Donald Trump Attempted Assassination Gold Silver Coin MAGA 2024 Stars & Stripes • EUR 2,33 (2024)

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Venditore: anddownthewaterfall ✉️ (34.382) 99.8%, Luogo in cui si trova l'oggetto: Manchester, GB, Spedizione verso: WORLDWIDE, Numero oggetto: 365075735950 Donald Trump Attempted Assassination Gold Silver Coin MAGA 2024 Stars & Stripes. How the dramatic and the bizarre define convention history Aug. 19, 2024, 10:33 AM ET (AP) Trump will campaign across the country this week as he struggles to adjust to Harris Donald Trump (born June 14, 1946, New York, New York, U.S.) is the 45th president of the United States (2017–21) and the Republican nominee in the U.S. presidential election of 2024. Donald Trump Assignation Attempt Coin This a Silver and Gold Plated Coin to commemorate the Attempted Assignation of Donald Trump One side has an image of Donald Trump The other side has two images of his defiance. Firstly, seconds after the attempt and a second one, only two later when he bravely nominated JD Vance as his Vice President running mate. You can see the bandage on his injured ear It has the words "Attempted Assassination of Donald Trump 13th July 2024" "Fight to Make America Great Again" "Nominates JD Vance as VP 15th July 2024" The dimension are 55cm x 40mm and it weighs about an ounce In Excellent Condition Like all my auctions Bidding Starts at a Penny...With No Reserve.If your the only bidder you win it for 1p....Grab a Bargain!!!! Would make an Excellent Lucky Charm or Collectible Keepsake SouvenirI will have a lot of Trump items on Ebay so Check out my other items ! Bid with Confidence - Check My 100% Positive Feedback Check out my other items ! All Payment Methods in All Major Currencies Accepted. Be sure to add me to your favourites list ! All Items Dispatched within 24 hours of Receiving Payment . Thanks for Looking and Best of Luck with the Bidding!! 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Tianjin, Kuala Lumpur, Toronto, Milan, Shenyang, Dallas, Fort Worth, Boston, Belo Horizonte, Khartoum, Riyadh, Singapore, Washington, Detroit, Barcelona,, Houston, Athens, Berlin, Sydney, Atlanta, Guadalajara, San Francisco, Oakland, Montreal, Monterey, Melbourne, Ankara, Recife, Phoenix/Mesa, Durban, Porto Alegre, Dalian, Jeddah, Seattle, Cape Town, San Diego, Fortaleza, Curitiba, Rome, Naples, Minneapolis, St. Paul, Tel Aviv, Birmingham, Frankfurt, Lisbon, Manchester, San Juan, Katowice, Tashkent, f*ckuoka, Baku, Sumqayit, St. Louis, Baltimore, Sapporo, Tampa, St. Petersburg, Taichung, Warsaw, Denver, Cologne, Bonn, Hamburg, Dubai, Pretoria, Vancouver, Beirut, Budapest, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Campinas, Harare, Brasilia, Kuwait, Munich, Portland, Brussels, Vienna, San Jose, Damman , Copenhagen, Brisbane, Riverside, San Bernardino, Cincinnati and Accra Donald Trump president of United States Also known as: Donald John Trump Written by Fact-checked by Last Updated: Aug 19, 2024 • Article History Donald Trump Donald Trump See all media In full: Donald John Trump Born: June 14, 1946, New York, New York, U.S. (age 78) Title / Office: presidency of the United States of America (2017-2021), United States Political Affiliation: Republican Party Notable Works: “Crippled America: How to Make America Great Again” “The America We Deserve” “Trump: The Art of the Deal” Notable Family Members: spouse Melania Trump daughter Ivanka Trump son Donald Trump, Jr. son of Frederick Christ Trump son of Mary MacLeod husband of Melania Trump (January 22, 2005–present) husband of Marla Maples (December 20, 1993–June 8, 1999) husband of Ivana Trump (April 9, 1977–March 22, 1992) father of Donald Trump, Jr. (b. 1977) father of Ivanka Trump (b. 1981) father of Eric Trump (b. 1984) father of Tiffany Trump (b. 1993) father of Barron Trump (b. 2006) brother of Maryanne Trump Barry brother of Frederick Trump, Jr. brother of Elizabeth Trump Grau brother of Robert Trump Recent News Aug. 19, 2024, 2:42 PM ET (AP) The Latest: Protests kick off as the Democrats get ready for Night 1 Aug. 19, 2024, 2:33 PM ET (AP) Democrats will honor Biden while pivoting to Harris on first day of convention Aug. 19, 2024, 12:23 PM ET (AP) What to watch as the Democratic National Convention gets underway in Chicago Aug. 19, 2024, 10:58 AM ET (AP) Floor fights, boos and a too-long kiss. How the dramatic and the bizarre define convention history Aug. 19, 2024, 10:33 AM ET (AP) Trump will campaign across the country this week as he struggles to adjust to Harris Donald Trump (born June 14, 1946, New York, New York, U.S.) is the 45th president of the United States (2017–21) and the Republican nominee in the U.S. presidential election of 2024. On May 30, 2024, Trump became the first former president to be convicted of a crime when a New York state jury convicted him on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in connection with a hush-money payment in 2016 to the adult-film star Stephanie Clifford, known as Stormy Daniels, who claimed to have had an affair with Trump in 2006. Trump was later indicted on dozens of other federal and state charges in cases relating to his efforts to overturn Biden’s victory in the 2020 presidential election and his removal of numerous classified documents from the White House on his last day of office. Trump was also found liable in a major civil suit alleging business fraud in New York state and two civil suits accusing him of sexually abusing and defaming the writer E. Jean Carroll. With the start of his trial in the business-records case on April 15, 2024, Trump became the first former president to stand trial on criminal charges. Trump is the third president in U.S. history (after Andrew Johnson in 1868 and Bill Clinton in 1998) to be impeached by the U.S. House of Representatives and the only president to be impeached twice—once (in 2019) for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress in connection with the Ukraine scandal and once (in 2021) for “incitement of insurrection” in connection with the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol by a violent mob of Trump supporters. Both of Trump’s impeachments ended in his acquittal by the U.S. Senate. Trump ran for reelection in 2020 but lost to former vice president Joe Biden by an Electoral College vote of 306 to 232. After the midterm elections of 2022, Trump declared his intention to run for a second term, and in primary elections in early 2024 he accumulated enough delegates to win his party’s nomination, despite the steady progress of the legal cases against him. Although some Republican Party leaders have worried that a criminal trial could seriously weaken Trump’s appeal to moderate Republican and independent voters, others have taken the hopeful view that Trump will use his court appearances to solidify his support by casting himself as a political martyr—the victim of Democratic-led “witch hunts,” “hoaxes,” and “scams,” as he frequently characterizes the many legal investigations he has faced. Richard M. Nixon. Richard Nixon during a 1968 campaign stop. President Nixon Britannica Quiz U.S. Presidents and Their Years in Office Quiz Trump is also a real estate developer and businessman who has owned, managed, or licensed his name to hotels, casinos, golf courses, resorts, and residential properties in the New York City area and around the world. Since the 1980s Trump has lent his name to scores of retail ventures—including branded lines of clothing, cologne, food, and furniture. In the early 21st century his private conglomerate, the Trump Organization, comprised some 500 companies involved in a wide range of businesses, including hotels and resorts, residential properties, merchandise, and entertainment and television. Early life and business career Donald Trump Donald Trump speaking in front of Trump Tower, New York City, August 2008. Trump was the fourth of five children of Frederick (Fred) Christ Trump, a successful real estate developer, and Mary MacLeod. Donald’s eldest sister, Maryanne Trump Barry, eventually served as a U.S. district court judge (1983–99) and later as a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit until her retirement in 2011. His elder brother, Frederick, Jr. (Freddy), worked briefly for their father’s business before becoming an airline pilot in the 1960s. Freddy’s alcoholism led to his early death in 1981, at the age of 43. Are you a student? Get a special academic rate on Britannica Premium. Beginning in the late 1920s, Fred Trump built hundreds of single-family houses and row houses in the Queens and Brooklyn boroughs of New York City, and from the late 1940s he built thousands of apartment units, mostly in Brooklyn, using federal loan guarantees designed to stimulate the construction of affordable housing. During World War II he also built federally backed housing for naval personnel and shipyard workers in Virginia and Pennsylvania. In 1954 Fred was investigated by the Senate Banking Committee for allegedly abusing the loan-guarantee program by deliberately overestimating the costs of his construction projects to secure larger loans from commercial banks, enabling him to keep the difference between the loan amounts and his actual construction costs. In testimony before the Senate committee in 1954, Fred admitted that he had built the Beach Haven apartment complex in Brooklyn for $3.7 million less than the amount of his government-insured loan. Although he was not charged with any crime, he was thereafter unable to obtain federal loan guarantees. A decade later a New York state investigation found that Fred had used his profit on a state-insured construction loan to build a shopping center that was entirely his own property. He eventually returned $1.2 million to the state but was thereafter unable to obtain state loan guarantees for residential projects in the Coney Island area of Brooklyn. Donald Trump attended New York Military Academy (1959–64), a private boarding school; Fordham University in the Bronx (1964–66); and the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Finance and Commerce (1966–68), where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in economics. In 1968, during the Vietnam War, he secured a diagnosis of bone spurs, which qualified him for a medical exemption from the military draft (he had earlier received four draft deferments for education). Upon his graduation Trump began working full-time for his father’s business, helping to manage its holdings of rental housing, then estimated at between 10,000 and 22,000 units. In 1974 he became president of a conglomeration of Trump-owned corporations and partnerships, which he later named the Trump Organization. During the 1960s and early 1970s, Trump-owned housing developments in New York City, Cincinnati, Ohio, and Norfolk, Virginia, were the target of several complaints of racial discrimination against African Americans and other minority groups. In 1973 Fred and Donald Trump, along with their company, were sued by the U.S. Justice Department for allegedly violating the Fair Housing Act (1968) in the operation of 39 apartment buildings in New York City. The Trumps initially countersued the Justice Department for $100 million, alleging harm to their reputations. The suit was settled two years later under an agreement that did not require the Trumps to admit guilt. In the late 1970s and the 1980s, Donald Trump greatly expanded his father’s business by investing in luxury hotels and residential properties and by shifting its geographic focus to Manhattan and later to Atlantic City, New Jersey. In doing so, he relied heavily on loans, gifts, and other financial assistance from his father, as well as on his father’s political connections in New York City. In 1976 he purchased the decrepit Commodore Hotel near Grand Central Station under a complex profit-sharing agreement with the city that included a 40-year property tax abatement, the first such tax break granted to a commercial property in New York City. Relying on a construction loan guaranteed by his father and the Hyatt Corporation, which became a partner in the project, Trump refurbished the building and reopened it in 1980 as the 1,400-room Grand Hyatt Hotel. In 1983 he opened Trump Tower, an office, retail, and residential complex constructed in partnership with the Equitable Life Assurance Company. The 58-story building on 56th Street and Fifth Avenue eventually contained Trump’s Manhattan residence and the headquarters of the Trump Organization. Other Manhattan properties developed by Trump during the 1980s include the Trump Plaza residential cooperative (1984), the Trump Parc luxury condominium complex (1986), and the 19-story Plaza Hotel (1988), a historic landmark for which Trump paid more than $400 million. In the 1980s Trump invested heavily in the casino business in Atlantic City, where his properties eventually included Harrah’s at Trump Plaza (1984, later renamed Trump Plaza), Trump’s Castle Casino Resort (1985), and the Trump Taj Mahal (1990), then the largest casino in the world. During that period Trump also purchased the New Jersey Generals, a team in the short-lived U.S. Football League; Mar-a-Lago, a 118-room mansion in Palm Beach, Florida, built in the 1920s by the cereal heiress Marjorie Merriweather Post; a 282-foot yacht, then the world’s second largest, which he named the Trump Princess; and an East Coast air-shuttle service, which he called Trump Shuttle. In 1977 Trump married Ivana Zelníčková Winklmayr, a Czech model, with whom he had three children—Donald, Jr., Ivanka, and Eric—before the couple divorced in 1992. Their married life, as well as Trump’s business affairs, were a staple of the tabloid press in New York City during the 1980s. Trump married the American actress Marla Maples after she gave birth to Trump’s fourth child, Tiffany, in 1993. Their marriage ended in divorce in 1999. In 2005 Trump married the Slovene model Melania Knauss, and their son, Barron, was born the following year. Melania Trump became the second foreign-born first lady of the United States upon Trump’s inauguration as president in 2017. When the U.S. economy fell into recession in 1990, many of Trump’s businesses suffered, and he soon had trouble making payments on his approximately $5 billion debt, some $900 million of which he had personally guaranteed. Under a restructuring agreement with several banks, Trump was forced to surrender his airline, which was taken over by US Airways in 1992; to sell the Trump Princess; to take out second or third mortgages on nearly all of his properties and to reduce his ownership stakes in them; and to commit himself to living on a personal budget of $450,000 a year. Despite those measures, the Trump Taj Mahal declared bankruptcy in 1991, and two other casinos owned by Trump, as well as his Plaza Hotel in New York City, went bankrupt in 1992. Following those setbacks, most major banks refused to do any further business with him. Estimates of Trump’s net worth during this period ranged from $1.7 billion to minus $900 million. Trump’s fortunes rebounded with the stronger economy of the later 1990s and with the decision of the Frankfurt-based Deutsche Bank AG to establish a presence in the U.S. commercial real estate market. Deutsche Bank extended hundreds of millions of dollars in credit to Trump in the late 1990s and the 2000s for projects including Trump World Tower (2001) in New York and Trump International Hotel and Tower (2009) in Chicago. In the early 1990s Trump had floated a plan to his creditors to convert his Mar-a-Lago estate into a luxury housing development consisting of several smaller mansions, but local opposition led him instead to turn it into a private club, which was opened in 1995. In 1996 Trump partnered with the NBC television network to purchase the Miss Universe Organization, which produced the Miss Universe, Miss USA, and Miss Teen USA beauty pageants. Trump’s casino businesses continued to struggle, however: in 2004 his company Trump Hotels & Casino Resorts filed for bankruptcy after several of its properties accumulated unmanageable debt, and the same company, renamed Trump Entertainment Resorts, went bankrupt again in 2009. Beginning in the mid-2000s, Trump enjoyed an enormous financial windfall from the success of The Apprentice, a reality television series in which he starred that directly earned him nearly $200 million over a 16-year period. The Emmy-nominated show, in each episode of which Trump “fired” one or more contestants competing for a lucrative one-year contract as a Trump employee, further enhanced his reputation as a shrewd businessman and self-made billionaire. In 2008 the show was revamped as The Celebrity Apprentice, which featured news makers and entertainers as contestants. Trump marketed his name as a brand in numerous other business ventures, including Trump Financial, a mortgage company, and the Trump Entrepreneur Initiative (formerly Trump University), an online education company focusing on real estate investment and entrepreneurialism. The latter firm, which ceased operating in 2011, was the target of class-action lawsuits by former students and a separate action by the attorney general of New York state, alleging fraud. After initially denying the allegations, Trump settled the lawsuits for $25 million in November 2016. In 2019, more than two years into his presidency, Trump agreed to pay $2 million in damages and to admit guilt to settle another lawsuit by the attorney general of New York that had accused him of illegally using assets from his charity, the Trump Foundation, to fund his 2016 presidential campaign. As part of the settlement, the Trump Foundation was dissolved. In 2018 The New York Times published a lengthy investigative report that documented how Fred Trump had regularly transferred vast sums of money, ultimately amounting to hundreds of millions of dollars, to his children by means of strategies that involved tax, securities, and real estate fraud, as well as by legal means. According to the report, Donald Trump was the main beneficiary of the transfers, having received the equivalent (in 2018 dollars) of $413 million by the early 2000s. According to a later report by the Times, based on data from tax returns filed by Trump during an 18-year period starting in 2000, Trump paid no federal taxes in 11 years and only $750 in each of two years, 2016 and 2017. Trump was able to reduce his tax obligations to levels significantly below the average for the wealthiest Americans by claiming massive losses on many of his businesses; by deducting as business expenses costs associated with his residences and his personal aircraft; and by receiving, on the basis of business losses, a tentative refund from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) of nearly $73 million, which more than covered the federal taxes Trump had paid on income he received from The Apprentice in 2005–08. The refund became the subject of an IRS audit and a legally mandated review by the congressional Joint Committee on Taxation. Trump was credited as coauthor of a number of books on entrepreneurship and his business career, including Trump: The Art of the Deal (1987), Trump: The Art of the Comeback (1997), Why We Want You to Be Rich (2006), Trump 101: The Way to Success (2006), and Trump Never Give Up: How I Turned My Biggest Challenges into Success (2008). At a glance: the Trump presidency Presidential election of 2016 From the 1980s Trump periodically mused in public about running for president, but those moments were widely dismissed in the press as publicity stunts. In 1999 he switched his voter registration from Republican to the Reform Party and established a presidential exploratory committee. Although he ultimately declined to run in 2000, he published a book that year, The America We Deserve, in which he set forth his socially liberal and economically conservative political views. Trump later rejoined the Republican Party, and he maintained a high public profile during the 2012 presidential election. He did not run for office at that time, but he gained much attention for popularizing “birtherism,” a conservative conspiracy theory based on the false claim that Democratic Pres. Barack Obama is not a natural-born U.S. citizen. In June 2015 Trump announced that he would be a candidate in the U.S. presidential election of 2016. Pledging to “make America great again”—a slogan appearing on the red hats that he and his supporters wore at his rallies—he promised to create millions of new jobs; to punish American companies that exported jobs overseas; to repeal Obama’s signature legislative achievement, the Affordable Care Act (ACA); to revive the U.S. coal industry; to drastically reduce the influence of lobbyists in Washington, D.C. (“drain the swamp”); to withdraw the United States from the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change; to impose tariffs on countries that allegedly engaged in trade practices that were unfair to the United States; to construct a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border to prevent illegal immigration from Latin America; and to ban immigration by Muslims. Trump mused about those and other issues in Crippled America: How to Make America Great Again (2015). Candidate Donald Trump Donald Trump wearing a MAGA (Make America Great Again) red hat at a campaign rally in Fountain Hills, Arizona, March 2016. Donald Trump Donald Trump, 2016. On the campaign trail, Trump quickly established himself as a political outsider, a common strategy among nonincumbent candidates at all levels. In Trump’s case the stance proved popular with conservative voters—especially those in the Tea Party movement—and he frequently topped opinion polls, besting established Republican politicians. However, his campaign was often mired in controversy, much of it of his own making. In speeches and especially via Twitter (later called X), a social media platform he had used frequently since 2009, Trump regularly made inflammatory remarks, including racist and sexist slurs and insults. Other public comments by Trump, especially those directed at his rivals or detractors in the Republican establishment, were widely criticized for their belligerence, their bullying tone, and their indulgence in juvenile name-calling. Trump’s initial refusal to condemn the Ku Klux Klan after a former Klansman endorsed him also drew sharp criticism, as did his failure to repudiate racist elements among his supporters, including white supremacists and neo-Nazis. While Trump’s comments worried the Republican establishment, his supporters were pleased by his combativeness and his apparent willingness to say whatever came into his mind, a sign of honesty and courage in their estimation. After a loss in the Iowa caucuses to open up the primary season in February 2016, Trump rebounded by winning the next three contests, and he extended his lead with a strong showing on Super Tuesday—when primaries and caucuses were held in 11 states—in early March. After a landslide victory in the Indiana primary in May, Trump became the presumptive Republican nominee as his last two opponents, Ted Cruz and John Kasich, dropped out of the race. Donald Trump campaigning in 2016 Donald Trump at a rally in Akron, Ohio, August 2016. In July 2016 Trump announced that Indiana Gov. Mike Pence would be his vice presidential running mate. At the Republican National Convention the following week, Trump was officially named the party’s nominee. There he and other speakers harshly criticized the presumptive Democratic nominee, former secretary of state Hillary Clinton, blaming her for the 2012 attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya, and for allegedly having mishandled classified State Department emails by using a private email server. Earlier in July the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) announced that an investigation of Clinton’s use of email as secretary of state had determined that her actions had been “extremely careless” but not criminal. (A 2019 report by the U.S. State Department, concluding a yearslong investigation, found “no persuasive evidence of systemic, deliberate mishandling of classified information” by Clinton.) Trump continued his criticisms of Clinton in the ensuing weeks, routinely referring to her as “Crooked Hillary” and repeatedly vowing to put her in jail if he were elected. Trump’s threat to jail his political opponent was unprecedented in modern U.S. political history and was not founded in any constitutional power that a U.S. president would have. Despite having pledged in 2015 that he would release his tax returns, as every presidential nominee of a major party had done since the 1970s, Trump later refused to do so, explaining that he was under routine audit by the IRS—though there was no legal bar to releasing his returns under audit, as Pres. Richard Nixon had done in 1973. In January 2017, soon after Trump’s inauguration as president, a senior White House official announced that Trump had no intention of releasing his returns. Trump’s tax returns and other financial information later became a focus of investigations by the House of Representatives, the district attorney for Manhattan, and the attorney general of New York into alleged criminal activity by Trump and his associates (see below Russia investigation). In late July, on the eve of the Democratic National Convention, thousands of internal emails of the Democratic National Committee were publicly released by the website WikiLeaks in an apparent effort to damage the Clinton campaign. Reacting to widespread suspicion that the emails had been stolen by Russian hackers, Trump publicly encouraged the Russians to hack Clinton’s private email server to find thousands of emails that he claimed had been illegally deleted. A later investigation by the office of Robert Mueller, the special counsel appointed in 2017 to investigate Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election (see below Russia investigation), determined that Russian hackers first attempted to break into the personal email servers of Clinton campaign officials only hours after Trump issued his invitation. Following the Democratic convention, Trump continued to make controversial and apparently impromptu comments via Twitter and in other forums that embarrassed the Republican establishment and seriously disrupted his campaign. In a hot-mic video from 2005, which surfaced in October 2016, Trump told an entertainment reporter in vulgar language that he had tried to seduce a married woman and that “when you’re a star…you can do anything,” including grabbing women by the genitals. Although Trump dismissed the conversation as “locker room talk,” eventually more than two dozen women claimed that they had been sexually harassed or assaulted by Trump in the past. (Some of the allegations were made during or after Trump’s presidency—see below Postpresidential activities.) During the campaign, Trump and his legal representatives generally denied the allegations and asserted that all the women were lying; they also noted that Bill Clinton had previously been accused of sexual harassment and assault. In part because of the video, Trump’s support among women voters—already low—continued to wane, and some Republicans began to withdraw their endorsem*nts. Approximately one hour after the release of the Trump video, WikiLeaks published a trove of emails that later investigations determined had been stolen by Russian hackers from the account of John Podesta, Clinton’s campaign manager. On the same day, the U.S. intelligence community publicly announced its assessment that the Russian government had directed efforts by hackers to steal and release sensitive Democratic Party emails and other information in order to bolster the Trump campaign and to weaken public confidence in U.S. democratic institutions, including the news media. In response, Trump attacked the competence and motives of U.S. intelligence agencies and insisted that no one really knew who might have been behind the hacking. A secret CIA report to Congress in December and a separate report ordered by Obama and released in January 2017 also concluded that the Russians had interfered in the election, including through the theft and publication of Democratic Party emails and through a vast public influence campaign that had used fake social media accounts to spread disinformation and create discord among Americans. Despite his ongoing efforts to portray Clinton as “crooked” and an “insider,” Trump trailed her in almost all polls. As election day neared, he repeatedly claimed that the election was “rigged” and that the press was treating him unfairly by reporting “fake news,” a term he used frequently to disparage news reports containing negative information about him. He received no endorsem*nts from major newspapers. During the third and final presidential debate, in October, he made headlines when he refused to say that he would accept the election results. Eight days after that debate, the Trump campaign received a boost when FBI director James Comey notified Congress that the bureau was reviewing a trove of emails from an unrelated case that appeared to be relevant to its earlier investigation of Clinton. Trump seized on the announcement as vindication of his charge that Clinton was crooked. Six days later Comey announced that the new emails contained no evidence of criminal activity. Notwithstanding the damage that Comey’s revelation had done to her campaign, Clinton retained a slim lead over Trump in polls of swing states (those considered to be winnable by either candidate) on the eve of election day, and most pundits and political analysts remained confident that she would win. When voting proceeded on November 8, 2016, however, Trump defeated Clinton in a chain of critical Rust Belt states. Although Trump won the Electoral College vote by 304 to 227, and thereby the presidency, he lost the nationwide popular vote by more than 2.8 million. After the election, Trump repeatedly claimed, without evidence, that 3–5 million people had voted for Clinton illegally. Trump was inaugurated on January 20, 2017. Trump’s unexpected victory prompted much discussion in the press regarding the reliability of polls and the strategic mistakes of the Clinton campaign. Most analysts agreed that Clinton had taken for granted some of her core constituencies (including women and minorities) and that Trump had effectively capitalized upon the economic anxieties and racial prejudices of some working-class whites, particularly men. Presidency of Donald Trump Donald Trump and Barack Obama Pres. Barack Obama (right) and President-elect Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House, Washington, D.C., November 10, 2016. Donald Trump The official presidential portrait of Donald Trump. Almost immediately upon taking office, Trump began issuing a series of executive orders designed to fulfill some of his campaign promises and to project an image of swift, decisive action. His first order, signed on his first day as president, directed that all “unwarranted economic and regulatory burdens” imposed by the Affordable Care Act should be minimized pending the “prompt repeal” of that law. Five days later he directed the secretary of the Department of Homeland Security to begin planning for the construction of a wall along the country’s southern border. An executive order on ethics imposed a five-year ban on “lobbying activities” by former executive branch employees but weakened or removed some lobbying restrictions imposed by the Obama administration. Immigration One of Trump’s most controversial early executive orders, issued on January 27, implemented his promised “Muslim ban,” which temporarily suspended immigration to the United States from seven Muslim-majority countries in the interest of national security. The travel ban, as it came to be known, was immediately challenged in court on statutory and constitutional grounds (i.e., for allegedly violating anti-discrimination and other provisions of the U.S. Immigration and Nationality Act and for being inconsistent with the due process and establishment-of-religion clauses of the Constitution). The ban also provoked spontaneous demonstrations at major airports in the United States in support of persons with valid visas who were prevented from boarding flights to the U.S. or who were detained upon arrival and forced to return to their originating countries. In February a district court in Washington state issued a nationwide temporary restraining order enjoining enforcement of the travel ban, which the Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit declined to stay. Foreseeing eventual defeat in the courts, Trump in March issued a second executive order designed to avoid the constitutional pitfalls of the first, which it superseded. The second order also dropped Iraq from the list of targeted countries and narrowed the categories of persons whose travel would be affected. Nevertheless, district courts in Hawaii and Maryland issued preliminary injunctions blocking enforcement of the revised travel ban; the injunctions were largely upheld in May and June by the Fourth and Ninth Circuit Courts of Appeal, respectively. After agreeing in June to hear the consolidated cases during its October 2017 term, the U.S. Supreme Court significantly narrowed the injunctions, allowing the travel ban to be enforced against all “foreign nationals who lack any bona fide relationship with a person or entity in the United States.” In September Trump issued a third version of the ban, which continued to apply to immigrants from six Muslim-majority countries but now included immigrants from North Korea and certain government officials of Venezuela. The Supreme Court then vacated as moot the cases it had been scheduled to hear regarding the second travel ban. The third ban, like the previous two, was immediately challenged and enjoined, but the Supreme Court stayed the injunctions in December pending review by the Fourth and Ninth Circuits (which upheld them). The Ninth Circuit’s decision in Trump v. Hawaii was eventually reversed by the Supreme Court in June 2018. In its ruling, the Court held, among other things, that the ban was not obviously motivated by unconstitutional religious bias, notwithstanding Trump’s many public statements indicating otherwise to lower courts. Richard M. Nixon. Richard Nixon during a 1968 campaign stop. President Nixon Britannica Quiz U.S. Presidents and Their Years in Office Quiz From at least the early 2010s most illegal immigration across the U.S. southern border with Mexico had been undertaken by people seeking asylum from violence and persecution in their home countries, especially in Central America and Africa. Under U.S. immigration law, foreign persons who are physically present in the United States, including those who entered the country illegally, are entitled to asylum as refugees provided that they can establish a credible fear of persecution in their home countries based on their race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership in certain social groups. In April 2018 the Trump administration announced what it called a “zero-tolerance” immigration policy under which all foreign adults who entered the United States illegally (a misdemeanor for first-time offenders) would be criminally prosecuted. The policy entailed that children in families who had illegally crossed the U.S. border together would be taken from their parents (or legal guardians) and placed within a system of hundreds of shelters across the country, which were operated or contracted by the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), a division