanding ‘let me get my shoes’ at Secret Service during shooting
A NEW video from the attempted assassination against Donald Trump has revealed how the former president lost his shoe in the aftermath of the shooting.
As the FBI continues to probe a motive behind the shooting at a Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, new footage from behind the stage where the Republican presidential candidate was speaking has surfaced.
The video, obtained by the radio station WBEN, documents the aftermath of the shooting from a new angle, where Secret Service agents are seen shielding Trump from ongoing gunfire.
The agents pounced on Trump so hard that one of his shoes came off.
The unseen 10-second clip showed a Secret Service agent tossing the presidential candidate’s black leather shoe off the stage.
As the shoe hits the ground, the insole flies off, and the shoe bounces out of the frame.
Trump was caught on a hot mic telling Secret Service agents, “Let me get my shoes on, let me get my shoes on.”
One agent responds to Trump, “I got you, sir, I got you, sir,” as Trump repeats, “Let me get my shoes on.”
In a post-shooting interview, the presidential candidate, 78, explained to the New York Post, “The agents hit me so hard that my shoes fell off, and my shoes are tight.”
Donald Trump Rally Shooting Timeline
Donald Trump was shot at his Pennsylvania rally on July 13.
1pm: Doors open at the Butler Farm Show grounds where Trump was expected to speak at 5pm.
4:11pm: Sean Parnell gave the opening speech.
4:35pm: David McCormick rallied the crowd.
5:30pm: Crowds were still waiting for Trump.
6:03pm: Trump takes the stage.
6:11pm: Gunshots were fired as Trump delivered remarks.
6:12pm: Trump was ushered off stage by Secret Service agents.
6:42pm: Secret Service confirmed Trump is safe.
7:24pm: The shooter and one rally attendee are confirmed dead by law enforcement officials.
8:42pm: Trump confirms he was shot in the ear, sharing a statement on Truth Social.
8:49pm: The Secret Service confirms the shooter and a rally attendee are dead. Two others remain critically injured.
FACE OF BRAVERY
Trump made his first public appearance since the shooting on Monday at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.
At the start of the four-day event, Republican delegates formally named Trump the party’s presidential nominee.
Trump also ended months of suspense over his running mate, announcing Ohio senator JD Vance as his vice president candidate.
The former commander-in-chief was flanked by security and received a standing ovation as he entered the Fiserv Forum arena late Monday.
A visibly emotional Trump wore a white bandage on his right ear as he made his way through the crowd and onto the stage.
Singer Lee Greenwood gave a live performance of his signature song, God Bless the USA, as Trump waved at the crowd who chanted, “Fight, fight, fight.”
A grateful and defiant Trump refused to let the events of Saturday derail his campaign trail.
Trump was in Butler, Pennsylvania, for a campaign stop when minutes into the rally’s start, a would-be assassin fired eight bullets at the presidential candidate from a rooftop 430 feet away.
The shooter, identified as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, was somehow able to scale a rooftop of a building outside the perimeter of Trump’s rally undetected.
Once stationed on the rooftop, Crooks had a clear view of Trump and unleashed nearly a dozen shots, wounding 3, including the former president, and killing one rally-goer.
A Secret Service counter-sniper positioned near the stage where Trump was delivering his remarks returned fire within seconds, taking out Crooks.
Trump shared with the New York Post that a bullet tore a piece of his right ear.
The presidential hopeful told an ABC reporter on Monday that the attempt on his life has had an impact on him.
While he “doesn’t like to think like that,” when asked if the shooting had changed him, Trump added, “I think it has an impact.”
UNANSWERED QUESTIONS
Meanwhile, federal investigators are still trying to piece together what led Thomas Crooks to open fire from a rooftop during Trump’s campaign rally.
The FBI is viewing the act as domestic terrorism, and it’s believed Crooks acted alone.
Officials learned Crooks made several stops in and around his Bethel Park neighborhood near Pittsburgh.
Crooks visited a shooting range where he was a member on Friday, a day before the Trump rally.
On July 13, Crooks went to a Home Depot, where he purchased a five-foot ladder that investigators believed he used to climb the rooftop.
That same morning, he purchased 50 rounds of ammunition at a gun store and drove his Hyundai Sonata about an hour north to Butler.
The AR-15-style rifle used in the shooting was legally purchased by his father, federal officials have disclosed.
The FBI has been able to access Crooks’ cell phone, but it has yielded no clues about a motive, the New York Post reported.
Federal officials have sent Crooks’ phone and laptop to the FBI lab in Quantico, Virginia, for further analysis.
Crooks’ former high school counselor, Jim Knapp, told The U.S. Sun the would-be assassin frequently ate alone at lunch but had a modest pool of friends.
Knapp, a retired school counselor who worked at Bethel Park High for over 30 years, said he never saw any red flags or alarming behavior from Crooks that caused grave concern.
“I can honestly tell you that Thomas Crooks was a quiet young man who stayed mostly to himself… but I can assure you he was not bullied,” Knapp said, rejecting claims from Crooks’ former peers that he was bullied in school.
“Every day, I would walk through the lunchrooms, and I would always make a point to go over to any kid sitting alone to make sure they were comfortable or to see if they wanted to interact.”
Knapp explained how Crooks and his small group of friends were all on different lunch schedules.
“And in Thomas’ case, he would say, ‘Hey, Mr. Knapp. I’m good, it’s good to see you,’ and then I’d move on.
“But he was fine. He was fine being by himself, and he was fine taking classes that were above his age level and the intelligence of other kids his age – he was college prep and took some AP classes.
“Bethel Park took bullying and mental health very seriously and they were very proactive to stop that kind of behavior.
“So, unless it was happening in his home or on the internet, Thomas was definitely not bullied.
“He wasn’t the kind of kid who was running through the building high-fiving people in the hallways… but he wasn’t a total outcast either.
“He was a quiet young man who had a small group of friends.”
Donald Trump's Full Statement Post-Rally Shooting
Former president Donald Trump provided an update on Truth Social after the shooting that took place at his Pennsylvania rally on July 13.
“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, 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.
“It is incredible that such an act can take place in our Country. Nothing is known at this time about the shooter, who is now dead.
“I was shot with a bullet that pierced the upper part of my right ear. I knew immediately that something was wrong in that I heard a whizzing sound, shots, and immediately felt the bullet ripping through the skin.
“Much bleeding took place, so I realized then what was happening. GOD BLESS AMERICA!”