of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Eventually, according to HHS policy, separated children would be released to sponsors (their parents, close relatives, or other suitable persons) or to foster families in the United States. After surrendering their children, parents would be held in detention centers or jails to await prosecution for illegal entry. Under the previous immigration policy, known as “catch and release,” migrant families were usually quickly released and allowed to remain together in the United States while their cases were being resolved by immigration authorities. In practice, family separations conducted under the zero-tolerance policy were traumatic for both children and parents. The Trump administration had conceived of and initially defended the separations as a necessary deterrent to illegal economic immigration by people falsely claiming fear of persecution in their home countries. Trump himself falsely asserted that the separations were required by existing immigration law and blamed Democrats for not changing it—though his own party controlled both houses of Congress at the time. Soon, however, widely circulated photographs of crying and visibly terrified children and of children confined within fenced enclosures resembling cages prompted international condemnation of the separation policy, as did eventual news reports of the physical and sexual abuse of some children in shelters and the deaths of others from lack of adequate medical care. Facing pressure to act from congressional Republicans, in late June Trump signed an executive order ending the separations. One week later, pursuant to a class action lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), a federal judge in California issued an injunction against further separations and ordered the Trump administration to return to their parents all of the more than 2,700 children who had been seized under the zero-tolerance policy. The judge’s 30-day deadline was not met, however, largely because the administration had not established any procedures for tracking the whereabouts of separated children or for reuniting children with their parents or guardians after separation—a situation noted critically in the judge’s order and confirmed by an October 2018 report on the family separation policy by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO). Even after the zero-tolerance policy was rescinded, border authorities continued to seize hundreds of children on the basis of clauses in the injunction and the executive order that permitted taking children from parents who were “unfit” or who posed a “danger” to their children. Broadly interpreting those exceptions, border officials reportedly applied them to parents who had committed minor offenses or who appeared not to be taking proper care of their children. Other family separations were undertaken on the basis of the federal government’s narrow definition of “family,” which allowed children who arrived with other relatives (e.g., aunts, grandparents, or older siblings) to be treated as “unaccompanied.” As another facet of its campaign to reduce illegal immigration, the Trump administration also greatly increased arrests of undocumented immigrants by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), an agency of the Department of Homeland Security established in 2003. During the Obama administration, ICE had concentrated on undocumented immigrants with serious criminal records, but in January 2017 Trump directed the department to find, arrest, and deport all persons without documentation, regardless of how long they had lived in the country or whether they had committed any crimes. ICE officers thereafter regularly conducted raids—at private homes, churches, schools, courthouses, and job sites—in select locations throughout the country. Both criminal and noncriminal arrests increased nationwide as compared with 2016, but noncriminal arrests constituted a much greater percentage of the total. The raids were condemned by prominent Democrats and civil rights organizations as draconian and wasteful, while some progressive groups proclaimed an “abolish ICE” movement. At the same time, dozens of cities and towns declared themselves “sanctuaries,” vowing not to cooperate with ICE and other federal authorities seeking to remove undocumented immigrants from their jurisdictions. Emoluments clause During the presidential election campaign, some of Trump’s critics had warned that his presidency could create a unique and immediate constitutional crisis because of his possible violation of the foreign emoluments clause of the U.S. Constitution, which generally prohibits federal officeholders from accepting gifts, payments, or other items of value from foreign states or rulers without congressional permission. A related constitutional provision, known as the domestic emoluments clause, specifically prohibits the president from receiving any emolument from the federal government or the states beyond his official compensation. Trump’s vast, complex, and largely secret international business interests, it was argued, could create exactly the kind of conflict of interest that the foreign emoluments clause was intended to prevent—unless Trump were to sell his assets or place them in a blind trust. Although federal conflict-of-interest laws did not apply to the president and vice president, several of Trump’s immediate predecessors in office had used blind trusts or other means to avoid the appearance of conflict of interest. To address such concerns, in January 2017 Trump announced that he would surrender control—but not ownership—of the Trump Organization to his sons Donald, Jr., and Eric; that no new business deals with foreign countries or the U.S. government would be undertaken; and that any profits derived from patronage of Trump’s properties by foreign governments would be donated to the U.S. Treasury—an arrangement that failed to satisfy some specialists in government ethics. In late January a public interest group, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), later joined by other plaintiffs, filed suit against Trump (in his capacity as president) in federal district court in Manhattan, alleging that he was in violation of the foreign emoluments clause. In June the attorneys general of Maryland and the District of Columbia sued Trump for allegedly having violated both the foreign and domestic emoluments clauses, and soon afterward nearly 200 Democratic members of Congress filed a separate suit alleging that, by continuing to accept emoluments from foreign countries without consulting Congress, Trump had denied Congress the opportunity to give or withhold its required “Consent.” After the CREW suit was dismissed for lack of standing (the possession of a sufficient interest in the outcome of a judicial proceeding, usually on the basis of an existing or anticipated legal injury) in district court in December, the plaintiffs appealed the case to a three-judge panel of the Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, which vacated the lower court’s judgment in September 2019, allowing the suit to proceed to trial. Trump unsuccessfully petitioned the Second Circuit for an en banc hearing (before all judges of the court) and then filed a writ of certiorari (petition for review) with the Supreme Court in September 2020. In March and July 2018 a federal district court denied motions by Trump to dismiss the suit by Maryland and the District of Columbia, allowing that case to move forward with regard to the operation of the Trump International Hotel in Washington, D.C. After issuing a stay of the district court’s proceedings, a three-judge panel of the Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit reversed the district court’s rulings and ordered a dismissal of the suit for lack of standing. That judgment in turn was set aside in October 2019, when the Fourth Circuit agreed to an en banc hearing in December. In May 2020 the Fourth Circuit upheld the district court’s original rulings, leading Trump to file a writ of certiorari with the Supreme Court in September. Meanwhile, in the suit brought by Democratic members of Congress, a district court rejected (in September 2018 and April 2019) the Trump administration’s motion to dismiss but agreed in August 2019 to stay discovery and to allow an immediate appeal of the court’s orders after a three-judge panel of the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit remanded the case in July. That panel later agreed to hear oral arguments in December on the question of whether the district court had erred in allowing the suit to proceed. In February 2020 it dismissed the suit for lack of standing, and in October 2020 the Supreme Court declined to review the circuit court’s judgment. Following Biden’s inauguration as president in January 2021, the Supreme Court dismissed both of the remaining emoluments suits as moot. Although those cases were not resolved, there was no doubt that Trump had profited from patronage of his hotels, golf resorts, and other properties by officials of foreign governments, foreign and domestic lobbyists, Republican politicians, representatives of conservative interest groups, and members of his own administration. It was also apparent that much, if not most, of the business he received from foreign governments and from foreign and domestic lobbyists was undertaken on the assumption (justified or not) that Trump would look more favorably upon those who spent money at his properties than upon those who did not. During his presidency, it became a matter of routine that persons or groups who wished to influence the Trump administration at high levels, whether in the United States or abroad, would patronize a Trump-owned property whenever feasible. Trump’s properties also received much business from the U.S. government itself, which was forced to pay Trump for services and accommodations (e.g., for U.S. Secret Service protection) at his golf courses and at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida during his frequent visits to those venues. Supreme Court of Donald Trump In January 2017 Trump made good on his promise to place conservative justices on the Supreme Court by nominating Neil Gorsuch, a judge of the Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit, to fill the seat that had become vacant with the death in February 2016 of Antonin Scalia. Although Obama had put forward Merrick Garland, a judicial moderate, as Scalia’s replacement in March 2016, the majority leader of the Senate, Republican Mitch McConnell, refused to schedule a vote or even to hold hearings on Garland’s nomination, declaring that the Senate should not consider any Supreme Court nominee during an election year. McConnell’s gamble that a Republican would win the presidency and nominate a more conservative justice proved successful. Gorsuch was confirmed by the Senate in April after Senate Republicans overcame a Democratic filibuster by removing the traditional 60-vote minimum needed for cloture (ending debate and proceeding to a vote). In July 2018 Trump nominated another conservative appellate court judge, Brett Kavanaugh of the District of Columbia Circuit, to replace retiring Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy. In hearings before the Senate Judiciary Committee in September, Christine Blasey Ford, an academic psychologist, testified that Kavanaugh had sexually molested her when the two were underage teens in Maryland and that he was “stumbling drunk” during the assault. Kavanaugh was also accused of a separate act of sexual assault by a former classmate at Yale University, Deborah Ramirez. A third accuser, Julie Swetnick, declared in a sworn statement that Kavanaugh had attended parties at which gang rapes took place. In his own testimony, Kavanaugh angrily denied the allegations, insisting that they were the product of a conspiracy by Democrats to exact revenge on behalf of “the Clintons” for Kavanaugh’s role as a member of the legal team of independent counsel Kenneth Starr during the latter’s investigation in the 1990s of U.S. Pres. Bill Clinton’s affair with White House intern Monica Lewinsky. A subsequent supplemental investigation by the FBI, ordered by Trump, was severely limited in duration and scope: Kavanaugh, Ford, and Swetnick were not interviewed; dozens of witnesses recommended to the FBI by Ford and Ramirez were not contacted; and repeated offers of corroborating evidence by numerous other persons were not acted upon. After the Republican chair of the Judiciary Committee declared that the FBI’s confidential report had found “no corroboration” of the allegations, Kavanaugh was narrowly confirmed by the Senate in October. Ford’s emotionally compelling testimony—and the belief among many women of both political parties that she had been treated unfairly—galvanized the Me Too movement of survivors of sexual assault and reinforced perceptions of the Republican Party and the Trump administration as being insensitive to women’s concerns. Meanwhile, Trump defended Kavanaugh as a victim of persecution and contended that the Me Too movement had created a dangerous climate for men. In September 2020, eight days after the death of Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Trump announced his nomination of judge Amy Coney Barrett, whom he had appointed to the Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit only two years earlier, as Ginsburg’s replacement. Notwithstanding the fact that 2020 was an election year, Senate Republicans declared their intention to confirm Barrett quickly. After Judiciary Committee hearings and Senate debate that Democrats criticized as improperly rushed, Barrett was confirmed by the full Senate on October 26, exactly one month after her nomination and only eight days before the presidential election. An extremely conservative judge, Barrett was expected to move the ideological center of the Supreme Court even farther to the right than it had been under the Court’s previous 5–4 conservative majorities and to make conservative rulings from the Court more likely for many years to come. Close up of a hand placing a ballot in a ballot box. Election vote voter voting More From Britannica Have Any U.S. Presidents Decided Not to Run For a Second Term? Trump also successfully appointed a record number of district and appellate court judges, having inherited more than 100 federal bench vacancies resulting from the refusal of Senate Republicans to confirm most of Obama’s judicial nominees during the last two years of his presidency. Trump’s judicial appointments, almost all of whom were drawn from recommendations by the conservative Federalist Society, were mostly white and male; they were also generally young (less than 50 years old), ensuring that they would serve for several years or even decades. Their usually quick confirmations on party-line votes helped to further the Republican Party’s long-standing project of transforming the federal judiciary, particularly at the appellate level, into a conservative bulwark against liberal legal initiatives and policy making. By the end of Trump’s single presidential term in January 2021, nearly 30 percent of all federal judges were Trump appointees. Cabinet appointments Trump took an unusually long time to assemble his cabinet, in part because many of his early nominations to positions requiring Senate confirmation were filibustered by Democrats. His cabinet was also unusual in that its members were the least diverse in decades and the richest by far in U.S. history. Several of Trump’s cabinet-level appointments were closely associated with the firms or industries that their agencies were charged with overseeing or were well known for having opposed their agencies’ basic missions in the past. Trump’s cabinet and high-level executive staff were also distinguished by their relatively high rate of turnover and eventually by the fact that several cabinet-level officials served at various times only in acting capacities, not having been confirmed by the Senate. Particularly controversial among the original members of Trump’s cabinet were Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) administrator Scott Pruitt, who as Oklahoma attorney general had spent much of his career suing the agency on behalf of the oil and gas industry; and Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, who had frequently expressed contempt for public education while promoting and financially supporting school voucher legislation and charter and private schools. Steve Bannon, the former head of Breitbart News, a far-right publishing platform, was appointed chief strategist but left the administration after seven months in August 2017. Trump also gave his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and his daughter Ivanka Trump prominent (though unpaid) roles as senior adviser to the president and assistant to the president, respectively. During his administration, several of Trump’s cabinet members were accused of ethics violations and other malfeasance, including breaches of travel regulations and anti-lobbying laws, inappropriate use of their agencies’ resources, perjury, and contempt of Congress for failure to respond to lawful subpoenas by congressional committees (see below Russia investigation and Ukraine scandal). In September 2017 Tom Price resigned as secretary of health and human services after news reports revealed that he had spent some $400,000 on luxury chartered aircraft for trips to Europe and within the United States. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, and Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin were also criticized for inappropriate use of chartered or military aircraft, leading to Shulkin’s firing in March 2018. Zinke, who faced several federal investigations of his conduct as interior secretary, including one that was referred to the Justice Department, resigned under pressure in December 2018. Earlier that year Ben Carson, the secretary of housing and urban development, was investigated by a House oversight committee for having spent an inordinate sum on furniture for his government office. In July Pruitt was forced to resign after a long series of scandals concerning questionable spending, the use of EPA employees as personal assistants, inappropriate gifts from lobbyists, and the use of undisclosed email addresses for official EPA business. Although he did not resign as a result, Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross was heavily criticized (but faced no criminal charges) for apparently lying to Congress when he told the House Ways and Means Committee and the Senate Appropriations Committee in March 2018 that his decision to add a citizenship question to the 2020 decennial census was made at the request of the Justice Department to help it better enforce the 1965 Voting Rights Act—a rationale that the Supreme Court later found to be “contrived.” (See Department of Commerce v. New York.) In April–May 2019 Mnuchin declined to act on a request by the House Ways and Means Committee for six years of Trump’s business and personal tax returns (see below Other investigations); in so doing, he appeared to flout a 1924 federal law (26 U.S. Code §6103) that requires the secretary of the Treasury to provide individual tax returns and related tax information upon request to select committees of Congress. Postpresidential activities Two days after the insurrection of January 6, which had failed to prevent Congress from certifying the results of the 2020 presidential election, Trump announced that he would not attend Biden’s inauguration. He thereby defied a tradition nearly as old as the United States, one understood to symbolize the peaceful transfer of power and thus the strength and continuity of American democracy. (Trump was the first U.S. president to decline to attend his successor’s inauguration since 1869, when Pres. Andrew Johnson refused to witness the swearing in of Ulysses S. Grant.) Trump and first lady Melania Trump left the White House on the morning of January 20, a few hours before Biden’s inauguration ceremony, and returned to their residence at Mar-a-Lago. Unlike most former presidents in the months following their departure from office, Trump did not attempt to keep a low public profile in deference to his successor. Indeed, beginning with an address at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in February 2021, Trump delivered several public speeches in which he sharply criticized the new Biden administration, denounced Republican officeholders who had criticized or opposed him (including the 10 Republican House members who had voted to impeach him for inciting the January 6 U.S. Capitol attack), repeated his well-worn narrative of voter fraud in the 2020 election, and hinted that he intended to run for president again in 2024. Despite his real-life electoral defeat and the ignominious circ*mstances of his departure from office, Trump retained a sizable base of dedicated supporters, which he continued to cultivate at his own campaign-style rallies and other events. Trump took advantage of his popularity among Republican voters to become an effective kingmaker within the party, a role that he exercised by granting or withholding endorsem*nts of individual Republican candidates for federal, state, and even local offices, many of whom traveled to Mar-a-Lago to seek his approval. (Trump’s endorsed candidates tended to fare well in the primary elections of 2022 but were only partially successful overall in the November midterm elections.) Trump also amassed huge sums of money from millions of individual donors through his political action committees (PACs) Save America and Make America Great Again Inc. and other organizations. 2024 presidential campaign Soon after the midterm elections of 2022, Trump announced his candidacy for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination. He initially faced several challengers within his party; by June 2023 nearly a dozen Republicans other than Trump had begun their own presidential campaigns. They included Nikki Haley, who had served as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations under Trump (2017–18) and as governor of South Carolina (2011–17); Ron DeSantis, the governor of Florida (2019– ); former U.S. vice president (2017–21) Mike Pence; Doug Burgum, the governor of North Dakota (2016–); and former New Jersey governor (2010–18) and 2016 Republican presidential primary contender Chris Christie. Mindful of Trump’s continued popularity among Republican voters, most of his primary challengers avoided criticizing him directly or forcefully. They instead presented themselves as reliable conservatives who did not face any of the serious legal challenges that threatened to eliminate support for Trump among independent voters. As Trump’s indictments were handed down, however, his popularity among Republicans did not decline significantly, as his challengers had expected. Indeed, some polls showed that his support had increased. During the remainder of 2023, Trump continued to dominate his rivals in polls of Republican voters, despite his refusal to participate in presidential primary debates sponsored by the Republican National Committee and the steady progress of the legal cases against him. A significant proportion of Republican voters continued to accept Trump’s oft-repeated (but unsupported) claims that the criminal and civil charges against him were false and politically motivated, and many reacted positively to Trump’s suggestions that he would seek retribution for the prosecutions if elected president. By the end of the year, most other Republican presidential candidates, including Pence, Burgum, and Christie, had abandoned their campaigns. After Trump easily won the Republican Iowa caucuses in January 2024, DeSantis, who had long been the second most-popular Republican presidential candidate after Trump, also dropped out of the race. Haley, the sole remaining Trump challenger, continued her campaign through January and February, despite suffering losses to Trump in subsequent Republican primaries and caucuses in New Hampshire, Nevada, the Virgin Islands, Michigan, and her home state of South Carolina. After Trump defeated her in 14 of the 16 Republican presidential primaries held on Super Tuesday (March 5, 2024), Haley finally suspended her campaign, though she declined to endorse Trump. On July 13, 2024, while speaking at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania, Trump was injured in an assassination attempt. The former president was hit in the ear and was whisked to safety by Secret Service agents. His injury was minor. The alleged shooter and a person attending the rally were killed. The attempt took place just two days before the scheduled start of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisc., at which Trump officially became his party’s presidential nominee. Read about assassination and attempts involving U.S. presidents and presidential candidates. Criminal investigations and civil suits From the start of his campaign, Trump was forced to contend with ongoing criminal investigations and civil suits stemming from his conduct before, during, and after his presidency. Among the major criminal probes were Justice Department investigations, conducted from November 2022 by special counsel Jack Smith, dealing with Trump’s alleged incitement of the violent assault on the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, and his improper removal from the White House of classified documents, which were discovered at Mar-a-Lago during an FBI search of the property in August 2022. In December 2022 Smith’s office expanded the January 6 investigation to focus on how the January 6 attack was funded and organized as well as on broader efforts by Trump and his aides to overturn election results in certain swing states, including by creating “fake” slates of pro-Trump electors. Meanwhile, the district attorney of Fulton county, Georgia, pursued a parallel criminal investigation into efforts by Trump and his associates to pressure Georgia government officials into reversing or invalidating Biden’s electoral victory in the state. Another state criminal investigation, focusing on the falsification of business records related to the hush-money payment to Daniels, was revived by the district attorney of Manhattan in November 2022 after the Trump Organization’s chief financial officer, Allen Weisselberg, in a plea bargain with prosecutors, agreed to testify against the firm in a trial on charges of tax fraud and other crimes. The Trump Organization was convicted on all counts in December. In September 2022 the attorney general of New York state filed a $250 million civil suit accusing Trump, three of Trump’s children, and the Trump Organization of business fraud in connection with misrepresentations of properties and other assets designed to secure favorable loan and insurance rates and to minimize tax liabilities. Trump also faced a civil suit accusing him of sexual abuse and defamation brought by the writer E. Jean Carroll, who alleged that Trump had raped her in a department-store dressing room in the mid-1990s. In February 2024, after being found liable in the civil business-fraud case, Trump was ordered to pay more than $350 million in penalties and interest and barred from serving as an officer or director of any company in New York state, including the Trump Organization, for three years. He was granted a 30-day grace period for either paying the penalties and accumulated interest himself or submitting a bond that would guarantee full payment should he lose his appeal. As the grace period came to a close in late March, a New York appeals court panel reduced to $175 million the amount of the bond that Trump would need to secure. Trump submitted the bond in April. In May 2023 Trump was found liable in the civil sexual-abuse and defamation case and was ordered to pay Carroll $5 million. Despite that ruling, Trump continued to publicly insult and disparage Carroll, who then filed a second defamation suit. In January 2024 Trump was again found liable and was ordered to pay Carroll more than $83 million. Criminal indictments Presidential mug shot Former president Donald J. Trump as he appeared in a mug shot taken in August 2023 at the Fulton County Courthouse in Georgia. Trump was charged along with 18 others in a plot to overturn the 2020 presidential election results in that state. In March 2023 Trump was indicted on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records to conceal the Trump Organization’s reimbursem*nt of Cohen for the latter’s payment of hush money to Daniels. Under New York state law, the acts of falsification amounted to felonies rather than misdemeanors because they were intended to commit or conceal other crimes, including violating federal campaign contribution limits, falsifying additional business records used to effectuate the hush money payment, influencing the 2016 presidential election through illegal means, and violating state tax law. The indictment marked the first time in U.S. history that a former president was charged with a crime. In June 2023 Trump was indicted by a grand jury in Miami on federal criminal charges related to his removal of classified documents from the White House upon leaving office. The indictment marked the first time in U.S. history that a former president was charged with a federal crime. In August 2023 Trump was indicted by a grand jury in Washington, D.C., on federal criminal charges related to his efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election. The indictment charged him with obstruction of an official proceeding and three counts of conspiracy: to obstruct an official proceeding, to defraud the United States, and to impede the free exercise of the right to vote and to have one’s vote counted. Later that month, Trump and 18 of his associates were indicted by a grand jury in Fulton county, Georgia, on criminal charges related to Trump’s efforts to reverse Biden’s electoral victory in that state. The ensuing trials in three of Trump’s criminal cases—the federal and state cases concerning his efforts to overturn the 2020 election and the criminal business-fraud case—were originally scheduled to begin in March and May 2024. (On May 7, the judge in the federal case concerning Trump’s removal of classified documents from the White House indefinitely postponed the start of the trial, which had been scheduled for May 20.) In each instance, however, Trump’s legal team filed numerous motions or appeals arguing for dismissal of the charges or requesting court actions or judgments whose execution would effectively delay the start of the trial. In January 2024 the federal case concerning Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election, whose trial date had been scheduled for March 4, was indefinitely postponed after Trump appealed the district court’s ruling rejecting his contention that he should be immune from prosecution for actions he committed while serving as president. In February a three-judge panel of the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit agreed with the district court that Trump did not possess absolute, or permanent, immunity and thus could be prosecuted as a private citizen for his efforts as president to overturn the 2020 election. Trump then asked the U.S. Supreme Court to put the panel’s ruling on hold while he filed a petition for review by the full appeals court. The Supreme Court instead chose to hear the case itself, scheduling oral arguments for the end of April 2024. In July the Court issued a general decision (Trump v. United States) in which it ruled that former presidents are entitled to absolute immunity from criminal prosecution for actions that involve the exercise of their “core constitutional powers” and to “presumptive immunity” for all other official acts. The Court did not provide a specific definition of an official presidential act but instead offered a set of general principles and observations for use by the district court, to which it remanded the case to determine which of the acts for which Trump was being prosecuted qualified as official. (See Major Supreme Court Cases from the 2023–24 Term.) The remanding of the case to the district court further delayed Trump’s trial, virtually ensuring that it would extend beyond the presidential election in November 2024. In April 2024, the Supreme Court also heard oral arguments in a case challenging the conviction of a participant in the January 6 U.S. Capitol attack under a federal law—18 U.S. Code §1512(c)(2)—that prohibits the obstruction of an official proceeding. In Fischer v. United States, the plaintiff in the case argued that the law was intended to apply only to evidence tampering and thus could not be violated by other acts, such as physically assaulting police officers, which the plaintiff did during the attack. In June 2024 the Court decided in the plaintiff’s favor, holding that, to obtain a conviction, the government would have needed to establish that “the defendant impaired the availability or integrity for use in an official proceeding of records, documents, objects, or…other things used in the proceeding, or attempted to do so.” The Court’s ruling did not make the plaintiff’s conviction impossible but did require that the government prove that the plaintiff’s physical assaults negatively affected the “availability or integrity” of the relevant records, documents, and so on. Fischer v. United States thus made it likely that the charges and convictions under the law of more than 300 participants in the January 6 attack would have to be dropped or reversed. Notably, two of the four federal charges related to Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election—obstruction of an official proceeding and conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding—were also potentially invalidated. (In yet another case concerning Trump’s role in the January 6 attack, Trump v. Anderson, the Supreme Court in March 2024 overturned a ruling by the Colorado Supreme Court that had removed Trump from the state’s Republican primary ballot on the grounds that Trump had disqualified himself under Section 3 of the Fourteenth Amendment [1868], which prohibits any person from “hold[ing] any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any state” if that person has “previously taken an oath…to support the Constitution of the United States” and subsequently “engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof.” See Major Supreme Court Cases from the 2023–24 Term; United States presidential election of 2024.) In March 2024 the criminal business-records case, whose trial date had been scheduled for March 25, was postponed to April 15 following a request by the Manhattan district attorney’s office to allow Trump’s legal team to review a set of records from an earlier federal investigation focusing on the role of Cohen in the hush-money payment to Daniels. The judge in the case rejected Trump’s motion for dismissal, disputing his claim that prosecutors had improperly withheld federal records from Trump’s attorneys. As the starting date of the trial drew closer, Trump performed various legal maneuvers aimed at dismissing the case or significantly delaying the trial, including filing a civil suit against the judge for issuing and then expanding a gag order preventing Trump from verbally attacking witnesses, jurors, and the families of the judge and the Manhattan district attorney, among others. None of Trump’s tactics were successful, and the trial began as scheduled. On May 30, 2024, the jury in the trial found Trump guilty on all 34 counts of falsifying business records. Trump thus became the first former president to be convicted of a crime. In July 2024 the judge in the classified documents case, Aileen Cannon, dismissed Trump’s indictment on the basis of her finding that U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland’s appointment of Jack Smith, the special counsel responsible for Trump’s indictment, was illegitimate under the appointments clause of the U.S. Constitution. The appointments clause (Article II, Section 2) states in part that the president Shall nominate, and by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, shall appoint Ambassadors, other public Ministers and Consuls, Judges of the supreme Court, and all other Officers of the United States…but the Congress may by Law vest the Appointment of such inferior Officers, as they think proper, in the President alone, in the Courts of Law, or in the Heads of Departments. While accepting for the sake of argument that a special counsel qualifies an “inferior officer” under the Constitution, Cannon contended that Smith, who had been serving as an officer of the International Criminal Court, was not properly appointed, because no existing federal statute authorizes U.S. attorneys general to appoint as a special counsel “an attorney from outside the United States government.” Style and rhetoric Trump’s personal style is unusual, if not unique, among national political figures in modern U.S. history. In part reflecting his experiences as a prominent figure in the New York real estate industry, Trump is fiercely competitive as well as intensely concerned with demonstrating his success and accomplishments to others. Indeed, from the very beginning of his career, he has cultivated and cherished his reputation as a shrewd businessman, an image that often aided him in his real estate dealings and which he eventually exploited as a brand beginning in the 1990s. That concern, however, has been accompanied by an unusual sensitivity to criticism and a tendency to retaliate harshly against those who, in his view, betrayed him or treated him unfairly. His longtime mentor, friend, and legal adviser Roy Cohn (who had assisted Joseph McCarthy’s investigations of alleged communist subversion in the U.S. government in the 1950s) encouraged him in the latter regard, counseling him on numerous occasions never to apologize (because it is a sign of weakness) and always to hit back harder than you are hit, as Trump put the lesson in The Art of the Deal. As he declared in a tweet in 2012, “When someone attacks me, I always attack back…except 100× more. This has nothing to do with a tirade but rather, a way of life!” In keeping with his bellicose and confrontational style, Trump in his business career characteristically used blunt language as a weapon against his rivals and adversaries, pointedly insulting or belittling them in the press in retaliation for their real or perceived slights. Perhaps surprisingly, Trump did not significantly alter his style or temper his rhetoric upon his entry into politics, notwithstanding the conventional view that success in politics is necessarily a matter of persuasion and compromise rather than “hitting back harder.” The advent of Twitter in 2006 eventually gave Trump (who joined the service in 2009) a larger platform for his unfiltered political comments, once he began regularly tweeting about politics in about 2011. During the presidential primaries and in the 2015–16 election campaign, Trump frequently used his Twitter account, which had more than 40 million followers, to angrily attack individual Democrats, his Republican rivals and critics, members of the news media, and others in comments that were widely perceived as aggressive, boastful, petty, vindictive, juvenile, and vulgar. Trump similarly declined to filter himself in speeches, once even mocking the physical disability of a reporter he disliked. Another unique feature of Trump’s rhetoric is the extremely large number of his public statements that have been shown to be false or misleading by the press or by independent fact-checking organizations (The Washington Post counted more than 30,500 such claims during Trump’s presidency). Although Trump’s detractors, including some in the Republican Party, admonished him for what they considered his undignified behavior, their criticism only provoked him to make fresh attacks. Despite some speculation after his election that the weight of the presidential office and his eventual need for tangible political and diplomatic successes would lead him to adopt a more conventional demeanor, his confrontational style and rhetoric continued unchanged during his presidency, and, indeed, the targets of his abuse only expanded. Trump’s frequent expressions of contempt for Democrats, along with his general unwillingness to compromise with Democratic leaders in Congress, considerably worsened partisan divisions in American politics, according to many analysts. In any event, Trump certainly distinguished himself from previous U.S. presidents by his heavy use of social media. He was the first president to rely on Twitter as a primary means of communication with his political supporters and the press, using it even as a venue for semiofficial presidential statements. Trump’s rhetoric has also raised serious concerns among members of both parties about its potential damage to Americans’ faith in democratic institutions, particularly freedom of the press and the rule of law. From early in his presidential campaign, Trump has dismissed unfavorable press reports about him as “fake news,” implying that the news organizations in question knowingly published falsehoods. After his election, Trump frequently condemned most major news organizations as “the enemy of the American people,” a phrase reminiscent of totalitarian societies. The effect of his accusations was to engender distrust and hostility among his supporters toward major media outlets other than Fox News, which generally supported Trump in its reporting and which he regularly watched. Many political scientists and media scholars also pointed to more general problems, claiming that Trump’s efforts to portray the press as untrustworthy had created broad confusion and uncertainty among the electorate about what was true—or even a passive and resigned attitude about the possibility of ever knowing what was true. They also worried that Trump’s rhetoric would so diminish public confidence in the press that it would cease to effectively serve as a check on governmental power, the role that the founders of the country had envisioned for it. Analogous concerns were raised about Trump’s treatment of his perceived enemies in the FBI, the Justice Department, and the judiciary. His rhetoric, critics feared, would encourage some people to view those traditionally apolitical and independent institutions as untrustworthy and incapable of carrying out their responsibilities objectively and impartially. Another controversial feature of Trump’s rhetoric, one that drew especially heavy criticism from civil rights organizations, was his regular appeals to racist stereotypes, his frequent indulgence in racist slurs aimed at non-European minority and immigrant groups, and his refusal to consistently condemn violence aimed at minorities, including several acts of police brutality against African Americans that prompted large protests in cities across the United States in the summer of 2020 (see Black Lives Matter). Indeed, Trump repeatedly mischaracterized the mostly peaceful demonstrations against police brutality and for racial justice as mob violence by anarchist thugs. Trump’s detractors condemned him for such behavior and warned that he was stirring up racial animosities among his supporters and other Americans and encouraging those who already harbored such prejudices to express them more freely in public or even to act on them violently. In the final months of the 2016 presidential campaign, in the period shortly after Trump’s election, and during the first three years of Trump’s presidency, there were notable increases in hate crimes throughout the country—ranging from vandalism and assaults to bomb threats and mass shootings—particularly against Jews, Muslims, African Americans, Latinos, and LGBTQ persons, as indicated in various studies, including the FBI’s annual hate crime report. Although the validity and implications of such statistics were disputed, many researchers and journalists agreed that Trump’s rhetoric had changed the country’s political culture by making the public expression of hate-based and extremist attitudes more acceptable. Trump himself, meanwhile, denied that his speeches had had any such effect, proclaiming on more than one occasion that he was “the least racist person” in the world. Donald Trump served as the 45th president of the United States (2017–21). He was the third president in U.S. history to be impeached by the U.S. House of Representatives and the only president to be impeached twice—once in 2019 (he was acquitted by the U.S. Senate in 2020) and once in 2021. In the presidential election of 2020, Trump was defeated by his Democratic opponent, former vice-president Joe Biden, by 306 electoral votes to 232. Prior to his 2016 run for the presidency, Trump had gained notoriety as a real-estate developer and businessman who owned, managed, or licensed his name to hotels, casinos, golf courses, resorts, and residential properties in New York City and around the world; from 2004 to 2015, he starred in a reality television series, "The Apprentice," which popularized the phrase "You're fired!" and featured contestants competing in various challenges to become one of his employees. Facts Also Known As Donald John Trump Born June 14, 1946 (age 78) • New York City • New York Title / Office presidency of the United States of America (2017-2021), United States Political Affiliation Republican Party Notable Works “Crippled America: How to Make America Great Again” • “The America We Deserve” • “Trump: The Art of the Deal” Notable Family Members spouse Melania Trump • daughter Ivanka Trump • son Donald Trump, Jr. • son of Frederick Christ Trump • son of Mary MacLeod • husband of Melania Trump (January 22, 2005–present) • husband of Marla Maples (December 20, 1993–June 8, 1999) • husband of Ivana Trump (April 9, 1977–March 22, 1992) • father of Donald Trump, Jr. (b. 1977) • father of Ivanka Trump (b. 1981) • father of Eric Trump (b. 1984) • father of Tiffany Trump (b. 1993) • father of Barron Trump (b. 2006) • brother of Maryanne Trump Barry • brother of Frederick Trump, Jr. • brother of Elizabeth Trump Grau • brother of Robert Trump Role In Ukraine scandal • United States presidential election of 2020 • United States presidential election of 2016 Education New York Military Academy (Cornwall, New York) • Fordham University (1964–1966) • University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School (B.S., 1968) Published Works "Crippled America: How to Make America Great Again" (2015) • "Midas Touch: Why Some Entrepreneurs Get Rich—And Why Most Don't" (2011; with Robert T. Kiyosaki) • "Time to Get Tough: Making America #1 Again" (2011) • "Think Like a Champion: An Informal Education in Business and Life" (2009; with Meredith McIver) • "Trump Never Give Up: How I Turned My Biggest Challenges into Success" (2008; with Meredith McIver) • "Think Big and Kick Ass in Business and Life" (2007; with Bill Zanker) • "Trump 101: The Way to Success" (2007; with Meredith McIver) • "Trump: The Best Real Estate Advice I Ever Received: 100 Top Experts Share Their Strategies" (2006) • "Why We Want You to Be Rich: Two Men, One Message" (2006; with Robert T. Kiyosaki) • "The Best Golf Advice I Ever Received" (2005) • "The Way to the Top: The Best Business Advice I Ever Received" (2004) • "Trump: How to Get Rich" (2004; with Meredith McIver) • "Trump: Think Like a Billionaire: Everything You Need to Know About Success, Real Estate, and Life" (2004; with Meredith McIver) • "The America We Deserve" (2000; with Dave Shiflett) • "Trump: The Art of the Comeback" (1997; with Kate Bohner) • "Trump: Surviving at the Top" (1990; with Charles Leerhsen) • "Trump: The Art of the Deal" (1987; with Tony Schwartz) Movies/Tv Shows (Acted In) "54" (1998) • "Spin City" (1998) • "Horrorween" (2011) • "Marmalade" (2004) • "Two Weeks Notice" (2002) • "Zoolander" (2001) • "Celebrity" (1998) • "NightMan" (1997) • "The Drew Carey Show" (1997) • "Suddenly Susan" (1997) • "The Nanny" (1996) • "Eddie" (1996) • "Across the Sea of Time" (1995) • "The Little Rascals" (1994) • "Home Alone 2: Lost in New York" (1992) • "Ghosts Can't Do It" (1989) Top Questions When did Donald Trump take office? Donald Trump took the presidential oath of office on January 20, 2017. Where is Donald Trump originally from? Donald Trump was born and raised in New York City. Where was Donald Trump educated? Donald Trump attended New York Military Academy (1959–64), a private boarding school; Fordham University in the Bronx (1964–66); and the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School (1966–68). When did Donald Trump go into politics? From the 1980s Donald Trump periodically mused in public about running for president, but those moments were widely dismissed in the press as publicity stunts. In 1999 he established a presidential exploratory committee; though he ultimately declined to run in 2000, he coauthored a book that year, "The America We Deserve," in which he set forth his socially liberal and economically conservative political views. In June 2015 Trump announced that he would be a candidate in the U.S. presidential election of 2016, and, after winning the general election in November, he took office on January 20, 2017. When was Donald Trump elected? Donald Trump won the general election for the U.S. presidency on November 8, 2016. How many electoral votes did Donald Trump get? In the 2016 U.S. presidential election, Donald Trump won the electoral college by 304 votes to 227. In the 2020 presidential election, Trump lost by 306 electoral votes to 232. How old was Donald Trump when he was inaugurated? Donald Trump was 70 years old when he was inaugurated as president. When did Donald Trump declare his candidacy? Donald Trump announced that he would be a candidate in the 2016 presidential election campaign on June 14, 2015, at Trump Tower in New York City. Where is Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort? Mar-a-Lago is located in Palm Beach, Florida. Trump purchased the 118-room mansion on the site in the 1980s; he floated a plan to his creditors to convert the estate into a luxury housing development consisting of several smaller mansions, but local opposition led him instead to turn it into a private club, which was opened in 1995. What did Donald Trump study? Donald Trump majored in economics at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School, where he graduated with a bachelor's degree in 1968. Did You Know? In 1999 Trump switched his voter registration from Republican to the Reform Party and established a presidential exploratory committee; he ultimately declined to run for president in 2000, however, and he later rejoined the Republican Party. Trump has said that he decided to abstain from drinking alcohol after seeing its effects on his older brother Freddy, whose alcoholism led to his early death at the age of 43. In 1989 Trump teamed with the Milton Bradley Company to release a board game called Trump: The Game, which shared some similarities with the popular real-estate board game Monopoly; the Trump-branded game saw disappointing sales and was soon retired, though it was rereleased 15 years later after Trump had found increased fame as the star of the reality television show "The Apprentice." When the U.S. economy fell into recession in 1990, many of Trump's businesses suffered, and he was forced to surrender his airline, sell his 282-foot yacht, and take out second or third mortgages on nearly all of his properties; during this period, estimates of Trump's net worth ranged from $1.7 billion to minus $900 million. Photos and Videos Donald Trump Donald Trump Candidate Donald Trump Donald Trump Donald Trump campaigning in 2016 Donald Trump and Barack Obama Donald Trump Donald Trump Presidential mug shot Donald Trump Watch Donald Trump take the oath of office What caused the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack? See All Videos, Images and Interactives → Related Topics and References Dig Deeper: More Articles That Discuss This Topic United States: The Donald Trump administration Related Biographies Paul Ryan Paul Ryan American politician Mike Pence Mike Pence vice president of the United States Ted Cruz Ted Cruz United States senator Lindsey Graham Lindsey Graham United States senator Rand Paul Rand Paul United States senator Rick Perry Rick Perry American politician Rick Santorum Rick Santorum United States senator Marco Rubio Marco Rubio United States senator John Kasich John Kasich American politician Mark Hanna Mark Hanna American industrialist John Anthony Volpe American politician Ronald Reagan Ronald Reagan president of United States Hillary Clinton Hillary Clinton United States senator, first lady, and secretary of state John McCain John McCain United States senator Kamala Harris Kamala Harris vice president of the United States Rick Scott Rick Scott United States senator Ben Carson Ben Carson American neurosurgeon and politician Bernie Sanders Bernie Sanders United States senator J.P. Morgan J.P. Morgan American financier Michele Bachmann, 2011. Michele Bachmann American politician July 13, 2024, coverage of the Trump assassination attempt Tori B. Powell Emma Tucker Jessie Yeung Maureen Chowdhury By Tori B. Powell, Shania Shelton, Matt Meyer, Isabelle D'Antonio, Emma Tucker, Jessie Yeung, Dalia Faheid, Amarachi Orie, Michelle Shen, Michael Williams and Maureen Chowdhury, CNN Updated 10:26 PM EDT, Mon July 15, 2024 Video captures shooting at Trump rally 02:18 - Source: CNN What we covered here President Joe Biden has ordered an independent review of security measures at Saturday’s campaign rally where Donald Trump survived an assassination attempt. In an address to the nation Sunday, Biden once again condemned the violence and urged Americans to let the FBI investigation unfold. Trump, who says he was shot in the ear, was rushed off stage to safety Saturday night with blood on his face. The gunman and an audience member are dead, and two other attendees were critically injured, according to the Secret Service. The FBI has identified the shooter as Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania. Authorities say he fired multiple shots from a building rooftop just outside the rally venue before he was killed by Secret Service agents. The Secret Service is now facing serious questions — and calls for congressional investigations — into the handling of security around the rally. 176 Posts Sort By 9:02 p.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 Our live coverage of the Trump assassination attempt is moving here. 3:26 a.m. GMT+1, July 16, 2024 Two injured shooting victims at Trump rally identified From CNN's Andy Rose Two people who were shot during Saturday’s Donald Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, and who are now stable were identified Sunday by state police. Pennsylvania State Police identified David Dutch, 57, of New Kensington, Pennsylvania, and 74-year-old James Copenhaver from Moon Township, Pennsylvania, in a Sunday press release. The state police also confirmed the name of Corey Comperatore, 50, as the victim who was killed in the assassination attempt. His identity was announced earlier in the day by Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro. The Marine Corps League of Pennsylvania, Inc., identified Dutch as a commandant in its organization in Westmoreland County. MCL Vice Commandant Matt Popovich said on Facebook that Dutch underwent two surgeries after being “shot in the liver and chest.” “These victims and their families are certainly in our thoughts today,” said Col. Christopher Paris, the state police commissioner. “The Pennsylvania State Police continue to work tirelessly alongside our federal, state and local partners as this investigation continues.” CNN’s Sara Smart contributed to this report. 8:41 p.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 Discussions underway about adding more federal law enforcement agents in Milwaukee for RNC From CNN's Whitney Wild A law enforcement source familiar with planning for the Republican Nation Convention told CNN on Sunday there are discussions underway about adding more federal law enforcement agents to post positions in light of the recent shooting. However, the perimeter is unlikely to change, the source said, noting preparations for the RNC have been underway for a year and a half. The source added that there have been discussions about adding additional security for high-profile GOP members as well. The source said events, such as dinners, may be hard to police as they are outside the perimeter associated with the RNC and do not have the same level of security. The source noted this concern had also been discussed before Saturday’s shooting. 9:52 p.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 Mother and son at Trump rally describe "complete shock" following assassination attempt From CNN’s Sara Smart Attendees duck for safety at former President Donald Trump’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13. Attendees duck for safety at former President Donald Trump’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13. Donna Hutz A mother and son who witnessed the shooting at former President Donald Trump’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday said the incident was “too close for comfort,” as they were just a few rows in front of the attendees who were shot. Donna Hutz and her son Joe traveled from Hubbard, Ohio, and arrived at 8:30 a.m. Saturday for the rally. They were seated in the third row on the bleachers behind the former president. Donna told CNN on Sunday they almost made the decision to sit higher up in the bleachers and they’re glad they didn’t. When the incident unfolded, both immediately got down and ducked for safety. Joe, 25, said when he realized what was going on he yelled, “Gun, get down!” so others would understand the severity of the situation. “I peeked up at one point and saw Trump with a crowd of Secret Service on top of him,” Joe said. “We saw that he had blood on him, but people were yelling that he was OK,” Donna added. Attendees duck for safety at former President Donald Trump’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13. Attendees duck for safety at former President Donald Trump’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13. Donna Hutz The attendees who were shot during the incident were about six rows above the pair, they said. “It was too close for comfort,” Donna said. “The atmosphere was complete shock.” Seeing Trump stand up and put his fist in the air after the shooting made Donna and Joe feel empowered. “Knowing that he is the only one who can help our country, I was happy to see him get up and that he was powerful,” Donna added. Joe said he’d attend another event soon. “They can’t scare us,” he said. 8:23 p.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 Shooter was a dietary aid at a nursing and rehabilitation center, facility confirms From CNN’s Yahya Abou-Ghazala Marcie Grimm, the administrator of Bethel Park Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, confirmed to CNN that Thomas Matthew Crooks, the man identified as the shooter at the Donald Trump rally, was a dietary aide at the facility. “We are shocked and saddened to learn of his involvement as Thomas Matthew Crooks performed his job without concern and his background check was clean,” Grimm said. Grimm added that the facility is cooperating with law enforcement and that “Our thoughts and prayers go out to Former President Trump and the victims impacted by this terrible tragedy.” 8:21 p.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 Democratic congressman says staffer who posted inflammatory post about Trump shooting "no longer" employed From CNN’s Annie Grayer Democratic Rep. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi said Sunday that a staffer who made an inflammatory post about the assassination attempt of Donald Trump is “no longer in (his) employment.” A post on Facebook associated with the staffer’s account suggested the gunman needed shooting lessons “so you don’t miss next time.” Trump said he was shot in the ear during the shooting Saturday night. In a statement to CNN, Thompson said, “I was made aware of a post made by a staff member and she is no longer in my employment.” The Clarion Ledger reported Sunday the post has since been deleted. CNN has reached out to the staffer for comment. 8:04 p.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 Washington Post: Local police officer saw gunman before shooting but couldn't engage, sheriff says From CNN’s Allison Gordon A local police officer saw the gunman just before he fired on a Donald Trump rally Saturday but was unable to engage him, Butler County Sheriff Michael T. Slupe said in an interview Sunday with The Washington Post. Slupe told The Post that the officer was examining the area after there were requests from law enforcement to identify a suspicious person. “So police responded to try to find the guy, searched the area, but couldn’t find him, so said, ‘Well, let’s try the roof,’” Slupe said. Slupe said the officer pulled himself up enough to look on the roof and see the gunman, who also saw the officer and pointed his gun at the officer. “He lets go because he doesn’t want to get killed,” Slupe said. The gunman then started firing. CNN reported earlier that the shooter was spotted outside the event by local law enforcement, who thought he might’ve been acting suspiciously near the walk-through metal detectors, according to a senior law enforcement official. They put out a call over the radio to keep an eye on him, and that information was passed on to Secret Service, the source said. 8:05 p.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 Some Trump supporters blame the media for assassination attempt From CNN's Oliver Darcy Former President Donald Trump is helped off the stage during the rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13. Former President Donald Trump is helped off the stage during the rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13. Gene J. Puskar/AP Moments after Donald Trump was rushed to safety following a failed assassination attempt at a Saturday rally, some of his supporters turned toward the press pen with obscenities as they fingered reporters for blame. “This is your fault!” one attendee emphatically yelled, pointing at individual journalists as he approached the fence line separating them from attendees. “This is your fault!” “It is your fault!” exclaimed another. Axios reporter Sophia Cai, who quoted some in the crowd warning the press, “you’re next” and that their “time is coming,” even reported that a few rallygoers tried to breach the barriers establishing the press pen, but that they were stopped by security personnel. In the immediate wake of the horrific shooting, the news media has quickly emerged among some Trump supporters as a body to assign blame. While the Trump campaign urged its staff to “condemn all forms of violence” and said it “will not tolerate dangerous rhetoric on social media,” some of the former president’s supporters in MAGA media vehemently assailed the press for its hard-knuckled reporting on Trump, which has sounded the alarm on what four more years under the former president would look like. Over the course of the campaign cycle, news organizations have, among other things, reported at length on Trump’s plans to warp the federal government for his own ends, including to seek vengeance against his political opponents. That reporting is now facing scrutiny, with some Trump supporters blaming it for producing a charged atmosphere that gave way to the assassination attempt, while mostly looking past the incendiary rhetoric of the former president himself. 7:47 p.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 Trump says he's traveling to Milwaukee on Sunday From CNN’s Kate Sullivan Former President Donald Trump said on Truth Social that he is going to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on Sunday as scheduled after initially considering delaying his trip following the assassination attempt. Here’s what Trump wrote on Truth Social: “Based on yesterday’s terrible events, I was going to delay my trip to Wisconsin, and The Republican National Convention, by two days, but have just decided that I cannot allow a “shooter,” or potential assassin, to force change to scheduling, or anything else. Therefore, I will be leaving for Milwaukee, as scheduled, at 3:30 P.M. TODAY. Thank you! DJT” Trump’s post comes after Wisconsin Republican Party Chairman Brian Schimming said that there are no major changes being made to the Republican National Convention schedule. CNN’s Alayna Treene and Alison Main contributed to this report. 12:57 a.m. GMT+1, July 15, 2024 Biden will address nation from Oval Office tonight From CNN's Betsy Klein President Joe Biden delivers remarks alongside Vice President Kamala Harris at the White House on Sunday, July 14. President Joe Biden delivers remarks alongside Vice President Kamala Harris at the White House on Sunday, July 14. Susan Walsh/AP President Joe Biden will deliver a rare address to the nation from the Oval Office on Sunday at 8 p.m. ET in the aftermath of the assassination attempt of former President Donald Trump, the White House said. “I’ll be speaking more about this tonight at greater length from the Oval Office,” Biden said in brief remarks from the Roosevelt Room on Sunday afternoon. Biden last addressed the nation on October 19, 2023, following the Hamas’ October 7 attacks on Israel. Correction: The post was updated with the correct date of Biden’s last Oval Office speech, which was October 19, 2023. 7:27 p.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 Biden urges people to await FBI investigation and not make assumptions about motive of shooter From CNN's Nikki Carvajal and Michelle Shen President Joe Biden delivers remarks from the White House on Sunday. Nathan Howard/Reuters President Joe Biden delivers remarks from the White House on Sunday. Nathan Howard/Reuters President Joe Biden delivers remarks from the White House on Sunday. Nathan Howard/Reuters President Joe Biden urged people not to make assumptions and to “let the FBI do their job” in the aftermath of the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump. Biden, who spoke from the White House on Sunday, stood with Vice President Kamala Harris, Attorney General Merrick Garland and Homeland Security Director Alejandro Mayorkas. He stressed that we “don’t yet have any information about the motive of the shooter,” but that we “know who he is.” “I urge everyone … please don’t make assumptions about his motives or affiliations,” Biden said. “Let the FBI do their job, and their partner agencies do their job.” He said he had instructed the investigation, which he said is in its early stages, to be “thorough and swift” and said the “investigators will have every resource they need to get this done.” 7:46 p.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 Biden orders an independent review of the security at Trump rally From CNN's Michael Williams President Joe Biden delivers remarks from the White House on Sunday, July 14, in Washington, DC. President Joe Biden delivers remarks from the White House on Sunday, July 14, in Washington, DC. Susan Walsh/AP President Joe Biden said he’s directed a review of the security at Saturday’s rally where the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump took place. “I’ve directed an independent review of the national security at yesterday’s rally to assess exactly what happened,” Biden said. “And we’ll share the results of that independent review with the American people as well. Biden added that directed the head of the US Secret Service to review security measures ahead of this week’s Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. Biden added that he has sought to provide Trump with every Secret Service resource that the former president and his team had asked for. “I’ve been consistent in my direction with the Secret Service to provide him with every resource, capability and protective measure necessary to ensure its continued safety,” Biden said. 03:12 - Source: cnn 7:14 p.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 "There is no place in America for this kind of violence," Biden says From CNN's Maureen Chowdhury President Joe Biden delivers remarks from the White House on Sunday, July 14. President Joe Biden delivers remarks from the White House on Sunday, July 14. Pool President Joe Biden denounced the assassination attempt on Donald Trump in remarks from the White House on Sunday, saying there is no place for this type of violence in the country. “There is no place in America for this kind violence, or any violence for that matter. An assassination attempt is contrary to everything we stand for as a nation. Everything. It’s not who we are as a nation. It’s not America. And we cannot allow this to happen. Unity is the most elusive goal of all, but nothing is as important as that right now: Unity,” Biden said. 7:32 p.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 Biden says he had "short but good" conversation with Trump and is grateful that he's OK From CNN's Michael Williams President Joe Biden delivers remarks from the White House on Sunday, July 14. President Joe Biden delivers remarks from the White House on Sunday, July 14. Pool Speaking from the White House on Saturday, President Joe Biden confirmed he had a short conversation with former President Donald Trump following the attempt on his life Saturday. “I’m sincerely grateful that he’s doing well and recovering,” Biden said. The president added he had a “short but good” conversation with Trump. He continued: “We also extend our deepest condolences to the family of the victim who was killed. He was a father; he was protecting his family from the bullets being fired when he lost his life. God love him. We are also praying for the full recovery of those who were injured.” 7:07 p.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 NOW: Biden addresses the nation following Trump's assassination attempt From CNN's Sam Fossum President Joe Biden speaks in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, on July 13. President Joe Biden speaks in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, on July 13. Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP President Joe Biden is speaking from the White House on Sunday following the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump. The remarks this afternoon mark the second time Biden has spoken since the Saturday rally. He condemned the shooting and all political violence in a brief televised address last night, calling for national unity. Biden also had a “short and respectful” phone call with Trump on Saturday night after the shooting, according to sources familiar with the conversation. The president, who was in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, during the shooting, returned to the White House late Saturday and received an updated briefing from Homeland Security and law enforcement officials this morning in the Situation Room. 7:10 p.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 Ivanka Trump with former president at Bedminster From CNN’s Kristen Holmes Former President Donald Trump’s daughter Ivanka Trump met her father in New Jersey last night when he returned home after the shooting at his rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, a source familiar with the matter tells CNN. She is with him as he recovers at his Bedminster New Jersey Golf Club. 7:12 p.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 Nikki Haley will speak at Republican National Convention From CNN's Kaitlan Collins and Kristen Holmes Nikki Haley delivers remarks in Daniel Island, South Carolina, on March 6. Nikki Haley delivers remarks in Daniel Island, South Carolina, on March 6. Sean Rayford/Getty Images Former GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley will speak at the Republican National Convention this week, two sources said Sunday. The news comes after CNN reported Saturday that the former South Carolina governor had been invited to speak at the Milwaukee convention. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a fellow former GOP presidential nominee, is also expected to speak at the RNC. CNN reported Tuesday that Haley and DeSantis had been left out of the program, sparking backlash from their supporters. Haley, who dropped out of the presidential race in March, announced Tuesday that she was releasing her delegates to the convention and urging them to support Trump. She made clear in a May speech that she would vote for Trump, and the two spoke last month. 6:59 p.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 Biden's closely watched interview with NBC is still happening tomorrow, source says From CNN's MJ Lee President Joe Biden will move forward with a planned interview with NBC News tomorrow, a senior White House official tells CNN. The White House had just announced Biden’s trip to Texas – where the interview was originally set to take place – is being rescheduled. Before the events of Saturday roiled the 2024 presidential race, Biden’s sit-down with the network’s Lester Holt was viewed as the latest key test of the president’s capabilities, following his poor showing in the CNN debate and ensuing defections from some members of his party. 6:58 p.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 Wisconsin GOP chair says no "major changes" to RNC or security for now after Trump rally shooting From CNN's Alayna Treene and Alison Main A view of the convention floor and stage ahead of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on July 14. A view of the convention floor and stage ahead of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on July 14. Patrick T. Fallon/AFP/Getty Images Wisconsin Republican Party Chairman Brian Schimming said as of Sunday, there are no major changes being made to the Republican National Convention schedule as the party prepares to meet Monday in Milwaukee. Donald Trump’s vice presidential pick is still expected to speak Wednesday, followed by the former president Thursday. Schimming told reporters that he spoke to RNC Chairman Michael Whatley earlier in the day and that “everything for the convention is going on as planned.” “There are no major changes whatsoever, at this point, to the schedule for the convention that will be held here this week. We have a consistent schedule,” he said. Schimming told CNN on Sunday morning that he expected Trump to arrive in Milwaukee within the next 24 hours. He later told CNN that he is not aware of Trump’s “specific schedule” for the week. Though Trump has “obviously been through a lot in the last 24 hours,” Schimming said, based on his understanding, Trump is “doing well” and his thoughts are focused on the victims of the shooting. In the wake of Saturday’s assassination attempt on Trump, Schimming said he remains “very, very confident” in the security preparations around the convention. He said he’s not anticipating any “major changes” to the existing security plan, adding that “if they were to make any changes, there would be a reason for it, but we don’t see any reason for it right now.” ##RNC## 7:00 p.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer speaks with Trump and wishes former president a quick recovery From CNN's Max Foster British Prime Minister Keir Starmer attends the NATO 75th anniversary summit in Washington, DC, on July 10. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer attends the NATO 75th anniversary summit in Washington, DC, on July 10. Ludovic Marin/AFP/Getty Images The prime minister of the United Kingdom, Keir Starmer, held a phone call with Donald Trump on Sunday following the assassination attempt at the former president’s Pennsylvania campaign rally, a Downing Street source said. Starmer, who took office July 5, condemned the violence, expressed his condolences for the victims and their families, and wished Trump and those injured a quick recovery, the source said. 6:42 p.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 Biden and his campaign grapple with a delicate national moment From CNN's Priscilla Alvarez, Jeff Zeleny and Kayla Tausche President Joe Biden speaks after Donald Trump was injured following a shooting at an election rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday. President Joe Biden speaks after Donald Trump was injured following a shooting at an election rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday. Samuel Corum/AFP/Getty Images President Joe Biden and his campaign are facing an abrupt pivot point: After spending the last two weeks trying to salvage the president’s reelection bid, they are now grappling with a delicate national moment following the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump. The Biden campaign and Democrats across the party scrambled Sunday to determine how to adjust their plans to counter messaging at the Republican National Convention, which had been in the works for some time. “The big issue is how to campaign against him or attack him,” a senior Democratic adviser told CNN. “Can we even do that this week?” The Biden campaign has yet to decide when to resume its advertising campaign against Trump after pulling the ads Saturday. But that, a separate Democratic strategist said, was the easy decision. A harder question is how and when to resume, with 114 days until the election. Biden is rescheduling his trip to Texas on Monday, the White House said Sunday afternoon. He was set to deliver remarks at the LBJ Library in Austin as part of an event celebrating the 60th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act. Read more on how the Biden campaign is handling this moment. 6:32 p.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 Post shooting, Republicans fault Biden's past rhetoric about Trump From CNN's Eric Bradner House Speaker Mike Johnson on Sunday said President Joe Biden should be “called out” for political attacks on former President Donald Trump that have contributed to what the Louisiana Republican described as a “heated political environment.” He urged political leaders on both sides of the aisle to “turn the rhetoric down” the morning after Trump was injured onstage in a shooting during a Pennsylvania campaign rally. “We’ve got to turn the temperature down in this country,” Johnson said on NBC’s “Today” show. “We need leaders of all parties, on both sides, to call that out and make sure that happens so that we can go forward and maintain our free society that we all are blessed to have.” The House speaker’s comments echoed those of many Republicans, including those within Trump’s campaign, some of his top allies on Capitol Hill and at least one top contender for his vice presidential nomination, as the party prepares to gather in Milwaukee this week for its nominating convention. Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, a potential Trump vice presidential pick, said on X shortly after the shooting that Biden’s rhetoric was to blame. “Today is not just some isolated incident. The central premise of the Biden campaign is that President Donald Trump is an authoritarian fascist who must be stopped at all costs,” he said. “That rhetoric led directly to President Trump’s attempted assassination.” Read more on what Republicans are saying here. 6:12 p.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 Analysis: The US is now in a period of political violence and faces an important choice From CNN's Zachary B. Wolf The motivations of the gunman who opened fire at former President Donald Trump in Pennsylvania on Saturday are not known, but the incident comes at a time of political anger and anxiety in a country split down the middle and bursting at the seams. Violence has targeted Republicans, Democrats, conservatives and liberals, and seems to be happening with agonizing frequency. Other incidents include a plot to assassinate Supreme Court justices in 2022, the hammer attack on the husband of then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, and the shooting at a congressional baseball team practice that nearly killed then-House GOP Whip Steve Scalise. Those incidents range from organized plots to the irrational actions of lone attackers, but they all feed off a desperate and intractable polarization in which apocalyptic language is used to demonize both sides of the political aisle. A major question now will be how Trump reacts. Will he use the shooting to further feed the idea among his supporters that the country needs to be taken back, or will the former president, who doesn’t believe he lost the last election, call for calm? Read more analysis here. ##Analysis## 6:09 p.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 Shooter had "a target on his back" in high school and didn't fit in, former student says From CNN's Holmes Lybrand Undated yearbook photo of Thomas Matthew Crooks. Undated yearbook photo of Thomas Matthew Crooks. Obtained by CNN Thomas Matthew Crooks, the 20-year-old who allegedly shot at former President Donald Trump during a rally Saturday night in Pennsylvania, had “a target on his back” in high school and didn’t fit in, according to one person who attended the same school. Jason Kohler, a former student at Bethel Park High School, told CNN that while he wasn’t in the same class as Crooks, he would see him in the hall and said he had “no facial expression.” Crooks, Kohler said, was bullied because he didn’t fit in with others at the school. “I heard that he was a smart kid,” Kohler remarked, noting that the incident was “unbelievable.” 6:01 p.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 Attorney general cancels planned travel to closely monitor investigation into Trump assassination attempt From CNN's Hannah Rabinowitz Attorney General Merrick Garland is pictured during an event in Washington, DC, on July 9. Attorney General Merrick Garland is pictured during an event in Washington, DC, on July 9. Anna Rose Layden/Getty Images Attorney General Merrick Garland canceled previously scheduled travel and will remain in Washington, DC, to closely monitor the investigation into Donald Trump’s assassination attempt, according to Xochitl Hinojosa, director of public affairs at the Department of Justice. “The Attorney General continues to receive regular briefings regarding the attack at former President Trump’s rally. This morning he met with Department personnel and partners from across government,” Hinojosa said in a statement. Hinojosa noted that Garland was scheduled to travel to Nevada, Idaho, Utah and Kansas this week “to meet with local law enforcement and to speak at the National Bar Association.” 6:24 p.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 Pennsylvania governor identifies firefighter as victim killed at Trump rally From CNN's Kit Maher Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro confirmed the man who was killed at Saturday’s rally is Corey Comperatore and that he dove on his family to protect them as shots were fired at former President Donald Trump. “I just spoke to Corey’s wife and Corey’s two daughters,” Shapiro said. “Corey was a girl dad. Corey was a firefighter. Corey went to church every Sunday. Corey loved his community. Most especially, Corey loved his family.” Shapiro described Comperatore as an “avid supporter of the former president” and said he was excited to be at the rally. “I asked Corey’s wife if it would be okay for me to share that we spoke. She said yes. She also asked that I share with all of you that Corey died a hero,” Shapiro continued. “Corey dove on his family to protect them last night at this rally,” he said. Shapiro said that “all leaders need to take down the temperature and rise above the hateful rhetoric that exists and search for a better brighter future for this nation.” The governor ordered that flags across the state be flown at half-staff in Comperatore’s memory. Shapiro also said he has “not spoken directly” to Trump but he did speak with President Joe Biden over the phone. 5:36 p.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 Secret Service facing scrutiny about security protocols and rooftop access at Trump rally From CNN's Whitney Wild and Evan Perez Police snipers are seen above the rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13. Police snipers are seen above the rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13. Gene J. Puskar/AP In the wake of the attempted assassination of Donald Trump, there are widespread concerns and questions about how a sniper was able to obtain rooftop access roughly 150 yards from the former president’s position at the podium at an outdoor rally. Sources have described the shooting as coming from the “three o’clock” position of Trump’s podium location, with shots coming from his right side. Seconds after gunfire rang out, Secret Service counter-assault snipers began shooting the suspect who was found on top of a roof. Notably, the shooter’s location was outside the security perimeter, raising questions about both the size of the perimeter and efforts to sweep and secure the American Glass Research building, and how the shooter was able to obtain rooftop access. Law enforcement sources say that part of the aftermath will include a review of whether the Secret Service had enough assets to protect Trump days ahead of officially becoming the Republican presidential nominee and whether procedures were followed to conduct security sweeps of the building that offered a vantage point for the alleged shooter. The Secret Service says the agency’s director was in Milwaukee at the time of the Trump rally shooting. The agency added that there were four counter sniper teams on the ground — two from the Secret Service and two from local law enforcement at the time of the shooting. According to CNN affiliate KDKA, a witness says he told officers that he saw a gunman moving “from roof to roof,” moments before the assassination attempt. Witnesses have also told reporters that they saw a person fitting the description of the alleged shooter carrying a rifle outside the security cordon of the rally before the shooting. The shooter was spotted by local law enforcement who thought he might’ve been acting suspiciously near the event magnetometers on Saturday, according to a senior law enforcement official. They put it out over their radio to keep an eye on him — and that information was passed to Secret Service as well, according to the source. The Secret Service does not allow any weapons inside the cordoned off areas of any event. The American Glass Research has not responded to question from CNN about the incident or security. 4:50 p.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 Harris postpones trip to Florida following Trump assassination attempt From CNN's Ebony Davis Vice President Kamala Harris arrives in Washington, DC, on July 13. Vice President Kamala Harris arrives in Washington, DC, on July 13. Kevin Mohatt/Reuters Vice President Kamala Harris has postponed her trip to Florida in response to former President Donald Trump’s assassination attempt in Pennsylvania, according to a Biden-Harris campaign official. Harris originally planned on traveling to Palm Beach, Florida, on Tuesday for a moderated conversation alongside Republican women to discuss Trump’s stance on women’s reproductive rights. After being briefed on the incident on Saturday, the vice president denounced the “senseless” shooting and said she is relieved Trump was not seriously injured. “Doug and I are relieved that he is not seriously injured. We are praying for him, his family, and all those who have been injured and impacted by this senseless shooting. We are grateful to the United States Secret Service, first responders, and local authorities for their immediate action,” Harris wrote in a statement. 4:29 p.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 Shooter was spotted by local law enforcement outside event, official says From CNN's John Miller The shooter at former President Donald Trump’s rally Saturday night was spotted outside the event by local law enforcement, who thought he might’ve been acting suspiciously near the walk-through metal detectors, according to a senior law enforcement official. Authorities announced over law enforcement radio to keep an eye on him, and that information was passed to Secret Service as well, according to the source. Later, people alerted law enforcement in a field outside the event that they saw a gunman up on the rooftop. 4:33 p.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 Ivanka Trump says her late mother was "watching over Dad last night" during rally shooting From CNN’s Jillian Sykes In a tribute to her late mother on the anniversary of her death, Ivanka Trump says she believes Ivana was “watching over Dad last night,” after former President Donald Trump survived the shots fired at him during a rally in Pennsylvania. “Two years ago today, my mom passed away,” Ivanka Trump shared on X Sunday morning, “I believe she was watching over Dad last night during the attempt on his life.” Ivana Trump was the mother of Donald Jr., Ivanka and Eric Trump. She died in 2022 at the age of 73. “I miss her every day and pray for the safety of the family and friends she left behind,” Ivanka said. 4:36 p.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 Shooter had explosive material inside car and residence, law enforcement sources tell CNN From CNN's Whitney Wild Law enforcement block a street near the residence of Thomas Matthew Crooks in Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, on Sunday, July 14. Law enforcement block a street near the residence of Thomas Matthew Crooks in Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, on Sunday, July 14. Joshua A. Bickel/AP The shooter from former President Donald Trump’s rally on Saturday had explosive material inside his car and residence, according to multiple law enforcement sources. The FBI has publicly identified the gunman as Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania. Authorities say he fired multiple shots from a building rooftop just outside the rally venue before he was killed by Secret Service agents. Authorities used the gun to help determine the shooter’s identity, as he did not have identification on him, according to law enforcement sources. CNN’s Hannah Rabinowitz and Evan Perez contributed to this report. 4:39 p.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 Melania Trump calls for the country to “ascend above the hate” after assassination attempt on husband From CNN’s Aaron Pellish Former President Donald Trump stands with his wife Melania Trump as they depart her mother’s funeral in Palm Beach, Florida, on January 18. Former President Donald Trump stands with his wife Melania Trump as they depart her mother’s funeral in Palm Beach, Florida, on January 18. Giorgio Viera/AFP/Getty Images Former first lady Melania Trump issued her first public response since her husband, former President Donald Trump, was wounded in a shooting at one of his rallies on Saturday, reflecting on what the incident means for her and her family while calling for the country to “ascend above the hate.” “I am thinking of you, now, my fellow Americans. We have always been a unique union. America, the fabric of our gentle nation is tattered, but our courage and common sense must ascend and bring us back together as one,” she wrote. “When I watched that violent bullet strike my husband, Donald, I realized my life, and Barron’s life, were on the brink of devastating change,” she wrote in a statement on Sunday. “I am grateful to the brave Secret Service agents and law enforcement officials who risked their own lives to protect my husband.” Trump expressed condolences to the families of those killed and injured in the shooting and called the shooter “a monster” while speaking fondly of her husband. “A monster who recognized my husband as an inhuman political machine attempted to ring out Donald’s passion – his laughter, ingenuity, love of music, and inspiration,” she wrote. “The core facets of my husband’s life – his human side – were buried below the political machine. Donald, the generous and caring man who I have been with through the best of times and the worst of times.” Trump called on the country to tone down vitriolic rhetoric and promote unity, and implored voters to consider the personal sides and loved ones of politicians going forward. “This morning, ascend above the hate, the vitriol, and the simple-minded ideas that ignite violence,” Trump wrote. 5:17 p.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 House Intelligence chairman joins growing calls for congressional investigation into assassination attempt From CNN's Sam Fossum and Ali Main House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Turner speaks during a press conference in Kyiv, Ukraine, on July 1. House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Turner speaks during a press conference in Kyiv, Ukraine, on July 1. Anatolii Stepanov/AFP/Getty Images House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Turner has joined the growing calls for congressional oversight into the security failings that led to what the FBI said was an assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump at a Pennsylvania rally on Saturday. “Our democracy dodged a bullet yesterday,” Turner told CNN’s Jake Tapper on “State of the Union.” Turner said he wants to get a better sense of how the shooter got onto the roof near the venue, what security failures took place and whether the shooter was involved with anyone else. “We have oversight scrutiny and responsibility,” Turner said. “We got to see yesterday the most unbelievable commitment of the Secret Service to protect former President Donald Trump’s life and … how they put their own life at risk. But at the same time, we also saw the failure of the overall broader net that is supposed to provide protection for the president.” Turner said he had not yet been briefed about the incident. Republican Sen. Ron Johnson on Sunday also joined the calls for congressional oversight hearings. “It was a failure. There absolutely have to be congressional oversight hearings,” he told CNN. Johnson, the former chair of the Senate Homeland Security committee, said the ongoing investigation into Saturday’s incident must happen first, and then, he said, the Department of Justice, US Secret Service and FBI must be “completely transparent,” as he claimed the law enforcement agencies had not been in the past, so that Americans can have “comfort that this has been fully investigated.” House Speaker Mike Johnson is vowing a “full investigation” of the shooting, featuring testimony from the Secret Service, DHS and the FBI. 4:03 p.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 "We were fixated" on Trump, GOP Rep. Meuser recounts being front row at rally when gunfire erupted From CNN’s Jillian Sykes Republican Rep. Dan Meuser speaks with CNN on Sunday. Republican Rep. Dan Meuser speaks with CNN on Sunday. CNN Republican Rep. Dan Meuser was in the front row at former President Donald Trump’s rally on Saturday when gunfire erupted. Meuser told CNN that when he recognized the sounds as gunfire, he and his colleagues “fixated on the president.” Some Secret Service members approached the crowd, telling them to get down, while the majority of them were protecting Trump, the congressman from Pennsylvania said. “The president, amazingly, had the fortitude and strength of character to lift up his fist and let everybody know he was okay,” Meuser added. “That really calmed things. Then it became more controlled, and people felt they were going to be okay.” At least one person was killed during the attack, and Meuser said that person was sitting about 15 or 16 rows behind him. Others were injured, included Rep. Ronny Jackson’s nephew, who was hit in the neck, Meuser said. “I saw him. To the best of my knowledge, he is absolutely fine, but I was with him. I walked with him for a couple minutes into a back tent,” he said. 3:28 p.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 Authorities used the gun from Trump assassination attempt to help identify the shooter, sources say From CNN's Hannah Rabinowitz and Evan Perez The gun used in the shooting at former President Donald Trump’s rally Saturday was an AR-style weapon, according to a person familiar with the investigation. Authorities used the gun to help determine the shooter’s identity, as he did not have identification on him, according to law enforcement sources. The FBI has publicly identified the gunman as Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania. Authorities say he fired multiple shots from a building rooftop just outside the rally venue before he was killed by Secret Service agents. 3:34 p.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 Biden and Harris will receive updated briefing from Homeland Security on Saturday's rally shooting From CNN's Priscilla Alvare President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris will receive an updated briefing from the Department of Homeland Security and law enforcement officials Sunday morning, according to the White House. The briefing will be closed to media. Biden returned to the White House late Saturday, instead of staying at his residence in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, as was originally planned, to receive briefings on the shooting at former President Donald Trump’s rally. 3:49 p.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 Sen. Lindsey Graham says rhetoric around Trump during election is "way too hot" From CNN’s Aileen Graef Sen. Lindsey Graham speaks during a news conference on June 20, in Washington, DC. Sen. Lindsey Graham speaks during a news conference on June 20, in Washington, DC. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images Sen. Lindsey Graham said on Sunday the rhetoric around the presidential election and threats to democracy is “way too hot” and that “we probably need to do some soul-searching as a nation,” following an assassination attempt on Donald Trump at a Pennsylvania rally on Saturday. “I wish I could say I was surprised, but I’ve been worried about this for a very, very long time. You know, if he wins, democracy is not going to end. He’s not a fascist. He represents a point of view that millions share. The rhetoric is way too hot, but I was just grateful that he made it,” Graham said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” However, Graham did praise his Democratic colleagues for their responses following the attack, saying “It’s good to see.” Graham said he was supposed to play golf with Trump Sunday morning and plans to see the former president later Sunday. “All I can say is he’s got five children and five grandchildren. He’s a human being. There are a lot of people that love this man,” Graham said. Remember: President Joe Biden’s reelection campaign, and that of some other Democrats, has often centered on the 2024 race being a battle for the future of the country’s democracy, after Trump’s attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 election, his promotion of false claims about widespread voter fraud, and the January 6, 2021, insurrection. 8:07 p.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 GOP Senate candidate describes watching assassination attempt of Trump and nearly having been onstage during shooting From CNN's Danya Gainor Republican Pennsylvania senate candidate Dave McCormick speaks at the Donald Trump rally on July 13, in Butler, Pennsylvania. Republican Pennsylvania senate candidate Dave McCormick speaks at the Donald Trump rally on July 13, in Butler, Pennsylvania. Evan Vucci/AP US Senate candidate Dave McCormick on Sunday described watching the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump from the front row of the crowd and said he was very close to having been onstage at the time of the shooting. According to McCormick, Trump had invited him up on the stage then changed his mind last minute. “Had he not changed his mind, I think I would have been up on that stage,” the Pennsylvania Republican told Jake Tapper on CNN’s “State of the Union.” McCormick was originally slated to speak at the event after earning Trump’s endorsem*nt for the Senate seat in April. McCormick described to Tapper the “surreal” moment of watching Trump onstage as shots rang out and the chaos around him when someone sitting nearby was hit. “All of a sudden you hear this staccato of shots, and it was pretty clear, somewhat quickly, that it was a rifle, and the president went down behind the podium, and the Secret Service was on top of him. Then all of a sudden, there they were up and ushering him out,” he said. “Then over my shoulder, it … became clear that someone else had been shot a few rows behind me and was in the prone position on the bleachers with people trying to administer first aid and stop the bleeding.” McCormick condemned political violence in the country and called for a dialing back of polarizing rhetoric. “Whatever differences we have, and they are profound … they are small in the context of we’re Americans first. So, I hope we can see a dialing back of that rhetoric,” he said. McCormick also spoke with ABC on Sunday morning, describing the scene as “very scary.” This post has been updated with additional details. 3:15 p.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 Call between Trump and Biden was "short and respectful," sources say From CNN's Kristen Holmes, MJ Lee and Jeff Zeleny A source briefed on President Joe Biden’s call to former President Donald Trump after the assassination attempt Saturday night described the call between the rivals as “good” and “short and respectful.” Two senior White House officials described the call similarly, but declined to say more on the conversation. One senior White House official said Biden and Trump connected late Saturday by phone, with the president eager to speak directly to his rival. Biden repeated his assertion there was no place or tolerance for political violence, and assured Trump he was directing agencies for a full investigation. Other than Saturday’s call, the two men hadn’t spoken directly in years. They interacted through moderators during last month’s CNN debate. 2:49 p.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 Authorities push back on claim Trump requested additional security and was denied From CNN's Whitney Wild and Kayla Gallagher Secret Service agents cover former President Donald Trump at a campaign rally on July 13, in Butler, Pennsylvania. Secret Service agents cover former President Donald Trump at a campaign rally on July 13, in Butler, Pennsylvania. Evan Vucci/AP Authorities handling security at the Saturday rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, where former President Donald Trump survived an assassination attempt, are pushing back on claims that Trump was denied requests for additional security. The US Secret Service has called the claim “absolutely false.” “There’s an untrue assertion that a member of the former President’s team requested additional security resources & that those were rebuffed. This is absolutely false. In fact, we added protective resources & technology & capabilities as part of the increased campaign travel tempo,” Secret Service Chief of Communications Anthony Guglielmi wrote in a post on X Sunday morning. The FBI also pushed back on the implication Saturday night. “There was no additional request for security that was ever denied by the FBI,” Kevin Rojek, the FBI special agent in charge of the Pittsburgh office, said during a news conference Saturday night. At least one lawmaker, Rep. Mike Waltz of Florida, has publicly claimed on social media that Trump’s requests for heightened security were rejected. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas released a statement regarding the shooting, where he said the DHS and Secret Service are jointly working with law enforcement on the investigation. 1:58 p.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 Associated Press photographer "went into work mode" to capture iconic Trump photo By CNN's Michelle Shen Former President Donald Trump, with blood on his face, raises his fist to the crowd as he is surrounded by Secret Service agents at his campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday. Former President Donald Trump, with blood on his face, raises his fist to the crowd as he is surrounded by Secret Service agents at his campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday. Evan Vucci/AP Evan Vucci, a veteran photographer at The Associated Press, on Sunday described his experience capturing the assassination attempt against Donald Trump at a rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday. “Over my left shoulder, I heard pops, and I knew immediately what it was, and I just kind of went into work mode,” Vucci said to Kasie Hunt on “CNN This Morning.” Vucci captured the photo of a bloodied Trump raising his fist in the air after he was grabbed by Secret Service agents. His experience in covering wars in Iraq and Afghanistan was helpful in knowing what to do, he explained: “That experience does help, trying to stay calm and understand you have a job to do.” “As a still photographer, I don’t get a second chance,” Vucci said. 3:05 p.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 House speaker notes heated political discourse but says "we shouldn't be targeting people" From CNN's Camila DeChalus and Danya Gainor House Speaker Mike Johnson talks to reporters on June 28, in Washington, DC. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images House Speaker Mike Johnson talks to reporters on June 28, in Washington, DC. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images Getty Images House Speaker Mike Johnson urged Americans to treat one another with dignity and respect despite the country’s “heated” political environment in an interview with NBC’s “Today” show Sunday, following the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump. “We’re all Americans, and we have to treat one another with dignity and respect. We can have heated political discourse and debates, but it shouldn’t be personal, and we shouldn’t be targeting people,” Johnson said. Criticizing Biden: Johnson pointed to recent remarks by President Joe Biden as language that needs to be “called out” for implying political violence. “President Biden himself said in recent days, ‘It’s time to put a bullseye on Trump.’ I know he didn’t mean what is being implied there, but that kind of language on either side should be called out. We have to make clear that this is part of our system, we can have vigorous debate but it needs to end there,” he said on the “Today” show. Johnson was apparently referring to Biden’s comment last week on a call with donors asking them to focus on beating Trump in November, rather than on his poor debate performance last month. Biden, who has condemned violence both before and after the assassination attempt on Trump, had said: “We’re done talking about the debate, it’s time to put Trump in a bullseye.” On the investigation: The speaker said he was in touch with Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas regarding the investigation into the attempt on Trump’s life, which left at least one rally-goer dead, and said he was inquiring about what the Secret Service saw leading up to the shooting. The House speaker also said he sent Trump a text after the attempted assassination. ##Reaction## 1:40 p.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 Trump says the country must "stand united" after surviving assassination attempt Donald Trump raises his fist while being moved off the stage by Secret Service agents in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13. Donald Trump raises his fist while being moved off the stage by Secret Service agents in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13. Gene J. Puskar/AP Donald Trump posted on his Truth Social platform again this morning after surviving an assassination attempt at his rally yesterday. “It was God alone who prevented the unthinkable from happening,” Trump said of the shooting, which left at least one attendee dead and two critically wounded. “We will FEAR NOT.” He said he would remain “resilient” and added, “Our love goes out to the other victims and their families.” “In this moment, it is more important than ever that we stand united, and show our true character as Americans, remaining strong and determined, and not allowing evil to win,” he said. “I truly love our country, and love you all, and look forward to speaking to our great nation this week from Wisconsin.” Trump is expected to still attend the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, which begins Monday. 2:28 p.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 "Let me get my shoes": What was said on stage in the seconds after Trump was shot From CNN's Amarachi Orie, Chris Liakos and Andrew Millman Donald Trump is rushed off stage by Secret Service agents in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13. Donald Trump is rushed off stage by Secret Service agents in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images Moments after he was shot at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday afternoon, Donald Trump was seen with blood on his ear and cheek as he was rushed off the stage. Audio reveals how the chaotic shooting scene played out from the view of Trump and those involved in getting him to safety. Trump was in the middle of speaking when several shots rang out. He clasps his ear and ducks as Secret Service agents surround him. “Get down, get down, get down,” one says. Another shot sounds and a woman screams. Several voices of Secret Service agents are heard - one says “up!” another “stairs are ready, stairs are ready.” Trump can be heard as well but his words are indistinct. More agents go on stage, some holding assault rifles. Trump’s supporters in the background look shocked, while some film with their phones. After hearing that the shooter is down, Trump and the agents stand up. Here’s what was said: Trump: “Let me get my shoes, let me get my shoes.” Male agent: “I got you sir, I got you sir.” Trump: “Let me get my shoes.” Another male agent: “Hold on, your head is bloody.” Male agent: “Sir, we’ve got to move to the car sir.” Trump: “Let me get my shoes.” Female agent says, “OK,” before saying something about the shoe. Trump: “Wait, wait, wait.” He then fist pumps to the crowd. He mouths “fight” three times — a move met with cheers by the crowd. Trump and the Secret Service team move away from the podium and head to the cars as the crowd chants, “USA. USA. USA.” You can watch video of the scene here, and read more details from the audio here. ##Catch Up## 1:05 p.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 More world leaders share concern and shock after Trump rally shooting From CNN Staff NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg holds a press conference during NATO's 75th anniversary summit in Washington, D.C., on July 11. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg holds a press conference during NATO's 75th anniversary summit in Washington, D.C., on July 11. Elizabeth Frantz/Reuters/File More international leaders are sharing their shock at the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump. Here are a some of their messages, some excerpted: Chinese President Xi Jinping: “China is concerned about the shooting of former President Trump. President Xi Jinping has expressed condolences/sympathies to former President Trump,” a foreign ministry spokesperson said. NATO secretary general Jens Stoltenberg: “I am shocked by the attempted assassination on former President Trump. I wish him a speedy recovery and my thoughts are with those affected. I condemn this attack. Political violence has no place in our democracies.” Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris: “What we saw last night from Pennsylvania was frightening and wrong. It is a relief that former President Trump is safe and survived the assassination attempt. Our hearts are with the innocent spectators killed and critically injured. There can be no place for political violence.” Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi: “I followed with concern the treacherous incident that happened to former US President and presidential candidate Donald Trump. While I affirm Egypt’s condemnation of the incident, I express my wishes for a speedy recovery for President Trump, and the completion of the US election campaigns in a peaceful and healthy atmosphere, free of any manifestations of terrorism, violence or hatred.” German Chancellor Olaf Scholz: “The attack on US presidential candidate Donald Trump is despicable. I wish him a speedy recovery. My thoughts are also with the people who were affected by the attack. Such acts of violence threaten democracy.” French President Emmanuel Macron: “My thoughts are with President Donald Trump, the victim of an assassination attempt. I send him my wishes for a speedy recovery. A spectator has died, several are injured. It is a tragedy for our democracies. France shares the shock and indignation of the American people.” European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen: “I am deeply shocked by the shooting that took place during former President Trump’s campaign rally. I wish Donald Trump a speedy recovery and offer my condolences to the family of the innocent victim. Political violence has no place in a democracy.” Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof: “Shocked by the attack on former president and current presidential candidate Donald Trump. It is a relief that his injuries appear to be minor. I wish him a full and speedy recovery and I send my best wishes to him and his family. My thoughts are with everyone affected by this attack. Political violence is entirely unacceptable.” Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni: “I am following with apprehension the updates from Pennsylvania, where the 45th President of the United States @realDonaldTrump was shot during a rally. My solidarity and best wishes for a speedy recovery go to him, with the hope that the next few months of the electoral campaign will see dialogue and responsibility prevail over hatred and violence.” 1:20 p.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 Witness saw gunman moving "from roof to roof" before shooting From CNN’s Paradise Afshar A witness claims he told officers that he saw a gunman moving “from roof to roof,” moments before an assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump at a Pennsylvania rally on Saturday. Ben Macer was along a fence line when he saw “the guy move from roof to roof. (I) told an officer (the alleged shooter) was on the roof,” according to CNN affiliate KDKA. “When I turned around to go back to where I was, it was when the gunshots started, and then it was just chaos, and we all came running away, and that was that,” Macer told KDKA. Authorities have identified the gunman involved in the attack as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, who was killed by Secret Service agents at the scene after the shooting. The FBI said he is as a resident of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania – about 35 miles south of Butler, where Trump was holding his rally. Watch video of the moment rally-goers noticed the suspect on the roof outside the venue: 9:24 a.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 Who is Trump rally shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks? From CNN's Jessie Yeung A campaign rally site for Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump is empty and littered with debris, in Butler, Pennsylvania on July 13. A campaign rally site for Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump is empty and littered with debris, in Butler, Pennsylvania on July 13. Evan Vucci/AP Authorities have identified the gunman involved in the attack against former US President Donald Trump on Saturday as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, who was killed by Secret Service agents at the scene after the shooting. The FBI named Crooks in a statement early Sunday morning, identifying him as a resident of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania – about 35 miles south of Butler, where Trump was holding his rally. Crooks graduated from Bethel Park High School in 2022, according to a local media report and a video of the school’s commencement. He was registered to vote as a Republican, according to a listing in Pennsylvania’s voter database that matched his name, age, and a Bethel Park address that law enforcement was searching Saturday night and is linked to Crooks in public records. This year’s presidential election would have been the first he was old enough to vote in. Federal Election Commission records show that a donor listed as Thomas Crooks with the same address gave $15 to a Democratic-aligned political action committee called the Progressive Turnout Project in January 2021. When reached by CNN late Saturday night, Crooks’ father, Matthew Crooks, said he was trying to figure out “what the hell is going on” but would “wait until I talk to law enforcement” before speaking about his son. 9:22 a.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 What we know about the gunman, the victims and the investigation From CNN Staff Former President Donald Trump is surrounded by Secret Service agents after a gunman fired multiple shots, including one that Trump says hit him in the ear, at a campaign event in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13. Former President Donald Trump is surrounded by Secret Service agents after a gunman fired multiple shots, including one that Trump says hit him in the ear, at a campaign event in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13. Gene J. Puskar/AP Authorities have named the gunman and shared details about the casualties from the shooting that took place Saturday afternoon at former President Donald Trump’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. Here’s the latest: The gunman: The FBI identified him as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, who lived in Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, about 35 miles south of the rally location. He was killed at the scene by Secret Service agents. Public records show he was registered to vote as a Republican, but made a small donation to a Democratic-aligned group in 2021. Further threats: Authorities at a news conference said they don’t currently believe there are any additional existing threats, but that its still an active investigation and it’s too early to conclusively say it was a lone wolf attack. The casualties: The shooting left one attendee dead and two others critically injured, authorities say. All three were adult men. Though they have been identified by authorities, those details have not yet been publicly shared. Trump’s status: A spokesperson said Trump is “fine,” and the Secret Service said he was safe. The former president said on social media that he was hit by a bullet in the “upper part of my right ear.” In the early hours of Sunday morning, Trump flew back to Newark, New Jersey. The investigation: Multiple federal and state agencies are now investigating what happened, how the shooter accessed his location, what weapon was used and other questions that have not yet been publicly answered. The FBI has asked the public to submit any information, photos or videos related to the shooting at FBI.gov/butler or to call 1-800-CALL-FBI. Biden hurries back: President Joe Biden was in Delaware at the time of the shooting, where he had planned to stay for the weekend — but he flew back to the White House early Sunday morning so he can continue being briefed by law enforcement. Earlier, he said he’d spoken with Trump, and publicly condemned the shooting. 9:01 a.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 FAA implements temporary flight restrictions over Bethel Park for "security reasons" From CNN’s Paradise Afshar The Federal Aviation Administration implemented temporary flight restrictions over Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, due to “special security reasons,” according to its website. The restriction went into effect at 2:05 a.m. ET Sunday and will be effective until 5 a.m. ET, the agency said. The FBI previously said the gunman who fired shots at former President Donald Trump’s rally, Thomas Matthew Crooks, lived in Bethel Park. The restrictions come as authorities in Pennsylvania investigate the shooting that left Trump injured, one attendee dead and two others critically injured. CNN has reached out to the Federal Aviation Administration for more information on what prompted the restrictions. 10:13 a.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 Law enforcement experts raise questions over unsecured roof where gunman fired at Trump rally By CNN's Dalia Faheid Two former FBI agents have expressed surprise that the rooftop where a gunman fired multiple shots at a Trump rally had not been secured given how close it was to the stage. Authorities say the building rooftop where the gunman fired the shots from was just outside the venue where former President Donald Trump held a rally Saturday. A CNN analysis showed the rooftop was about 400 to 500 feet (120 to 150 meters) from Trump. The FBI identified the gunman as Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania. He was killed by Secret Service agents. Steve Moore, a retired FBI supervisory special agent who worked as a counter sniper for two years, told CNN the rooftop should have been guarded. Another retired FBI field agent, Bobby Chacon, also told CNN Sunday he was surprised no one was guarding the rooftop, which he called “the perfect perch.” “That building… is the closest building with a clear line of sight to where the stage was. I’m shocked that they didn’t have somebody on that roof,” Chacon said. Moore said that “the fact that somebody allowed that roof to be unmonitored, unguarded” could have been a flaw in planning or execution. “They could have planned for that roof and maybe something happened in the planning or in the execution of the plan where it was left unguarded,” he said. While Secret Service agents may have been alerted to the location of the shooter, they could have had a “very obstructed view,” Moore added. “You can’t just say, ‘Oh there’s somebody over there on a roof’ and shoot them,” Moore said. “What they’re going to be doing is looking, waiting, until they see a weapon. The problem is, in that area on the roof, there could have been a slight wall covering him, hiding him.” Moore says he expects “drastic changes” in security procedures as a result of the shooting, including extending perimeters and securing rally venues more carefully. “There are just too many ways that you can improve that situation,” Moore said. “That said, the secret service has to be right every single time, every single rally of every single candidate of every single month, every single year, they’ve got to be perfect. The bad guys only have to be lucky or right one time. So it’s going to happen, you just want to eliminate as many means that it could happen as possible.” Watch Bobby Chacon’s full interview here: 03:57 - Source: cnn 7:28 a.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 Trump rally shooter was registered Republican who made $15 donation to Democratic-aligned group From CNN’s Casey Tolan, Curt Devine, Majlie de Puy Kamp, Kyung Lah and Audrey Ash The gunman who authorities say attempted to assassinate former President Donald Trump was a 20-year-old registered Republican who had previously made a small contribution to a Democratic-aligned group, according to public records. Thomas Matthew Crooks lived in the Pittsburgh suburb of Bethel Park, about 35 miles south of the Trump rally where law enforcement officials say he fired at the former president. He graduated from Bethel Park High School in 2022, according to a local media report and a video of the school’s commencement. Crooks was registered to vote as a Republican, according to a listing in Pennsylvania’s voter database that matched his name, age, and a Bethel Park address that law enforcement was searching Saturday night and is linked to Crooks in public records. This year’s presidential election would have been the first he was old enough to vote in. Federal Election Commission records show that a donor listed as Thomas Crooks with the same address gave $15 to a Democratic-aligned political action committee called the Progressive Turnout Project in January 2021. When reached by CNN late Saturday night, Crooks’ father, Matthew Crooks, said he was trying to figure out “what the hell is going on” but would “wait until I talk to law enforcement” before speaking about his son. The shooting: Crooks fired on Trump while perched on a nearby building rooftop outside the rally’s security perimeter, before being killed by Secret Service agents, according to law enforcement officials. He didn’t have any identification on his body, so agents had to “run his DNA and get biometric confirmation,” Kevin Rojek, the special agent in charge of the FBI’s Pittsburgh field office, said at a press conference Saturday night before Crooks was named. One attendee at the rally was killed and two others critically injured. 6:43 a.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 FBI identifies Trump rally shooter as Thomas Matthew Crooks From CNN's Evan Perez The FBI has named Thomas Matthew Crooks as the gunman involved in the assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump. Read the FBI’s full statement: “The FBI has identified Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, as the subject involved in the assassination attempt of former President Donald Trump on July 13, in Butler, Pennsylvania. This remains an active and ongoing investigation, and anyone with information that may assist with the investigation is encouraged to submit photos or videos online at FBI.gov/butler or call 1-800-CALL-FBI.” 6:38 a.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 Trump campaign managers say campaign is ramping up security following rally shooting From CNN's Pam Brown A monitor displays news from former US President Donald Trump's rally, ahead of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on Saturday, July 13. A monitor displays news from former US President Donald Trump's rally, ahead of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on Saturday, July 13. David Paul Morris/Bloomberg/Getty Images Former President Donald Trump’s campaign managers said the campaign will be employing additional security measures after he was injured at a rally shooting in Butler, Pennsylvania on Saturday. Susie Wiles and Chris LaCivita told staffers in a new memo that they “remain horrified” at the attack. They added that they “hope that this horrendous act will bring our team, and indeed the nation, together in unity and we must renew our commitment to safety and peace for our country.” “We condemn all forms of violence, and will not tolerate dangerous rhetoric on social media,” the memo continued. The campaign managers said the Republican National Convention will continue as planned in Milwaukee, “where we will nominate our President to be the brave and fearless nominee of our Party.” “In moments of tragedy and horror, we must be resolute in our mission to reelect President Trump,” the memo reads. 6:22 a.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 Analysis: Attack on Trump reopens a chilling chapter in American politics From CNN's Stephen Collinson Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump is surrounded by U.S. Secret Service agents at a campaign rally on July 13 Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump is surrounded by U.S. Secret Service agents at a campaign rally on July 13 Evan Vucci/AP The attempted assassination of Donald Trump, which opens a dark new chapter in America’s cursed story of political violence, shook a nation already deeply estranged during one of the most tense periods of its modern history. The targeting of a former president at a campaign rally just days before he accepts the Republican nomination is, by definition, an attack on democracy and the right of each American to choose their leaders. The presumptive GOP nominee was on stage, with supporters as usual behind him in bleachers holding up posters and wearing their MAGA regalia, when shots rang out. He flinched, then grabbed the side of his face and disappeared behind his podium as people started to scream and the surreal nature of what was happening began to dawn. The ex-president later said that he felt a bullet rip through the skin of his ear, which poured with blood as he was rushed from the scene. The shots fired by a gunman on a roof outside the perimeter of his rally at Butler, Pennsylvania, came a fraction of an inch from being a lot worse. A photograph by Evan Vucci of the Associated Press of a defiant but alive Trump – with blood on his ear and cheek, being rushed off stage by Secret Service agents, fist raised with an American flag in the background – became instantly iconic. The image will define a fraught political age, whatever the so-far unknowable political aftermath of a sunny afternoon that turned into a nightmare. Read the full analysis. 6:21 a.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 Biden arrives at White House before morning briefing on rally shooting From CNN's Nikki Carvajal President Joe Biden steps into the Presidential limousine after exiting Air Force One as he arrives at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, on July 14. President Joe Biden steps into the Presidential limousine after exiting Air Force One as he arrives at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, on July 14. Tom Brenner/Reuters President Joe Biden, who was planning to stay in Delaware for the weekend, has returned to the White House earlier than planned so he can continue receiving briefings from law enforcement on the shooting at former President Donald Trump’s rally in Pennsylvania. Biden spoke with Trump after the shooting. Biden said earlier he was grateful Trump was safe. He condemned the shooting and called for the country to unite, saying: “There’s no place in America for this kind of violence.” He was originally scheduled to stay in Delaware until Monday and fly directly to Texas for events. “Tomorrow morning at the White House, he will receive an updated briefing from homeland security and law enforcement officials,” a White House official said in a statement Saturday. 6:22 a.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 The FBI hadn't denied any additional security requests from Trump team, agency says From CNN’s Jamiel Lynch There was no additional request for security that was denied to former President Donald Trump’s team for his rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on Saturday, said Kevin Rojek, the FBI special agent in charge of the Pittsburgh office. “There was no additional request for security that was ever denied by the FBI,” he said at a news conference in Butler earlier tonight. Rojek said the FBI had been monitoring the event, and took over primary jurisdiction over the investigation when the shooting happened. 7:00 a.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 Rep. Steve Scalise says rally shooting brought back memories of 2017 attack that severely injured him From CNN's Andrew Millman House Majority Whip Steve Scalise joins fellow House Republican leaders during a news conference at the U.S. Capitol on November 7, 2017, approximately five months after he was wounded by a shooter at a congressional baseball practice. House Majority Whip Steve Scalise joins fellow House Republican leaders during a news conference at the U.S. Capitol on November 7, 2017, approximately five months after he was wounded by a shooter at a congressional baseball practice. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images/File House Majority Leader Steve Scalise said the shooting during former President Donald Trump’s rally in Pennsylvania Saturday brought back his memories of a shooting in 2017 that left him severely injured. “A lot of those memories come back. When you hear the video, the audio especially, with the pop-pop-pop, it was very similar,” Scalise told Fox News. “With the first one or two shots, you’re not thinking it’s a gun that’s shot, but then by the third one or beyond, it’s clear what’s going on.” Scalise was shot in Alexandria, Virginia, during a Republican early-morning practice ahead of a charity baseball game. Scalise was in critical condition after suffering damage to internal organs. Federal law enforcement officials identified the alleged shooter as James Hodgkinson, 66, of Belleville, Illinois, who died following a shootout with authorities. At least six people were hospitalized following the shooting. The Louisiana congressman said the rally shooting “easily could have gone the other way.” “This was an assassination attempt,” he said. “Clearly, we’re going to have a lot of questions on this.” Scalise called for an in-depth investigation and “beefed up security.” “I want to hear how serious they’re taking this threat,” Scalise said, adding “I want to see a very stern and serious focus” from investigators. 6:06 a.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 FBI establishes tip line for public to share information about Trump rally shooting From CNN’s Jamiel Lynch Kevin Rojek, special agent in charge of the FBI Pittsburgh field office speaks as Deputy Commissioner of Operations Lieutenant Colonel George Bivens and Pennsylvania State Police Colonel Christopher Paris look on, at a press conference at a police station in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13. Kevin Rojek, special agent in charge of the FBI Pittsburgh field office speaks as Deputy Commissioner of Operations Lieutenant Colonel George Bivens and Pennsylvania State Police Colonel Christopher Paris look on, at a press conference at a police station in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13. Brendan McDermid/Reuters The FBI has set up a tip line and website for anyone with information, video, or pictures related to the shooting at a rally for former President Donald Trump on Saturday. The website for tips is www.FBI.gov/Butler, said Kevin Rojek, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Pittsburgh office, in a press conference earlier this evening. Rojek said the Secret Service oversaw securing the scene of the shooting. The FBI, state police and other local assets were there as support. “In their (the Secret Service’s) defense … it is incredibly difficult to have a venue open to the public and secure that against any possible threat against a very determined attacker,” said Pennsylvania State Police Lt. Col. George Bivens at the news conference. The investigation is ongoing and the location is still an active crime scene, authorities said. 6:11 a.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 Trump's plane lands at Newark airport From CNN's Kristen Holmes In a screengrab taken from a video, former President Donald Trump deplanes in Newark, New Jersey on July 14, following the shooting at his Butler, Pennsylvania campaign rally. In a screengrab taken from a video, former President Donald Trump deplanes in Newark, New Jersey on July 14, following the shooting at his Butler, Pennsylvania campaign rally. Margo Martin/Trump campaign Former President Donald Trump’s plane landed at Newark airport in New Jersey on Sunday morning, according to a source familiar. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said late Saturday night that Trump had left the Butler, Pennsylvania, area following the rally shooting. “Under the protection of US Secret Service and with the assistance of the Pennsylvania State Police, former President Trump has now left the Butler area,” Shapiro said in a statement posted to X. “Lori and I are thankful that his team reports that he is fine and we continue to wish him a full and speedy recovery.” Trump campaign deputy communications director Margo Martin posted a video of Trump disembarking from a plane in Newark, writing on X: “Strong and resilient. He will never stop fighting for America.” 5:46 a.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 International leaders share shock, condolences and condemnation after Trump rally shooting From CNN Staff The shooting at former President Donald Trump’s rally on Saturday in Pennsylvania has sparked an outpouring of messages from world leaders expressing their concern and denouncing the attack. Here are a few messages, some excerpted: Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky: “I am appalled to learn about the shooting of former U.S. President Donald Trump at his rally in Pennsylvania. Such violence has no justification and no place anywhere in the world. Never should violence prevail. I am relieved to learn that Donald Trump is now safe and wish him a speedy recovery.” Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif: “Just learnt that former President Trump was shot at an election rally. This is a shocking development. I condemn all violence in politics. Wish the former President swift recovery and good health.” Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.: “It is with great relief that we receive the news that former President Donald Trump is fine and well after the attempt to assasinate him. Our thoughts and prayers are with him and his family. Together with all democracy loving peoples around the world, we condemn all forms of political violence. The voice of the people must always remain supreme.” New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon: “I’m shocked by the events at Donald Trump’s Pennsylvania rally today. My thoughts are with the former President, his family, and the victims of this attack. No country should encounter such political violence.” Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi: “Deeply concerned by the attack on my friend, former President Donald Trump. Strongly condemn the incident. Violence has no place in politics and democracies. Wish him speedy recovery. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of the deceased, those injured and the American people.” Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese: “This was an inexcusable attack under the democratic values that Australians and Americans share and the freedom that we treasure. These values are ones that unite our two countries.” Taiwan President Lai Ching-te (also known as William Lai): “My thoughts and prayers are with former US President Trump and I wish him a swift recovery. Political violence of any form is never acceptable in our democracies. I offer my sincere condolences to the victims affected by the attack.” 5:33 a.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 All casualties were adult men, with one killed and two critically wounded, say police From CNN staff Speaking at a news conference in Butler, Pennsylvania, authorities said the victims of the shooting have been identified but those details are not yet being publicly shared. The shooting, which took place at former President Donald Trump’s rally Saturday afternoon, left one attendee dead and two more critically injured. The gunman was also killed by Secret Service agents. All three were adult men, said Lt. Col. George Bivens of the Pennsylvania State Police. “We have notified a number of family members, but they have not had an opportunity to notify extended family,” he said. The gunshots had been “scattered,” and weren’t hitting just one location in the crowd, he added. 5:33 a.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 It is "surprising" gunman fired multiple shots without authorities being aware of his position, FBI says From CNN staff In a news conference, Kevin Rojek, FBI special agent in charge of the Pittsburgh office, said it was “surprising” the gunman was able to fire multiple shots during the rally for former President Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania. One reporter asked: “It sounds like law enforcement only knew (the gunman was on the roof) when shots were fired. Is that what you’re hearing?” Rojek answered: “That is the assessment at this time.” “We’re still working through the security apparatus that the Secret Service had in place, what potentially happened,” he added. “There’s going to be a long investigation into exactly what took place and how the individual was able to get access to the location, what type of weapon he had. All that is really days, weeks, and months of investigation.” Lt. Col. George Bivens of the Pennsylvania State Police added that the investigation would allow authorities to “take a look at where any failures occurred and what can be done better in the future.” 5:32 a.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 Bomb-clearing assets deployed at shooting site in abundance of caution, FBI says From CNN’s Jamiel Lynch Kevin Rojek, FBI special agent in charge of the Pittsburgh office, speaks during a press conference on Saturday, July 13. Kevin Rojek, FBI special agent in charge of the Pittsburgh office, speaks during a press conference on Saturday, July 13. WPXI Bomb-clearing assets were deployed at the scene of the shooting out of an “abundance of caution,” said the FBI in a Saturday evening news conference following the shooting at a rally for former President Donald Trump. “It’s primarily standard procedure of any suspicious packages, In this case there was identification of suspicious package around where the shooter was and so we deployed, in an abundance of caution, bomb assets to make sure those were cleared for investigators to move safely in the area,” said Kevin Rojek, FBI special agent in charge of the Pittsburgh office. He did not going into specifics of what those packages were, but said any packages had to be treated as if it were an explosive device. Rojek said the crime scene is still active. 5:19 a.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 FBI is trying to confirm the suspect's identity through biometrics and DNA From CNN’s Jamiel Lynch and Jessie Yeung Kevin Rojek, the special agent in charge of the FBI Pittsburgh office, said in a news conference that the agency is working on identifying the gunman through “doing biometric confirmations” because the suspect did not carry identification on him. “We’re looking at photographs right now, and we’re trying to run his DNA and get biometric confirmation,” he said. When asked whether authorities knew what kind of gun was used or how many shots were fired, Rojek said authorities did not have that information. Lt. Col. George Bivens of the Pennsylvania State Police followed up by saying that officials had “a good idea of what the weapon was” but that it was still part of the investigation. Authorities are also investigating how the shooting took place — including reports by eyewitnesses that they saw the gunman climbing up a roof. A witness told BBC News he saw the suspect on the roof with a rifle and tried to notify police before the incident. CNN cannot independently verify his account. Bivens said that officials were aware of this testimony and that “law enforcement had responded to a number of reports of suspicious activity.” 7:06 a.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 Secret Service was not present for Saturday night news conference on rally shooting CNN staff The Secret Service wasn’t available for Saturday night’s news conference on the shooting at former President Donald Trump’s rally in Pennsylvania, FBI Special Agent In Charge Kevin Rojek told reporters. Law enforcement personnel frequently deferred questions to the Secret Service during the news conference, which was held late Saturday night at the Butler Township Police Department. After the shooting happened, House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer said he contacted the Secret Service for a briefing and called on Director Kimberly Cheatle to appear for a hearing. 5:30 a.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 FBI says it's “close” to identifying shooter but has not identified a motive From CNN’s Jamiel Lynch The FBI said it is “close” to identifying the shooter in what it called an assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump during a rally in Pennsylvania. Kevin Rojek, the special agent in charge of the FBI’s Pittsburgh field office, said at a news conference Saturday night that the agency is close to confirming the identity of the shooter but is not releasing the individual’s name at this time. Authorities said the suspect had no identification on him, which is slowing down the process. Rojek said they are doing biometric confirmation as well as running the shooter’s DNA and looking at photographs. Pennsylvania State Police Lt. Colonel George Bivens said that they plan to release information on what caused delays in identifying the shooter. “We have one shooter tentatively identified, but we’re not stopping there. We’re following up on a lot of information. It will be sometime before we can conclusively answer that question,” Bivens said when asked if this was a lone wolf attack. Rojek added that the FBI has not yet identified the shooter’s motive. Authorities said they believe there is no other threat. 5:02 a.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 FBI says the shooting was an assassination attempt against Trump Kevin Rojek, the special agent in charge of FBI's Pittsburgh field office, speaks during a press conference on Friday, July 13. Kevin Rojek, the special agent in charge of FBI's Pittsburgh field office, speaks during a press conference on Friday, July 13. WPXI The FBI has called the shooting at former President Donald Trump’s rally Saturday night an attempted assassination. “This evening, we had what we’re calling an assassination attempt against our former President Donald Trump. It’s still an active crime scene,” said Kevin Rojek, the special agent in charge of the FBI’s Pittsburgh field office, speaking at a news conference in Butler, Pennsylvania. He said authorities are “working feverishly to attempt to identify the individual who did this and any motives behind why this was done,” and asked the public to reach out with any information that might help. The FBI has deployed investigative agents, evidence response teams, and other personnel from across the country, he said. 5:23 a.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 There does not seem to be any additional threat, but FBI and state police are still investigating, authorities say Lt. Col. George Bivens of the Pennsylvania State Police speaks during a press conference on Saturday, July 13. Lt. Col. George Bivens of the Pennsylvania State Police speaks during a press conference on Saturday, July 13. WPXI Authorities told a news conference Saturday night that they were “close” to identifying the gunman involved in the shooting at former President Donald Trump’s rally, but were not yet prepared to identify him formally and had not yet determined a motive. “At this time we have no reason to believe that there is any other existing threat out there,” said Lt. Col. George Bivens of the Pennsylvania State Police, speaking from Butler, where the shooting took place. “We have one shooter tentatively identified, but we’re not stopping there. We’re following up on a lot of information. It will be sometime before we can conclusively answer that question,” he said when asked if this was a lone wolf attack. “If there is any information developed that anyone else was involved, that between (the state police) and the FBI, that will very quickly be followed up on,” he added. 5:00 a.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 Suspect in shooting at Trump rally did not have ID, sources say From CNN’s Whitney Wild and Evan Perez The suspected shooter at the Donald Trump rally did not have identification, according to multiple law enforcement sources. The gunman is dead. 5:04 a.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 Senators Rick Scott and Josh Hawley call for investigation into Trump rally shooting From CNN's Veronica Stracqualursi Two Republican senators on the Senate Homeland Security Committee called for an investigation and a hearing on the shooting at former President Donald Trump’s rally on Saturday. Republican Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri posted on X that the committee “must investigate this assassination attempt and attempted mass murder and get to the bottom of how it could have happened.” Fellow GOP Sen. Rick Scott is demanding the Senate panel hold a hearing on the shooting before August 1, saying it’s “absolutely inexcusable that the deranged would-be assassin had a direct line of sight to the former president and the leading candidate for President of the United States.” “The U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs (HSGAC) has an oversight responsibility and an obligation to the American people to demand answers from DHS and the U.S. Secret Service on how this happened and what steps are being taken to investigate this assassination attempt and make sure it never happens again,” the Florida congressman said in a statement. Both Hawley and Scott sit on the Senate panel, chaired by Democratic Sen. Gary Peters. 4:55 a.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro says Trump left the Butler area From CNN's Kit Maher Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said former President Donald Trump has left the Butler, Pennsylvania, area following the rally shooting Saturday. “Under the protection of US Secret Service and with the assistance of the Pennsylvania State Police, former President Trump has now left the Butler area,” Shapiro said in a statement posted to X. “Lori and I are thankful that his team reports that he is fine and we continue to wish him a full and speedy recovery.” “We mourn the loss of life and pray for the two victims who are being treated at this time,” he added. “I am grateful for all law enforcement who responded, protected the former president, and worked to bring the situation under control.” Federal law enforcement officials will continue to lead on the investigation into the shooting, Shapiro said. Meanwhile, Pennsylvania State Police will lead the investigation into the shooting of the other victims. Shapiro said he has been communicating with law enforcement on the ground in Pennsylvania and has spoken with President Joe Biden, who “offered his full support.” Shapiro said he knows “how painful and shocking this event is to so many of our fellow Pennsylvanians.” He asked “that we treat our fellow Americans with respect and join together to universally condemn the unacceptable violence we witnessed earlier today in Butler.” 4:46 a.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 Trump’s Secret Service protection was recently strengthened, sources say From CNN's Kaitlan Collins and Dana Bash Former President Donald Trump’s Secret Service protection was strengthened recently, sources familiar with the matter tell CNN. Trump was first granted Secret Service protection in November 2015, and expressed relief at the time. At the rally on Saturday, the gunman was killed by Secret Service agents. 4:37 a.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 Pennsylvania police to give news conference shortly on Trump rally shooting From CNN’s Sara Smart Police and other law enforcement personnel will hold a news conference at the Butler Township Police Department at 11:45 p.m. ET, according to Pennsylvania State Police Trooper Bertha Cazy. State Police Lt. Col. George Bivens, members of the FBI and Secret Service will be in attendance at the news conference, Cazy said. CNN will be covering the news conference live here. 5:43 a.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 Not yet clear what impact the shooting will have on RNC security plans From Whitney Wild People walk outside the Fiserv Forum ahead of the 2024 Republican National Convention, Saturday, July 13, in Milwaukee. People walk outside the Fiserv Forum ahead of the 2024 Republican National Convention, Saturday, July 13, in Milwaukee. Alex Brandon/AP It’s not yet clear what impact Saturday’s shooting will have on security plans for the Republican National Convention, scheduled to begin Monday in Milwaukee, according to a source familiar with planning for the event. The incident is being reviewed, the source added. Reince Priebus, the convention’s committee chair – also a former Trump administration chief of staff – said on Saturday night that the event was going ahead, with guests already beginning to arrive in Wisconsin. And Trump is still planning to attend, say his advisors. “President Trump looks forward to joining you all in Milwaukee as we proceed with our convention to nominate him to serve as the 47th President of the United States,” said a joint statement from his campaign advisors and the convention chairs. 4:24 a.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 Texas Rep. Ronny Jackson says his nephew was "grazed in the neck" during Trump rally shooting From CNN's Andrew Millman Rep. Ronny Jackson of Texas said that his nephew was injured during the shooting at former President Donald Trump’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on Saturday. In an interview with Fox News, Jackson said his nephew “was grazed in the neck, a bullet crossed his neck, cut his neck and he was bleeding.” During the rally, his nephew was in “the friends and family pen which is to the president’s right, down a little bit lower,” Jackson said. The congressman called it a “horrific, horrific experience.” 4:15 a.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 Those around Trump say he has long feared an attempt on his life From CNN's Kaitlan Collins and Jeff Zeleny As his family and allies are still reeling from the shock of tonight’s shooting, former President Donald Trump has pledged to continue with next week’s scheduled convention in Milwaukee, where he’ll become the Republican Party’s official nominee. He has spent the evening checking in with his immediate family after being taken to Butler Memorial Hospital, and then was in touch with President Joe Biden. Surrounded by Secret Service agents onstage after the shooting, Trump mouthed the word “Fight” three times to his crowd of supporters and then, according to a source who witnessed it, did a fist-bump before ducking into his motorcade. But this moment highlights something he has long feared: an attempt on his life. Since he became a presidential candidate, Trump was always hyperfocused on his security and preparations. Trump expressed relief when he was first granted Secret Service protection in November 2015, and he thinks highly of the agents who have surrounded him before, during and after his time in the White House. 4:16 a.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 Trump sends short, defiant email to supporters: "I will never surrender!" Former President Donald Trump has sent an email to his supporters with a short but defiant message after he was injured during a shooting at his rally Saturday night in Butler, Pennsylvania. “THIS IS A MESSAGE FROM DONALD TRUMP,” the brief email read. “I WILL NEVER SURRENDER!” The email signed off with his signature and portrait. 4:12 a.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 The gunman was a few hundred feet away from Trump, according to CNN analysis From CNN staff Former President Donald Trump was about 400 to 500 feet (120 to 150 meters) from the suspected gunman at the time of the shooting, according to CNN’s analysis of their geolocated positions. Trump had been holding his rally at the Butler Farm Show Grounds in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday afternoon. The gunman fired multiple shots from an “elevated position” outside the rally, according to the Secret Service. Law enforcement sources told CNN the shooter was on a building rooftop just outside the rally venue. The gunman was killed by Secret Service personnel, according to the agency. 4:02 a.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 Here's what we know about the Trump rally shooting From CNN's Jessie Yeung Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump is helped off the stage. Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump is helped off the stage. Gene J. Puskar/AP A shooting at former President Donald Trump’s rally has prompted an outpouring of concern and condemnation from across the world as authorities investigate the incident. Here’s what we know so far: What happened: The shooting took place Saturday afternoon at the rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. The gunman fired multiple shots from an “elevated position” outside the rally before he was killed by Secret Service personnel, the agency said. Police sources say the shooter was on a building rooftop. Videos show Trump being quickly whisked away by security personnel with blood on his face. Eyewitness testimonies: Rally attendees described the aftermath as “pandemonium,” with widespread confusion. Some initially thought the sounds had been fireworks, while others described seeing people hit by gunfire. Casualties: The incident left at least one audience member dead and two other attendees critically injured, according to the Secret Service. The gunman is also dead. Trump’s status: A spokesperson said Trump is “fine,” and the Secret Service said he was safe. The former president said on social media that he was hit by a bullet in the “upper part of my right ear.” Investigation: Multiple federal agencies are now involved, with the FBI on the scene. Law enforcement officials say the shooting is being investigated as a possible assassination attempt. Biden’s statement: President Joe Biden spoke with Trump after the shooting. Biden said earlier he was grateful Trump was safe. He condemned the shooting and called for the country to unite, saying: “There’s no place in America for this kind of violence.” Biden is returning to the White House from Delaware early to continue being briefed on the shooting. World reacts: US and global leaders have also weighed in to denounce the shooting and express their condolences for victims. 4:04 a.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 Carter Center calls on "all Americans to embrace civility" following Trump rally shooting From CNN’s Rebekah Riess The Carter Center, a nonprofit founded by former President Jimmy Carter, condemned violence and called for civility following the shooting at former President Donald Trump’s campaign rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday. “The Carter Center condemns the violence that took place at former President Trump’s campaign rally in Pennsylvania. While we don’t know all the facts, we do know that all Americans should be able to gather peaceably without fear of violence,” a statement from the Carter Center said. “Our thoughts are with President Trump and all those affected by this horrific act, and we call on all Americans to embrace civility in our democratic processes,” the statement continued. 3:51 a.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 House of Representatives will conduct “full investigation” of shooting, says speaker From CNN's Manu Raju House Speaker Mike Johnson vowed to conduct a “full investigation” of the shooting in a statement on X on Saturday. “The American people deserve to know the truth. We will have Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle and other appropriate officials from DHS and the FBI appear for a hearing before our committees ASAP,” he wrote. The shooting is being investigated as a possible assassination attempt, according to law enforcement officials. 3:50 a.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 Butler mayor said Biden offered full support to city in wake of rally shooting From CNN’s Jamiel Lynch Butler Mayor Robert Dandoy told CNN he was offered full support from the White House in a conversation with President Joe Biden after the shooting at former President Donald Trump’s rally Saturday night. During their conversation, Dandoy said Biden offered his condolences to the city, located in western Pennsylvania. “He offered anything they can do for us, and I offered the same,” Dandoy told CNN. Biden also spoke with Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and Trump on Saturday, according to the White House. 3:38 a.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 Biden speaks with Trump after shooting, White House says From CNN's Nikki Carvajal President Joe Biden spoke with Donald Trump on Saturday following the shooting at the former president’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, the White House said. Biden also spoke with also spoke to Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and Butler Mayor Bob Dandoy. “Tonight, the President is returning to Washington DC. Tomorrow morning at the White House, he will receive an updated briefing from homeland security and law enforcement officials,” a White House official said in a statement. 3:40 a.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 Rep. Daniel Meuser, who witnessed rally shooting from front row, calls it a "bloody scene" From CNN’s Rebekah Riess Rep. Daniel Meuser of Pennsylvania told CNN he was sitting in the front row of Donald Trump’s rally with Pennsylvania Senate candidate Dave McCormick and Rep. Mike Kelly when chaos ensued. “Everybody started, certainly, screaming, asking for a medic, and honestly, it was a bloody scene,” Meuser said. Meuser said it started out like a regular rally and “next thing you know … there was rapid fire,” he said. “It was pretty obvious, after the second or third gunshot, what was happening.” Meuser added that “a lot of people were very panicked” but “they settled down after a little while, particularly when President Trump, honestly, stood up and gave thumbs-up.” The congressman also made a plea for civility going forward, saying, “We’ve really got to remove the hostility. I think everybody agrees — we need to cool things down.” 3:39 a.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 Biden returning to White House earlier than planned From CNN's Nikki Carvajal and MJ Lee President Joe Biden will return to the White House from Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, earlier than planned, according to a statement from White House officials. Biden is scheduled to arrive at the White House at 12:30 a.m. Sunday, the statement said. He was originally scheduled to stay in Delaware until Monday and fly directly to Texas for events. He is returning to the White House so he can continue to receive briefings from law enforcement, a senior administration official said. This post has been updated with additional information. 3:19 a.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 RFK Jr. reflects on JFK, RFK assassinations following Trump rally shooting From CNN's Aaron Pellish Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. reflected on his experience around the assassinations of his father, Robert F. Kennedy, and his uncle, former President John F. Kennedy, during an interview Saturday following the shooting at former President Donald Trump’s rally. Kennedy said in an interview with NewsNation that he understands the impact of the incident at Trump’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, “probably as well as anyone does” and that he hopes people will condemn the violent attack on the former president. Kennedy witnessed his father’s assassination at a campaign event in Los Angeles when he was 14. “I’ve been through this before with my own family. I was with my dad when he died in Los Angeles. … My message to people is we need to all renounce violence. We need to renounce not just violence, but the hatred and vitriol,” he said. Kennedy said he believes there are similarities between the current political moment and the 1960s, when his father, his uncle and civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. were killed amid heightened political and racial turmoil. “When my uncle was killed in 1963, there was this kind of division,” he said. “When my father was killed, it was amidst of a time that was probably the most divisive in American history at that time since the American Civil War. And we’re back into that kind of milieu today.” Kennedy said he sympathizes with Trump’s family and offered condolences to the family of the rally attendee who died on Saturday. 3:08 a.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 Eyewitness tells BBC he saw gunman climbing up building with rifle, tried to warn police From CNN's Jessie Yeung An eyewitness outside the rally where former President Donald Trump was injured in a shooting said he saw the gunman climb up a roof and tried to warn police. “We noticed the guy crawling, bear crawling, up the roof of the building beside us, 50 feet away from us,” the witness told BBC News on Saturday after the incident. “We’re standing there, we’re pointing at the guy crawling up the roof. … We can clearly see him with a rifle,” he said. He added that they notified police in the vicinity and that officers “didn’t know what was going on.” “I’m thinking to myself, ‘Why is Trump still speaking? Why have they not pulled him off the stage?’ I’m standing there pointing at him for two, three minutes, Secret Service is looking at us from the top of the barn, I’m pointing at that roof, just standing there like this, and next thing you know, five shots ring out,” he said. CNN cannot independently verify his account. John Miller, CNN chief law enforcement and intelligence analyst, said the testimony raises many “serious questions.” “There’s going to be an extraordinarily, excruciatingly detailed examination about who knew what, how was this communicated, and who determined to take what action or not take what action,” he said. 3:00 a.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 Here are the US presidents, former presidents and candidates who have survived assassination attempts From CNN's Zachary B. Wolf Former President Donald Trump fell to the ground Saturday, clutching his face after what sounded like gunfire at a rally in Pennsylvania. Blood could be seen on his face as he was carried away by Secret Service. Multiple presidents and former presidents and candidates for president have been attacked in US history, according to a CNN report from 2011 and a list of instances of political violence that includes attacks on senators, congressmen and governors compiled by CNN’s research library. President Andrew Jackson: In the pre-Civil War era, he was shot at while attending a funeral in the Capitol. The shooter fired twice, but the gun failed. President Theodore Roosevelt: Like Trump, he was trying to get his old job back during the 1912 campaign. He was shot on the way to a speech in Milwaukee by a saloon keeper. President Franklin D. Roosevelt: He was president-elect when a would-be assassin fired at him in Miami in 1933. The shooter, Guiseppe Zangara, missed Roosevelt but killed Chicago Mayor Anton Cermak. President Harry Truman: He took over the presidency after Roosevelt died and was shot at across from the White House by Puerto Rican nationalists in 1950. Alabama Gov. George Wallace: The segregationist was running for president for the third time in 1972, and was shot after a campaign event outside Washington, DC. The shooting left him paralyzed from the waist down. President Gerald Ford: He faced two assassination attempts in quick succession in 1975. President Ronald Reagan: He was shot in 1981 outside the Hilton in Washington, DC, after giving a speech. His press secretary, James Brady, was more seriously wounded than Reagan and later became an activist for gun control. President Barack Obama: An Idaho man was charged with the attempted assassination of Obama when he fired shots at the White House in 2011. Four presidents — Abraham Lincoln, James A. Garfield, William McKinley and John F. Kennedy — have been assassinated. Read the full story here. 2:52 a.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 Trump is "doing well" and looks forward to the RNC in Milwaukee, advisers say From CNN staff Advisers to former President Trump say he is “doing well” and “looks forward” to the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee next week. Here’s the full statement from campaign senior advisers Susie Wiles and Chris LaCivita, RNC Chair Michael Whatley and RNC Co-Chair Lara Trump: “As was communicated earlier this evening, President Trump is doing well and grateful to law enforcement and first responders for their fast action. President Trump looks forward to joining you all in Milwaukee as we proceed with our convention to nominate him to serve as the 47th President of the United States. As our party’s nominee, President Trump will continue to share his vision to Make America Great Again.” 2:50 a.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 Biden told staff he wanted to address the nation, source says From CNN's Priscilla Alvarez President Joe Biden told his staff that he wanted to address the nation as soon as he was briefed, according to a source familiar. Biden delivered remarks from Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, around two hours after the shooting unfolded, condemning political violence and saying that former President Donald Trump’s rally should have been able to be “conducted peacefully without any problem.” CNN previously reported that Biden was at mass when the shooting at Trump’s rally unfolded and learned after the fact. He’s since been routinely briefed by senior US officials. 2:45 a.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 Law enforcement sources say shooter was positioned on building rooftop just outside rally From CNN's Evan Perez and Alayna Treene A law enforcement source and a police officer at the scene told CNN the shooter was positioned on a building rooftop just outside the venue where former President Donald Trump was holding his rally. The source said the building was the same one where CNN observed a heavy police presence. The building is positioned over where the former president’s right shoulder was during the rally. 2:46 a.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 Biden closely tracking rally shooting, White House says From CNN's MJ Lee & Arlette Saenz President Joe Biden’s chief of staff sent a brief note to White House staff Saturday evening, saying the president is “closely” tracking the situation around the shooting at Donald Trump’s rally, according to the note obtained by CNN. White House Chief of Staff Jeff Zients also shared with his team the brief statement Biden sent earlier in the evening. “Hi team – I wanted to share President Biden’s statement on the shooting that occurred today. The President is tracking this closely and will continue to provide updates,” Zients said. President Biden’s statement, included in the brief note, said: “I have been briefed on the shooting at Donald Trump’s rally in Pennsylvania. I’m grateful to hear that he’s safe and doing well. I’m praying for him and his family and for all those who were at the rally, as we await further information.” “Jill and I are grateful to the Secret Service for getting him to safety. There’s no place for this kind of violence in America. We must unite as one nation to condemn it.” 2:44 a.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 International support for Trump pours in after Pennsylvania rally shooting From CNN staff International leaders are writing messages of support on social media after former President Donald Trump was injured at a rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu: “Sara and I were shocked by the apparent attack on President Trump. We pray for his safety and speedy.” Honduran President Xiomara Castro de Zelaya: “Violence generates more violence. I am sorry for what is happening in the United States electoral process. My solidarity with @realDonaldTrump.” Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán: “My thoughts and prayers are with President @realDonaldTrump in these dark hours.” The UK prime minister’s office: “We are shocked by the scenes at President Trump’s rally in Pennsylvania. We condemn all forms of political violence in the strongest terms and we send our best wishes to President Trump and his family at this time.” Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida: “We must stand firm against any form of violence that challenges democracy. I pray for former President Trump’s speedy recovery.” EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell Fontelles: “Shocked by the news of the attack on President Trump, which I strongly condemn. Once again, we are witnessing unacceptable acts of violence against political representatives.” 2:31 a.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 House Oversight Committee chair calls for Secret Service director to appear for a hearing From CNN's Annie Grayer House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer said he has contacted the Secret Service for a briefing and is calling on Director Kimberly Cheatle to appear for a hearing. The Oversight Committee will send a formal invitation soon, Comer said in a statement Saturday night. “I thank the brave Secret Service members who put their lives at risk to protect President Trump and for the American patriots in the audience who helped innocent victims,” the Kentucky Republican said. “Political violence in all forms is unamerican and unacceptable. There are many questions and Americans demand answers.” 2:29 a.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 Secretary of state says he's "shocked and saddened" by Trump rally shooting From CNN's Jennifer Hansler Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he is “shocked and saddened by the shooting at former President Trump’s rally and grateful that he is safe.” “As @POTUS said, there is no place for political violence in America and we must all condemn it,” Blinken posted on X Saturday. 2:27 a.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 DHS is "taking every measure" to ensure safety of Biden and Trump, Mayorkas says From CNN's Priscilla Alvarez Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas condemned Saturday’s shooting at the Trump rally and said the agency, which includes the US Secret Service, is working to ensure the safety of President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump. Mayorkas, who has been briefing Biden, said in a statement: “We condemn this violence in the strongest possible terms and commend the Secret Service for their swift action today. We are engaged with President Biden, former President Trump, and their campaigns, and are taking every possible measure to ensure their safety and security.” 2:29 a.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 Republican National Convention will proceed on schedule, official says From CNN's Jeff Zeleny The Republican National Convention will open Monday as scheduled, a party official said. The shooting at Donald Trump’s rally Saturday night will not alter plans to formally nominate the former president in Milwaukee. “The convention will continue as planned,” a senior Republican official told CNN Saturday night. 2:20 a.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin condemns shooting at Trump rally From CNN's Haley Britzky Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said Saturday that the entire Defense Department “condemns this violence, which has absolutely no place in our democracy,” following a shooting at former President Donald Trump’s rally in Pennsylvania. “This is not the way that we resolve our differences in America—and it must never be,” he said in a statement posted on X. “I’m relieved that reports indicate former President Trump is safe, and I am praying for him and his family and everyone affected by this appalling incident.” 2:20 a.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 White House official describes shock among administration: "It is just really horrible" From CNN's Priscilla Alvarez and Camila DeChalus The mood inside the White House is “shock” as officials responded to the shooting at former President Donald Trump’s rally Saturday afternoon, according to a senior administration official. “It is just really horrible,” the official said, adding that authorities sought “to be responsive and serious.” “It should never happen. It’s unconscionable,” they told CNN. Speaking from Rehoboth Beach, Delaware on Saturday evening, President Joe Biden blasted political violence, telling reporters: “There is no place in America for this kind of violence. It’s sick, it’s sick, it’s one of the reasons why we have to unite this country. We cannot allow for this to be happening. We cannot be like this. We cannot condone this.” Biden said he’s been trying to get in touch with Trump. CNN previously reported that only minutes after the shooting, Biden campaign officials huddled and decided to cease outbound communications as well as pull television ads. 2:11 a.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 1 rally attendee is dead and 2 are critically injured, Secret Service says From CNN’s Evan Perez One rally attendee is dead and two are critically injured after a shooting at former President Donald Trump’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday night, according to Anthony Guglielmi, chief of communications for the US Secret Service. The shooter is also deceased, Guglielmi said in a statement. Earlier, the agency said the shooter had fired multiple shots from an “elevated position” outside the rally before Secret Service personnel “neutralized” the shooter. 2:09 a.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 Ivanka Trump thanks supporters for "love and prayers" following shooting From CNN's Ali Main Former President Trump’s daughter Ivanka has released a statement on X, thanking law enforcement for their swift response. “Thank you for your love and prayers for my father and for the other victims of today’s senseless violence in Butler, Pennsylvania. I am grateful to the Secret Service and all the other law enforcement officers for their quick and decisive actions today. I continue to pray for our country. I love you Dad, today and always,” she wrote. In a statement on Truth Social earlier, the former president said he’d been shot and hit by a bullet in the upper part of his right ear, and extended his condolences to the rally attendee who was killed. 2:14 a.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 Heavy police presence around building next to rally venue From CNN's Alayna Treene and Alejandra Jaramillo Police activity seen at a building near the venue where the rally took place. Police activity seen at a building near the venue where the rally took place. CNN There is a clear and heavy police presence outside of the rally venue where the shooting took place in Butler, Pennsylvania, according to reporting from CNN teams on the ground. The entire building located to the left of the venue is cordoned off with more than a dozen police cars, some of which are state troopers, and others that are part of the Butler County Sheriff’s Office. There is at least one ambulance outside of the building. One officer who spoke with CNN would not explain why law enforcement was focused on this area. 2:05 a.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 Shooter fired multiple shots from "elevated position" outside of Trump rally, Secret Service says From CNN’s Evan Perez Debris litters the empty rally site after shots were fired at former President Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday. Debris litters the empty rally site after shots were fired at former President Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday. Evan Vucci/AP A shooter fired multiple shots from an “elevated position” outside of the Trump rally before United States Secret Service personnel “neutralized” the shooter, the law enforcement agency said. “During Former President Trump’s campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on the evening of July 13 at approximately 6:15 p.m., a suspected shooter fired multiple shots toward the stage from an elevated position outside of the rally venue,” the Secret Service statement said. Secret Service personnel “neutralized the shooter, who is now deceased,” the statement continued. “U.S. Secret Service quickly responded with protective measures and Former President Trump is safe. One spectator was killed, and two spectators were critically injured. This incident is currently under investigation. and the Secret Service has notified the FBI,” Anthony Guglielmi, chief of communications for the Secret Service, said in a statement. 2:05 a.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 "I saw the immediate attack" from front row, says Senate Republican candidate Dave McCormick From CNN’s Emma Tucker Republican Senate candidate Dave McCormick, who was sitting in the front row at Donald Trump’s rally Saturday, said he saw the “immediate attack on the president” and a person behind him who appeared to be severely injured. McCormick told CNN on air that the former president had just invited him onstage, when about a minute later he heard “a serious of shots — about seven or eight shots — just ‘pop, pop, pop.’” “It was all of a sudden just chaos. The Secret Service immediately covered the president, jumped on top of him, and the crowd immediately went to the ground,” McCormick said. The Senate candidate said he looked over his shoulder and “it was clear that somebody had been hit.” People around the person were trying to administer first aid, he said, as it took several minutes for medical assistance to get into the crowd because it was so dense. “But you can imagine with that kind of incident happening, it’s very hard to know what’s coming. … It seemed like the shots were coming from my front — so the president’s left — which makes sense why the person behind me was hit. But I’m not sure if there were also shots coming from the other direction, so as you might imagine it was chaotic and confusing in the moment,” McCormick said. McCormick said he and all of the roughly 15,000 attendees in the crowd went through metal detector screening before they entered the rally. 2:07 a.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 Trump rally speaker describes helping attendee who was shot From CNN’s Kate Sullivan Rico Elmore, who was a speaker at former President Donald Trump’s rally, described jumping over the barrier and putting his hand on the head of an attendee who was shot and bleeding. “All we know is shots were fired and then I jumped over the barrier and put my hand on the guy’s head that was profusely bleeding,” Elmore told CNN as he left the rally stage Saturday night. The injured attendee was “just a stranger” Elmore didn’t know, he said. Elmore was visibly shaken up, with blood on his shirt, but said he was not harmed. He said he only saw one attendee hit and did not see what happened to Trump. 1:58 a.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 Donald Trump Jr. says he spoke to his father and that he's "in great spirits" From CNN's Kaitlan Collins Donald Trump Jr. said in a statement that he “just spoke to my father on the phone and he is in great spirits.” “He will never stop fighting to save America, no matter what the radical left throws at him,” he added. 1:57 a.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 "We haven't seen this since Reagan," Butler County district attorney says From CNN's Raja Razek Butler County District Attorney Richard Goldinger told CNN’s Anderson Cooper, “We haven’t seen this since Reagan,” after the shooting at former President Donald Trump’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday. “It is mind-blowing,” Goldinger added. “Maybe we got a little lackadaisical about it — that this wouldn’t happen to a president or former president, but it’s crazy. … Sadly, maybe it’s just the state of our current political situation.” When speaking about Butler County, which is north of Pittsburgh, Goldinger said: “You just wouldn’t even think it would happen—especially in, where I live in Butler County. You would not expect this.” As for the scene, the DA said, “I have been told it is chaos, and I can’t even give you a number of people that are there … it is really crazy right now.” ##Reaction## 1:53 a.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 Trump says he was shot in the "upper part of my right ear" From CNN’s Kristen Holmes Former President Donald Trump is rushed offstage by Secret Service agents during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday. Former President Donald Trump is rushed offstage by Secret Service agents during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images Former President Donald Trump said he was shot and hit by a bullet in the “upper part of my right ear.” Trump said in a Truth Social statement he “knew immediately that something was wrong in that I heard a whizzing sound, shots, and immediately felt the bullet ripping through the skin.” Read Trump’s full statement below: “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!” 1:50 a.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 Biden campaign staff urged to refrain from commenting on shooting at Trump rally From CNN's MJ Lee & Priscilla Alvarez President Joe Biden’s campaign staff sent a note to staff, obtained by CNN, in the immediate aftermath of the shooting at former President Donald Trump’s rally urging staff to “refrain from issuing any comments on social media or in public.” “We’re also asking everyone to pause any proactive campaign communication across all platforms and in all circ*mstances until we know more,” wrote campaign manager Julie Chávez Rodríguez and chair Jen O’Malley Dillon in the note obtained by CNN. They began by saying that as more information is coming in, they are “grateful to the members of law enforcement who immediately jumped into action and wishing Trump a quick and full recovery.” Minutes after the incident, Biden campaign officials decided to pause all outbound communications and pull down TV ads. Biden was attending mass in Rehoboth, Delaware, when the shooting occurred, departing moments after. On Saturday evening, the president condemned political violence and said he has tried to reach Trump. Biden is being briefed by senior US officials, including Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. 1:53 a.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 Butler mayor: “This is not the political discourse we want in our society” From CNN'S Jamiel Lynch Mayor Robert Dandoy of Butler, Pennsylvania, released a statement following the shooting at the campaign rally in his town for former President Donald Trump. “This is not the type of political discourse we want in our society,” the mayor said. Dandoy, who did not attend the rally, added, “this kind of violence is unacceptable, in any situation, but certainly in this lawful exercise of freedom of speech and of politics in the United States.” Dandoy said he has been in contact with his chief of police, who was on the scene, as well as other city staff members who were at the rally assisting Secret Service. 1:38 a.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 Kamala Harris denounces "senseless" shooting and says she's relieved Trump was not seriously injured From CNN's Nikki Carvajal Vice President Kamala Harris said she was briefed on the shooting at former President Donald Trump’s rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday. “Doug and I are relieved that he is not seriously injured,” Harris wrote in a statement Saturday night. “We are praying for him, his family, and all those who have been injured and impacted by this senseless shooting.” She thanked first responders and denounced the incident. “Violence such as this has no place in our nation,” Harris wrote. “We must all condemn this abhorrent act and do our part to ensure that it does not lead to more violence.” 1:37 a.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 Bill and Hillary Clinton say they are thankful Trump is safe From CNN's Ali Main Former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton released a statement following the violence at a Donald Trump rally in Pennsylvania: “Violence has no place in America, especially in our political process. Hillary and I are thankful that President Trump is safe, heartbroken for all those affected by the attack at today’s rally in Pennsylvania, and grateful for the swift action of the U.S. Secret Service,” Clinton said in a post on X. ##Reaction## 1:36 a.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 District attorney calls shooting scene "chaotic" and says officials don't yet have identity of alleged gunman Butler County District Attorney Richard Goldinger called the scene at Donald Trump’s Pennsylvania rally shooting “chaotic.” “It’s really crazy right now,” he told CNN’s Anderson Cooper. He said he does not know the number of people who are still currently at the scene of the incident and that authorities do not have any information on the identity of the alleged shooter. Butler County, Goldinger said, is located directly north of Allegheny County, which is where Pittsburgh is situated. The county is about 65% Republican and is partially rural, he said. 1:31 a.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 Biden says he has "an opinion" on whether shooting was attempted assassination, but "I don't have any facts" From CNN's Nikki Carvajal President Joe Biden said that he has “an opinion” about whether the shooting at former President Donald Trump’s rally in Pennsylvania was an attempted assassination, but that he didn’t have enough facts to comment. “I don’t know enough to – I have an opinion, but I don’t have any facts,” Biden said in remarks from Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, on Saturday evening. “I want to make sure we have all the facts before I make some comment, any more comments.” 1:33 a.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 Former President Barack Obama: "No place for political violence in our democracy" From CNN's Arlette Saenz Former President Barack Obama condemned Saturday’s shooting at a Donald Trump rally. “There is absolutely no place for political violence in our democracy. Although we don’t yet know exactly what happened, we should all be relieved that former President Trump wasn’t seriously hurt, and use this moment to recommit ourselves to civility and respect in our politics. Michelle and I are wishing him a quick recovery,” Obama said in a statement. 1:29 a.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 FBI is on the scene in Butler after shooting From CNN’s Josh Campbell The FBI is at the scene of the shooting in Butler, Pennsylvania. The FBI “will continue to work jointly with the U.S. Secret Service as the investigation moves forward,” said the agency in a statement. 1:38 a.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 Manhattan DA: "Political violence in any form is abhorrent and unacceptable" From CNN's Holmes Lybrand, Jamie Lynch and Kara Scannell Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg called the shooting at former President Donald Trump’s rally on Saturday “unacceptable.” “Political violence in any form is abhorrent and unacceptable. I commend the Secret Service on their swift response and my thoughts and prayers are with former President Trump and his family,” Bragg said in a statement. New York Attorney General Letitia James also addressed the shooting, saying: “Violence is never the answer.” “My thoughts are with former President Trump and I’m wishing for his speedy recovery,” James said on X Saturday night. 1:26 a.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 "Everybody must condemn" the shooting at Trump's rally, Biden says President Joe Biden said “everybody” must condemn the shooting that happened at Donald Trump’s rally, which authorities say left the gunman and one audience member dead. “The bottom line is, the Trump rally … should have been able to be conducted peacefully without any problem. But the idea that there’s political violence or violence in America like this is just unheard of, is just not appropriate,” Biden said, speaking from Delaware. “Everybody must condemn it. Everybody.” He added “every agency in the federal government” is investigating the matter and providing him reports on the latest. 1:24 a.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 Biden says he's tried getting in touch with Trump From CNN's Emma Tucker President Joe Biden said he has tried to reach former President Donald Trump, but noted “he’s with his doctors.” “Apparently, he’s doing well. I plan on talking to him shortly, I hope, when I get back to the telephone,” Biden said during his remarks in Delaware. The president said he will provide further updates when he learns more information and if he’s able to get in contact with Trump. 1:19 a.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 Biden: "There's no place in America for this kind of violence" President Joe Biden speaks on Saturday, July 13, in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. President Joe Biden speaks on Saturday, July 13, in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP President Joe Biden condemned the shooting at Donald Trump’s rally and said: “There’s no place in America for this kind of violence.” “It’s sick, it’s one of the reasons we have to unite this country,” he said, speaking from Delaware. “We cannot allow for this to be happening. We cannot be like this, we cannot condone this.” Biden added that he’s tried to get in touch with Trump, noting that the former president is with his doctors and appears to be doing well. ##Reaction## 1:35 a.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 Sen. J.D. Vance says he’s been told Trump is "doing OK" From CNN's Aaron Pellish Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance spoke briefly to reporters outside his home in Cincinnati on Saturday and said he’s been told former President Donald Trump is “doing OK” after being injured at his rally. “I’ve heard he’s doing OK,” Vance told reporters. Vance is one of Trump’s potential running mates. 2:54 a.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 Rally attendee describes "complete pandemonium" and confusion after shooting Joseph Meyn speaks with CNN on Saturday, July 13. Joseph Meyn speaks with CNN on Saturday, July 13. CNN One attendee at the Trump rally described the shooting on Saturday night as “complete pandemonium,” with some in the crowd unsure of what was happening at first. “It seemed initially like firecrackers went off,” Joseph Meyn told CNN from Butler, Pennsylvania, where the shooting happened. “One half of the crowd on the far end of the rally thought it was some type of weird joke, the other half of the crowd knew it wasn’t, and was trying to push or impress upon the rest of the crowd that this is serious. I think everyone got the idea of — very quickly — that it was a dangerous situation, and everyone just started hitting the deck,” he said. He described seeing a man in the bleachers near him hit in the head by gunfire, and another woman nearby being hit in the arm. He said it was hard to figure out which direction the gunfire was coming from, and he added that police moved quickly to clear the bleachers. “It’s something you don’t expect … it’s very shocking,” Meyn added. “We shouldn’t be at a level of public political discourse in this country where this is going on, it feels like it’s 1960.” Meyn, a surgeon from Grove City, Pennsylvania, said he looked back in the direction the gunshots had come from. “I saw a man in the bleachers was hit directly in the head, and died instantly. There was a woman who was hit in the hand and forearm, a noncritical wound,” he said. He said he went to see whether he could render aid, but another doctor was already helping the woman who’d been shot. “I helped carry the body of the man out of the stands. They took the body to the tent behind the bleachers,” Meyn said. CNN reached Meyn as he was waiting to give a witness statement to the FBI. “They want the data off my phone,” he said. “This is the first Trump rally I’ve been to. You don’t really expect an assassination attempt.” This post has been updated with additional information. Correction: This post has been updated with the correct name of the attendee. 1:06 a.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 Biden to deliver on-camera statement "shortly" From CNN's DJ Judd President Joe Biden will deliver an on-camera statement “shortly” from Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, the White House said Saturday. 1:06 a.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 Shooter was outside of venue at Trump rally, multiple law enforcement sources say From CNN's Whitney Wild, Evan Perez and Ryan Young Three law enforcement sources confirm the shooter was outside the venue at former President Donald Trump’s rally in Pennsylvania. Two of those sources say the shooter was on a roof, outside of the venue. Multiple law enforcement sources have referred to this individual as a sniper, although additional details about that are not clear. Butler County District Attorney Richard Goldinger said he was told by his chief detective that the shooter was on a building adjacent to the property and had no additional details on the person. “It would have required a rifle,” he said. “It was several hundred yards.” 1:06 a.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 Biden campaign pulling TV ads in the wake of shooting From CNN's Jeff Zeleny A Biden campaign official said the campaign is “is pausing all outbound communications and working to pull down our television ads as quickly as possible.” 12:59 a.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 Shooting at Trump rally is being investigated as an attempted assassination From CNN’s Evan Perez The shooting at former President Donald Trump’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, is being investigated as a possible assassination attempt, according to law enforcement officials. 1:03 a.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 Biden says he's "grateful" Trump is OK after shooting From CNN's Donald Judd President Joe Biden exits St. Edmond’s Catholic Church in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, on Saturday, July 13. President Joe Biden exits St. Edmond’s Catholic Church in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, on Saturday, July 13. REUTERS/Tom Brenner President Joe Biden responded to a Saturday shooting at a Donald Trump rally that left the former president scrambling for safety and at least one spectator as well as the shooter dead. “I have been briefed on the shooting at Donald Trump’s rally in Pennsylvania. I’m grateful to hear that he’s safe and doing well. I’m praying for him and his family and for all those who were at the rally, as we await further information. Jill and I are grateful to the Secret Service for getting him to safety. There’s no place for this kind of violence in America. We must unite as one nation to condemn it.” Biden has been largely out of sight at his Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, home Saturday, but was attending Mass at St. Edmund’s Catholic Church when the shooting occurred. The White House told reporters in Delaware that Biden was briefed on the shooting by Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, and Homeland Security adviser Liz Sherwood-Randall. 1:01 a.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 Pelosi condemns shooting: "I thank God" that Trump is safe Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi condemned the shooting at former President Donald Trump’s rally on Saturday. “As one whose family has been the victim of political violence, I know firsthand that political violence of any kind has no place in our society,” Pelosi said in a statement posted on X. “I thank God that former President Trump is safe. As we learn more details about this horrifying incident, let us pray that all those in attendance at the former President’s rally today are unharmed.” 12:58 a.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 Shooter at Trump rally killed by Secret Service, according to USSS source From CNN's Ryan Young The shooter at the Donald Trump rally was killed by the Secret Service, according to a Secret Service source. An attendee was also killed during the incident. 12:56 a.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 At least one rally attendee and the gunman are dead after shooting at Trump rally, district attorney says From CNN's Pamela Brown Republican presidential candidate and former U. President Donald Trump is assisted by Secret Service. Republican presidential candidate and former U. President Donald Trump is assisted by Secret Service. Brendan McDermid/Reuters One audience member and the gunman are dead after a shooting at former President Donald Trump’s rally in Pennsylvania, according to Butler County District Attorney Richard Goldinger. The district attorney also said Trump is going to be OK and was removed by the US Secret Service. The official said a second spectator is in serious condition. Goldinger said he does not know if the shooter died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound or was shot by someone else during the incident. The injured spectator is in serious condition, he told CNN. 12:37 a.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 Shooter at Trump rally is "neutralized," sources say From CNN’s Hannah Rabinowitz, Holmes Lybrand, Zachary Cohen, Kristen Holmes, and Phil Mattingly A shooter at Donald Trump’s rally in Pennsylvania has been “neutralized,” according to multiple law enforcement sources. 12:56 a.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 Senate GOP candidate Dave McCormick was in the front row of Trump rally and says he saw others injured From CNN’s Emma Tucker Former Trump campaign adviser David Urban told CNN he spoke with Senate Republican candidate Dave McCormick, who was sitting in the front row of the rally, and he believes other people were injured in the incident. Urban told CNN on the air that Trump told McCormick during the rally to “come up here on stage,” at which point he heard a few “pops” to his left – the former president’s right – that sounded like “firecrackers.” “He saw Trump drop down and he believes a gentleman was shot in the head behind him in the second row, and believed some other people may have been injured,” Urban told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer. McCormick dropped to the ground at that point, and when he got up, Secret Service agents were “around everybody and they were scattering,” Urban continued. Urban said he has run close to 50 Trump rallies, which had “magnetometers all over the place.” “The notion that somehow, somebody was able to get a firearm in there, is just beyond me because there is as much security there as there is going into any event where the president or former president is,” he said. 12:32 a.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 In pictures: Trump injured at Pennsylvania rally From CNN Digital’s Photo Team Former President Donald Trump was injured Saturday at his campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. Blood could be seen on his ear and face after loud bangs were heard at the rally. Secret Service agents covered him up before helping him away from the scene. See more photos from the incident here. Former President Donald Trump, with blood on his face, raises his fist to the crowd as he is surrounded by Secret Service agents at his campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday. Former President Donald Trump, with blood on his face, raises his fist to the crowd as he is surrounded by Secret Service agents at his campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday. Evan Vucci/AP Blood is seen on Trump's right ear as he is helped off the stage. Blood is seen on Trump's right ear as he is helped off the stage. Gene J. Puskar/AP Trump is covered by Secret Service agents after loud bangs were heard at the rally. Trump is covered by Secret Service agents after loud bangs were heard at the rally. Evan Vucci/AP Trump is assisted by security personnel after the bangs were heard. Trump is assisted by security personnel after the bangs were heard. Brendan McDermid/Reuters Trump can be seen under Secret Service agents covering him. Trump can be seen under Secret Service agents covering him. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images Secret Service agents rush the stage. Secret Service agents rush the stage. Evan Vucci/AP Trump raises a fist as he is helped into a vehicle and taken away from the rally. Trump raises a fist as he is helped into a vehicle and taken away from the rally. Gene J. Puskar/AP 12:28 a.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 Vice President Harris briefed on incident at Trump rally From CNN's Priscilla Alvarez Vice President Kamala Harris has been briefed on the security incident at former President Donald Trump’s rally, according to her office. Harris is en route back to Washington, DC, from a campaign stop in Philadelphia. 12:28 a.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 President Bush calls incident at Trump rally "cowardly attack on his life" From CNN's Jeff Zeleny Former President George W. Bush says he is “grateful” that former President Donald Trump is safe. “Laura and I are grateful that President Trump is safe following the cowardly attack on his life. And we commend the men and women of the Secret Service for their speedy response,” Bush said in his statement. 12:26 a.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 Pennsylvania Sen. Bob Casey says he has offered support in the investigation From CNN's Morgan Rimmer Pennsylvania Sen. Bob Casey, a Democrat, has offered support to law enforcement as investigation to incident at Trump rally begins. “I am monitoring the situation at President Trump’s rally in Butler and I’ve reached out the State Police to offer support,” Casey said in a statement on X. “Political violence is never acceptable and I am hoping former president Trump & all attendees are safe. Everyone in Butler should listen to law enforcement.” 12:22 a.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 NYPD increasing patrol presence at Trump Tower and other NYC locations From CNN's Gloria Pazmino The New York City Police Department is increasing its presence at Trump Tower and other sensitive locations out of an abundance of caution around the city after former President Donald Trump was injured during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday. According to a spokesperson for New York City Mayor Eric Adams, the mayor has been briefed on the incident. The NYPD will also increase security at 40 Wall Street, Foley Square and City Hall. Trump Tower in Manhattan is already under the watch of the NYPD, even though Trump seldom visits his former residence. Over the years, Trump Tower has served as a gathering place for supporters and opponents of the former president. 12:22 a.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 Haley condemns political violence and offers prayers for Trump after Butler incident From CNN's Ebony Davis Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley condemned political violence and offered prayers for Donald Trump after he was rushed off stage after loud bangs were heard at the start of a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. “This should horrify every freedom loving American. Violence against presidential candidates must never be normalized. We are lifting up Donald Trump, the entire Trump family, and all in attendance in prayer,” Haley wrote in a post on X. 12:19 a.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 Elon Musk endorses Trump following Butler incident From CNN's Isabelle D’Antonio and Allison Gordon Billionaire tech investor Elon Musk has announced he is endorsing former President Donald Trump following Saturday’s incident in Butler, Pennsylvania. “I fully endorse President Trump and hope for his rapid recovery,” Musk tweeted. Musk, head of SpaceX, Tesla and X, has made supporting right-wing causes — and extremism, in some situations — increasingly central to his identity. 12:14 a.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 Schumer says he is "horrified" by incident at Trump rally From CNN's Morgan Rimmer Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer issued a statement after the incident at former President Trump’s rally, saying, “I am horrified by what happened at the Trump rally in Pennsylvania and relieved that former President Trump is safe. Political violence has no place in our country.” 12:11 a.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 RFK Jr. calls for unity in wake of Trump incident From CNN's Eva McKend and Aaron Pellish Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy is calling for unity in the wake of former President Donald Trump being rushed off stage by Secret Service at a Pennsylvania campaign rally. “Now is the time for every American who loves our country to step back from the division, renounce all violence, and unite in prayer for President Trump and his family,” he said in a post on X. Details on the incident at the rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, are still sparse, but Trump had blood on his face as he was rushed off stage following the sound of loud bangs. A spokesperson has said he is “fine.” 12:15 a.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries calls political violence "never acceptable," says he is praying for Trump From CNN's Morgan Rimmer House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said in a statement on X that he is praying for former President Donald Trump. “My thoughts and prayers are with former President Trump. I am thankful for the decisive law enforcement response,” he said. “America is a democracy. Political violence of any kind is never acceptable.” 12:04 a.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 Pennsylvania Gov. Shapiro says he's been briefed on situation, condemns political violence From CNN's Veronica Stracqualursi Democratic Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro on Saturday condemned political violence and said he’s been briefed on the incident at Donald Trump’s rally. “Violence targeted at any political party or political leader is absolutely unacceptable,” Shapiro posted to X. “It has no place in Pennsylvania or the United States. I have been briefed on the situation. @PAStatePolice are on the scene in Butler County and working with our federal and local partners.” 11:51 p.m. GMT+1, July 13, 2024 Trump "is fine," spokesperson says From CNN's Sara Murray Donald Trump’s spokesperson Steven Cheung said the former president “is fine.” “President Trump thanks law enforcement and first responders for their quick action during this heinous act. He is fine and is being checked out at a local medical facility. More details will follow,” Cheung said in a statement. 12:30 a.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 Biden receives briefings on Trump rally incident From CNN’s DJ Judd President Joe Biden has been briefed on the incident at former President Donald Trump’s Pennsylvania rally, according to the White House. Biden was attending Mass on Saturday evening when the incident occurred. Biden received an initial briefing in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, before receiving an updated briefing, the White House said Saturday. Per the White House, Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, and Homeland Security adviser Liz Sherwood-Randall are part of the team briefing the president, with White House chief of staff Jeff Zientz, counselor to the president Steve Ricchetti, and deputy chief of staff Annie Tomasini also participating. First Lady Jill Biden was en route back to Delaware from an event in Pittsburgh at the time of the incident. Vice President Kamala Harris was en route back to Washington, DC, from a campaign stop in Philadelphia at the time. This post has been updated with additional information. 11:47 p.m. GMT+1, July 13, 2024 Trump is safe, according to the US Secret Service From CNN’s Holmes Lybrand Former President Donald Trump is safe after an incident at his rally, according to Anthony Guglielmi, US Secret Service chief of communications “An incident occurred the evening of July 13 at a Trump rally in Pennsylvania. The Secret Service has implemented protective measures and the former President is safe. This is now an active Secret Service investigation and further information will be released when available,” Guglielmi said in a statement. 12:17 a.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 "Praying for President Trump": Allies post messages of support after rally incident From CNN's Kit Maher Several allies of Donald Trump and potential vice presidential picks have tweeted messages of support and prayers for the former president, who was injured at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, moments ago. Here’s a look at what they’re saying: Florida Sen. Marco Rubio: “Praying for President Trump and all those attending the rally in Pennsylvania today.” Ohio Sen. JD Vance: “Everyone join me in praying for our President Trump and everyone at that rally. I hope everyone is ok.” North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum: “Please join Kathryn and me in praying for President Trump, his family and everyone attending the rally today” and “We all know President Trump is stronger than his enemies. Today he showed it.” South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott: “Praying for President Trump and everyone at the rally in Pennsylvania. May God watch over them all” South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem: “Pray for Donald J. Trump. Pray for the United States of America. He’s the toughest man I’ve ever met. Nobody’s been through what he’s been through. May swift justice be brought against his evil attacker.” New York Rep. Elise Stefanik: “Please pray for President Trump, his family, and all of the patriots at today’s rally in Pennsylvania.” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis: “@CaseyDeSantis and I are praying for Donald Trump and his family.” Former Vice President Mike Pence: “Karen and I are praying for President Trump and urge every American to join us.” Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders: “President Trump won’t be stopped. America can’t be broken. Pray for our country.” Donald Trump Jr.: “He’ll never stop fighting to Save America.” Several allies posted the photograph of Trump with his fist in the air and blood on his ear, including Sen. Bill Hagerty, Rubio, Scott, Stefanik and Vance. 11:45 p.m. GMT+1, July 13, 2024 ATF agents en route to Trump rally, spokesperson says From CNN's Hannah Rabinowitz Agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is en route to assist at the Trump rally in Pennsylvania, according to a spokesperson. 11:42 p.m. GMT+1, July 13, 2024 Speaker Johnson says he is “praying for President Trump” From CNN's Morgan Rimmer Speaker Mike Johnson posted on X that he is “praying for President Trump,” moments after the former president was taken offstage after he was injured in an incident at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania. House GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik also posted on the platform, saying, “Please pray for President Trump, his family, and all of the patriots at today’s rally in Pennsylvania.” 12:53 a.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 What pool reporters saw and heard at the rally where Trump was rushed off stage Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump is helped off the stage at a campaign event in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday, July 13. Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump is helped off the stage at a campaign event in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday, July 13. Gene J. Puskar/AP Pool reporters at the rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, where former President Donald Trump was rushed offstage reported that they heard ‘“a series of loud explosions or loud bangs” before Secret Service agents rushed toward Trump “The Secret Service went and immediately covered President Trump,” according to the pool report. “Pool heard residual bangs afterward.” “Agents grabbed Trump, who was seen waving his fists in the air,” the pool report added. Secret Service cover Trump af Secret Service cover Trump af Evan Vucci/AP 11:56 p.m. GMT+1, July 13, 2024 Biden departs church and is asked about Trump rally From CNN's Priscilla Alvarez President Joe Biden with Secret Service agents leaves St. Edmond's Roman Catholic Church in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, after attending mass, on Saturday, July 13. ( President Joe Biden with Secret Service agents leaves St. Edmond's Roman Catholic Church in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, after attending mass, on Saturday, July 13. ( Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP President Joe Biden has departed church and was asked by reporters if he was briefed on the incident at the Trump rally, he replied no. 1:21 a.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 Secret Service rushes Trump off stage at rally Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump is surrounded by Secret Service agents at a campaign rally on Saturday, July 13, in Butler, Pennsylvania. Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump is surrounded by Secret Service agents at a campaign rally on Saturday, July 13, in Butler, Pennsylvania. Evan Vucci/AP Secret Service agents rushed former President Donald Trump off the stage after he fell to the ground amid loud bangs at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. After the bangs, Trump fell to the ground and was covered by Secret Service agents. He was stood back up by security personnel and had blood on his face. He was yelling back to the crowd and raising his fist before being was whisked away by security personnel. Trump was then taken to a vehicle and evacuated from the scene. The incident took place moments after he took the stage at the rally. “We heard a bunch of … loud cracking noises. At first I thought: Is that fireworks? All of a sudden everyone started screaming,” said CNN’s Alayna Treene, who was reporting from the rally. People take cover as Secret Service agents surround Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump on stage. People take cover as Secret Service agents surround Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump on stage. Evan Vucci/AP This post has been updated. 11:43 p.m. GMT+1, July 13, 2024 Nikki Haley invited to speak at the Republican convention From CNN's Kate Sullivan Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley has been invited to speak at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee next week, one person familiar told CNN. Former President Donald Trump’s campaign and a spokesperson for Haley did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The news comes after it was announced earlier this week that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a fellow former GOP presidential nominee, is expected to speak at the RNC. CNN reported Tuesday that Haley and DeSantis had been left out of the program, sparking backlash from their supporters. Trump’s team had been discussing whether to invite Haley to the convention next week. Haley, who dropped out of the presidential race in March, announced Tuesday that she was releasing her delegates to the convention and urging them to support Trump. She made clear in a May speech that she would vote for Trump, and the two spoke last month. 11:08 p.m. GMT+1, July 13, 2024 Biden was defensive on tense call with New Democrat Coalition, sources say From CNN's Annie Grayer, Priscilla Alvarez and Lauren Fox President Joe Biden attends a campaign event at Renaissance High School in Detroit on July 12. President Joe Biden attends a campaign event at Renaissance High School in Detroit on July 12. Elizabeth Frantz/Reuters Democratic lawmakers pressed President Joe Biden directly about how he can win reelection in what multiple sources described as a tense call Saturday. Biden, who was 30 minutes late to the private conversation, started his call with the moderate group of House Democrats known as the New Democrat Coalition by asking for lawmakers to ask tough questions, per multiple sources familiar with the call. One of the questions came from Democratic Rep. Jason Crow, who asked Biden whether concerns about his mental acuity would affect national security, two sources told CNN. Biden was animated, per sources, as he defended his record and pointed to the work he has done to strengthen NATO. Lawmakers also sought reassurances from Biden over the course of the call, but those sometimes fell flat and sources described the president’s responses as defensive. “He doesn’t have an answer to the question about what he’s going to do to change the momentum of the campaign,” Rep. Adam Smith, who was on the call, told CNN, adding that the president largely focused on his accomplishments in office. “The message we’ve been getting from him and his team: Shut up, fall in line, everything’s fine,” said Smith, who’s urged Biden to step aside. “That’s not good.” Rep. Chrissy Houlahan of Pennsylvania pressed Biden directly about what his strategy was for winning the state, one of the sources told CNN. Only three lawmakers asked questions on the call, but Biden said he appreciated the feedback and would get back to anyone whom he did not have time for, another one of the sources said. Biden ended the call by saying he had to go to church, per sources. 10:58 p.m. GMT+1, July 13, 2024 Jill Biden leans on her family story while stumping for her husband in Pennsylvania From CNN's Betsy Klein in Pittsburgh First lady Jill Biden hit the campaign trail Saturday to help bolster support for her husband’s reelection bid in battleground Pennsylvania, leaning on her family’s personal story to make inroads with a key group as President Joe Biden contends with concerns about his age and capacity to serve a second term. “In Joe, I found the husband who always supported my career. His family’s struggles to reach the middle class felt so familiar to my own family tree, and the loyalty and the closeness of the Bidens rang true in how I was raised,” Jill Biden said at an Italian Sons and Daughters of America dinner in Pittsburgh. Jill Biden, the first Italian American first lady, said, “Our ancestors kept true to the same values that echo in the motto of this organization: Liberty, unity and duty. You make sure everyone can build a good life in America. That work is personal to Joe, and to me, too.” In the largely apolitical speech, the first lady pointed to some of the president’s values and accomplishments. “He’s making sure that no matter where you start in life, there’s no limit to what you can achieve. He’s helped us heal from the pandemic, created millions of good jobs … and (is) giving more families a sense of real security in the middle class.” The first lady spoke about an hour away from Butler, Pennsylvania, where former President Donald Trump is holding a Saturday evening rally. Vice President Kamala Harris was also in battleground Pennsylvania on Saturday, speaking at a town hall with Asian and Pacific Islander Americans. 10:58 p.m. GMT+1, July 13, 2024 Jennifer Coolidge, Adrienne Warren and Pete and Chasten Buttigieg to headline Biden campaign fundraiser From CNN's DJ Judd From left: actors Jennifer Coolidge and Adrienne Warren, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and his husband, Chasten Buttigieg. From left: actors Jennifer Coolidge and Adrienne Warren, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and his husband, Chasten Buttigieg. Getty Images Actors Jennifer Coolidge and Adrienne Warren, along with Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and his husband, Chasten, will headline a Biden campaign fundraiser next weekend in Provincetown, Massachusetts, featuring Vice President Kamala Harris, the fundraiser’s host announced Saturday. Bryan Rafanelli — the event planner behind the 2022 White House wedding of Naomi Biden, President Joe Biden’s granddaughter, and last year’s Australian state dinner at the White House — posted the lineup to Instagram on Saturday. Per an event invitation, tickets start at $150, while donors who contribute or raise $15,000 or more will have the opportunity to pose for a photo with the vice president. Earlier this week, local paper the Provincetown Independent reported that one of the fundraiser’s co-hosts withdrew from the event shortly after last month’s CNN debate, where Biden’s performance raised alarms among political allies over his fitness for office. “I thought long and hard about it before I backed out of this event,” Terrence Meck said, according to the Independent. “For me, it was not in my heart to continue supporting this candidacy.” CNN has reached out to Meck and the Biden campaign for comment. 10:30 p.m. GMT+1, July 13, 2024 Trump meets privately with potential running mates From CNN's Kristen Holmes Over the last several days, former President Donald Trump held private meetings with three vice presidential hopefuls: Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, Sen. JD Vance of Ohio, and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, a source familiar with the matter tells CNN. Sources said they did not believe Trump made an offer to any candidate. Some details of the meetings were reported earlier by ABC News. 2:20 a.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 Harris says Biden did "outstanding job" during NATO news conference From CNN's DJ Judd and Jacqueline Kalil Vice President Kamala Harris speaks to the press at Reading Terminal Market in Philadelphia on July 13. Vice President Kamala Harris speaks to the press at Reading Terminal Market in Philadelphia on July 13. Ryan Collerd/AFP/Getty Images Vice President Kamala Harris told reporters traveling with her in Philadelphia on Saturday that President Joe Biden did “an outstanding job,” during Thursday’s hour-long news conference on the sidelines of the NATO summit, pointing to a high-energy rally in Detroit on Friday as further evidence there remains “a lot of support” for Biden. “He is a master of the issues, he is so highly respected among our colleagues around the globe, and then you look … to even just what he did last night in Michigan — he’s turning out big crowds, there’s a lot of enthusiasm, there’s a lot of support,” Harris said during a stop at Philadelphia’s Reading Terminal Market. Biden took 19 questions from ten reporters during the solo news conference, though much attention was paid to a duo of gaffes that saw the president mistakenly call Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky as “Putin” and his own vice president as “Vice President Trump.” In her comments Saturday, Harris also acknowledged the presence of Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, calling the Democrat “a great partner to the President.” Earlier tonight: Harris also defended Biden’s reelection bid Saturday during a speech at a Philadelphia town hall organized by the organization APIAVote. Harris once again pointed out the stakes of the 2024 election, which is 115 days away, calling it “the most existential, consequential and important election of our lifetime.” She described Biden as resilient in the face of calls for him to step down from the presidential race. “The past few days have been a reminder that running for president of the United States is never easy, nor should it be,” she said. “But one thing we know about our President Joe Biden, he is a fighter. And he is the first to say when you get knocked down you get right back up. So we will continue to fight.” 10:55 p.m. GMT+1, July 13, 2024 Biden is now on his call with the New Democrat Coalition From CNN's Annie Grayer and Priscilla Alvarez The call between President Joe Biden and the moderate group of House Democrats known as the New Democrat Coalition is now underway, according to multiple sources. This follows Biden’s call with another coalition, the Congressional Progressive Caucus, earlier today, as the president tries to shore up his flagging support with Democratic lawmakers. The calls are giving him a chance to speak directly to critics: All of the House Democrats who have publicly called for Biden to step aside belong to one of the two groups. 10:05 p.m. GMT+1, July 13, 2024 Republican who endorsed Biden appears to walk back support Former Georgia Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan leaves the Fulton County Courthouse in Atlanta on August 14, 2023. Former Georgia Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan leaves the Fulton County Courthouse in Atlanta on August 14, 2023. Alex Slitz/AP Geoff Duncan, the Republican former Georgia lieutenant governor, indicated Sunday that his feelings on President Joe Biden’s candidacy have changed since previously endorsing the president. “The Joe Biden I endorsed a few months ago was not the Joe Biden I saw, or the rest of America saw, during that debate,” he told CNN’s Fredricka Whitfield on Saturday, referring to Biden’s disastrous showing in the CNN presidential debate of late June. “That was shocking beyond my greatest imagination.” While Duncan said he believes the president is “fighting hard” to reestablish his credibility, he said “that ship has sailed in my opinion.” He went on to say he thinks the Democrats’ best chance at beating former President Donald Trump in the upcoming election is to nominate a different candidate. Duncan said Trump creates “chaos and anger” and that he worries what another term would do to the country. “I worry about the economy. I worry about our international relationships. I worry about all kinds of things. I worry about being able to sit down and talk to your neighbor,” he said. “Those are the things that I’m worried about long-term as an American.” Remember: Duncan and other state GOP election officials pushed back against Donald Trump’s false claims of voter fraud in Georgia after the 2020 election — prompting public attacks by the former president and threats from his supporters. When Duncan endorsed Biden, he acknowledged that the president’s “progressive policies aren’t to conservatives’ liking,” but said he felt he was left with no alternative, and argued a second Trump term would hinder the Republican Party from moving forward. 2:25 a.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 Harris' remarks interrupted in Philadelphia by Gaza protesters From CNN's DJ Judd Vice President Kamala Harris was interrupted by protesters Saturday while delivering remarks at a town hall put on by the nonpartisan organization Asian and Pacific Islander American Vote (APIAVote). As she was discussing comments from former President Donald Trump, demonstrators objecting to the Biden administration’s support for Israel’s war in Gaza began to shout from the audience. According to reporters in the room, demonstrators — including at least one small group holding a sign — interrupted, with one chanting, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.” Supporters initially drowned out the protesters with chants of “Four more years,” prompting the vice president to respond: “And we will have those four more years, and we will have those four more years — and of course, we respect everyone’s right to voice their concerns. I am speaking right now, however, and I’m going to continue with the topic at hand.” As she tried to continue, protesters again began to chant, “Free, free Palestine,” prompting supporters again to drown out those protests with, “Four more years.” “We are fighting for a democracy and democratic values, which includes the right of everyone to speak,” Harris said, later repeating, “We are going to have four more years.” In Gaza today, the health ministry says at least 90 Palestinians were killed in an airstrike by Israel, which said its military had launched an attack on Hamas’ military chief. The Israeli attack happened in Al-Mawasi, which is designated by Israel as a safe place for Palestinians fleeing the fighting elsewhere. At least one US-made munition was used in the strike, according to CNN analysis confirmed by a former US Army ordnance disposal technician. This post has been updated to clarify that Harris was speaking at a town hall organized by APIAVote, not an event organized by the Biden campaign. 10:25 p.m. GMT+1, July 13, 2024 Biden holds call with Progressive Caucus From CNN's Annie Grayer President Joe Biden held a call with the Congressional Progressive Caucus on Saturday afternoon. This was one of two calls that Biden planned today with key factions of the House Democratic caucus, and was part of the broader direct outreach Biden is conducting as he tries to assuage concerns within his party. Caucus Chair Pramila Jayapal shared a statement after the private call concluded, saying, “We spoke frankly to the President about our concerns and asked tough questions about the path forward. We appreciate his willingness to thoughtfully answer and address our Members.” Rep. Brad Sherman of California praised the president after the call, saying in a post on X, “Just completed the progressive caucus call with President Biden. What I saw was the President Biden that we saw at the post-NATO press conference, not the Biden we saw in the debate.” Biden’s other call Saturday is with the New Democrat Coalition, CNN reported earlier today. This follows virtual meetings with the political wings of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus on Friday, according to sources familiar with the calls. This post has been updated with statements about the call from caucus members. 9:04 p.m. GMT+1, July 13, 2024 Biden will sit down with BET for interview airing Wednesday From CNN's DJ Judd BET will air an interview with President Joe Biden on Wednesday, according to a Saturday news release from the network. Biden will sit down with veteran BET journalist Ed Gordon for his first on-camera interview with the network. The special — set to air at 10 p.m. ET — “will discuss the growing concern over President Biden’s fitness for office, the state of the economy for Black families, the Project 2025 conservative policy agenda, and the fight to engage Black voters,” according to the network. “Project 2025” refers to a proposed policy platform from a conservative, pro-Trump think tank. Some context: The interview marks the latest effort from the Biden campaign to reach Black voters, who propelled him to victory in 2020. Earlier this month, the campaign drew fire when it was revealed they’d passed along suggested questions to two Black radio hosts. Host Andrea Lawful-Sanders resigned from Philadelphia station WURD after telling CNN that her post-debate interview with President Joe Biden included questions that were pre-selected by Biden’s campaign team. The president is also scheduled to sit down with NBC News’ Lester Holt in Austin on Monday. 2:04 a.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 Biden attacks Trump over "Project 2025," his court cases and verbal slips in blistering speech From CNN's Nikki Carvajal and Arlette Saenz President Joe Biden speaks at a campaign rally at Renaissance High School in Detroit on July 12. President Joe Biden speaks at a campaign rally at Renaissance High School in Detroit on July 12. Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images Speaking before an enthusiastic crowd in Detroit on Friday night, President Joe Biden declared unequivocally that he was staying in the 2024 race and attacked rival Donald Trump in a number of new ways. If you’re catching up on the speech, here were some of the key moments: Biden says he won’t step aside: “I am running and we’re going to win,” the president said to cheers and chants of, “Four more years” and, “Don’t you quit!” Biden said voters made him the nominee and, “I’m not going anywhere.” Outside the friendly confines of a rally, Biden is now engaged in an outreach campaign to key groups of lawmakers to convince them of the same thing. Tying Trump to “Project 2025”: Biden sought to draw policy contrasts with Trump, directly tying him to the controversial conservative policy platform known as “Project 2025.” The president called the policy document — which Trump has distanced himself from — a “blueprint for the second Trump term that every American should read and understand.” He accused his rival of lying about his proximity to the project, saying it’s “run and paid for by Trump people.” His rival’s sexual abuse case: Biden explicitly said that Trump raped a woman, reading from a judge’s ruling against Trump in the defamation case of E. Jean Carroll. “The judge in that case wrote, ‘Mr. Trump’s attempt to minimize sexual abuse, finding it frivolous. Mr. Trump raped her,’” Biden said. “That’s the judge’s language, not mine,” Biden added. “He raped her.” First 100 days in office: For the first time, Biden also laid out what his priorities would be for the first 100 days of his second term, which included codifying Roe v. Wade, making the child tax cuts permanent, expanding Medicare and Medicaid, raising the minimum wage and banning assault weapons. On misspeaking: Biden pointed to Trump’s own verbal slips, the day after Biden faced scrutiny for calling Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelensky “President Putin” and referring to Vice President Kamala Harris as “Vice President Trump.” “I guess they don’t remember that Trump called Nikki Haley ‘Nancy Pelosi,’” Biden said, referring to an incident from the Republican primary. Lengthy remarks: Biden stayed engaged with the crowd throughout the 36-minute appearance. He mostly spoke using a teleprompter but did seem to veer off script at several points in the speech. 8:17 p.m. GMT+1, July 13, 2024 Sen. Sanders tells Democrats to "stop the bickering and nit-picking" and back Biden From CNN's Isabelle D'Antonio Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont continued to urge Democrats to back President Joe Biden’s reelection campaign, writing in a Saturday op-ed for The New York Times that he “may not be the ideal candidate, but he will be the candidate and should be the candidate.” Sanders, an independent who caucuses with Democrats, has been one of Biden’s critical allies in Congress since the 81-year-old president’s dismal debate performance last month spurred calls for him to step aside from the race. Sanders, along with fellow progressive Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, have offered the president lifelines this week, publicly backing him during one of the tensest moments of Biden’s political life. In his op-ed, Sanders acknowledged his disagreements with Biden, including about the US’ support of Israel in its war against Hamas in Gaza, but said “too many Democrats” have focused “on the June presidential debate and the cognitive capabilities of a man who has, perhaps, the most difficult and stressful job in the world.” “Yes. I know: Mr. Biden is old, is prone to gaffes, walks stiffly and had a disastrous debate with Mr. Trump,” Sanders, 82, wrote. “But this I also know: A presidential election is not an entertainment contest. It does not begin or end with a 90-minute debate.” Sanders added: “With an effective campaign that speaks to the needs of working families, he will not only defeat Mr. Trump but beat him badly. It’s time for Democrats to stop the bickering and nit-picking.” 9:42 p.m. GMT+1, July 13, 2024 First on CNN: The Republican National Convention's list of expected speakers From CNN's Kristen Holmes A person walks past the Fiserv Forum ahead of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee on July 11. A person walks past the Fiserv Forum ahead of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee on July 11. Al Drago/Bloomberg/Getty Images The Republican National Convention has a full range of speakers lined up for its conference next week, including potential vice presidential picks, lawmakers, governors, and celebrities like rapper Amber Rose and Dana White from the UFC, according to a source familiar with the plans. CNN reported earlier that former Fox News host Tucker Carlson and ex-Trump administration official Peter Navarro, who is expected to be released from prison on the same day he appears, would also speak. Lawmakers speaking include: Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida Sen. JD Vance of Ohio Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas Sen. Katie Britt of Alabama Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida A number of governors will speak, including: Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida Gov. Doug Burgum of North Dakota Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas Gov. Kristi Noem of South Dakota Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders of Arkansas From the former president’s family, Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump, Lara Trump and Kimberly Guilfoyle will have speaking roles. Other speakers include: Kari Lake, US Senate candidate from Arizona Ben Carson, former US secretary of Housing and Urban Development Mike Pompeo, former US secretary of state Vivek Ramaswamy, businessman Charlie Kirk, CEO of Turning Point USA Amber Rose, rapper and influencer Dana White, CEO of UFC View the full list of speakers here. 7:34 p.m. GMT+1, July 13, 2024 Tucker Carlson expected to speak at GOP convention From CNN's Kate Sullivan Former Fox News host Tucker Carlson is currently slated to speak at the Republican National Convention on the night former President Donald Trump is set to accept the Republican nomination for president, according to a person familiar with the plans. Carlson is scheduled to speak on Thursday, but the source said the day Carlson speaks may change as plans continue to be updated ahead of the convention in Milwaukee next week. In lieu of attending the first GOP primary debate last year, Trump participated in an interview with Carlson, who aired the interview on X during the debate. Carlson and Fox News severed ties last year. The rest of the speaking schedule is taking shape: Peter Navarro, an ex-White House aide to Trump, will also make remarks at the convention, a source familiar with the schedule tells CNN. Navarro is expected to be released from prison — where he has been serving time since March — on Wednesday and will speak at the convention that night. Navarro, an economist who focused on trade policy while in the Trump White House, was jailed for contempt of Congress after his refusal to comply with a subpoena related to the House Select Committee’s investigation of the January 6, 2021, US Capitol attack. This post has been updated with an additional speaker at the convention. 4:16 p.m. GMT+1, July 13, 2024 Biden will hold 2 more calls today aimed at soothing Democratic anxieties, sources say From CNN's MJ Lee, Jeff Zeleny, Manu Raju, Michael Williams and Annie Grayer President Joe Biden is launching a delayed outreach campaign to lawmakers following his closely watched solo news conference and his meeting with House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries earlier this week. The president’s series of calls to key groups of congressional Democrats continues Saturday. He’ll hold virtual meetings with both the New Democrat Coalition and the Congressional Progressive Caucus, according to sources familiar with those meetings. On Friday, the president also had calls with the political wings of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, the sources said. The discussions are aimed at stopping the defections in Biden’s Democratic coalition in Congress, which continued throughout the past week. More than a dozen Democratic House members and at least one Democratic senator have publicly called on Biden to withdraw from his reelection campaign. That list includes multiple House members in the nation’s most competitive congressional districts, but also senior Democrats on influential committees and members in safely Democratic seats. 5:28 p.m. GMT+1, July 13, 2024 Here’s what the Trump and Biden campaigns have planned in the battleground state of Pennsylvania today It has been just over two weeks since the CNN presidential debate upended the 2024 campaign, leaving Democrats in a state of panic over President Joe Biden’s candidacy and allowing former President Donald Trump to largely sit back and watch the uncertainty unfold. Trump returns to the campaign trail Saturday, holding a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, at 5 p.m. ET. His last major event was held Tuesday in Miami. As the Republican National Convention inches closer, all eyes are on when the former president will announce his running mate. US Senate candidate Dave McCormick will speak at tonight’s rally, his spokesperson confirmed to CNN. McCormick — who earned Trump’s endorsem*nt in April after failing to do so in his 2022 primary contest against Mehmet Oz — is challenging Pennsylvania Sen. Bob Casey. The Biden campaign will also be on the trail in Pennsylvania today, with Vice President Kamala Harris set to give a keynote speech this afternoon at the Asian and Pacific Islander American Vote Presidential Town Hall in Philadelphia. This event is a continuation of the Biden-Harris campaign’s national organizing and engagement program focused on mobilizing AAPI voters. First lady Jill Biden, meanwhile, will deliver remarks at an Italian Sons and Daughters of America dinner in Pittsburgh. Remember: Pennsylvania, with its 19 electoral votes, is considered a key battleground state in the 2024 contest. It is one of the “Blue Wall” states, along with Michigan and Wisconsin, that the Biden campaign views as his most direct path to reelection. CNN’s Kit Maher and Christian Sierra contributed to this report. This post has been updated with details about Trump’s rally tonight. 2:05 a.m. GMT+1, July 14, 2024 Catch up on the Republican Party's new Trump-centered platform before the RNC next week From CNN's Zachary B. Wolf and Curt Merrill Former President Donald Trump arrives for a campaign rally on July 9, in Doral, Florida. Former President Donald Trump arrives for a campaign rally on July 9, in Doral, Florida. Joe Raedle/Getty Images Republicans adopted a new platform for Donald Trump’s third White House run that mainlines the former president’s policies and makes Trump himself a focus of the party. The policy blueprint is a fraction of the length of the 2016 platform and written in Trump’s voice. Republicans also modestly softened their language on the issue of abortion — angering some anti-abortion activists — and made clear that, like Trump, the party will favor a state-by-state local approach to the issue, meaning they will support efforts to ban abortion outright in some states and allow it to exist in others. CNN annotated the full Republican Party platform — here are some of the other takeaways: Right off the bat, note that Trump’s signature motto “Make America Great Again!” is now the official tagline of the Republican Party. The document’s dedication, “To the Forgotten Men and Women of America,” speaks to a central message in Trump’s populist rhetoric. His base of support is built on White voters without a college degree. The document’s preamble is titled “America First.” Putting the United States above all other countries is also central to Trump’s populism. A little lower, the GOP agenda breaks into a 20-item list of promises — written in all capital letters, in Trump’s style — that it claims can be accomplished “very quickly.” The goals include sealing the border, “ending” inflation, making the US energy independent, and restoring peace in the Middle East and Europe. Notably, the list includes both the promise of no cuts to Social Security or Medicare and a vow to provide a large tax cut to workers. There is no mention of the spiraling national debt, which was once a major issue for Republicans. Read through CNN’s interactive with the entire GOP platform annotated here. 3:01 p.m. GMT+1, July 13, 2024 Analysis: Republicans and Democrats take opposite approaches to flawed candidates From CNN's Zachary B. Wolf Former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden. Former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden. Bill Pugliano, Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images Both President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump are well into retirement age. Both ramble through answers to questions when they bother to take them. Both mix up names. Neither took part in debates during a primary season in which they racked up wins. One of the men, Trump, 78, has been able to remake the Republican Party around his own divisive persona, despite being a recently convicted felon, indicted for election interference and mishandling classified documents, and found liable for sexual abuse and defamation — as well as lying about his net worth to get loans tied to his massive real estate portfolio. Meanwhile, Biden, 81, has now spent weeks defiantly defending his fitness for the job, slowly emerging from a protective bubble at the White House after a disastrous debate and spotty subsequent interviews. The next week will offer a fresh look at what must feel like a cruel dichotomy to Biden supporters. When the Republican National Convention gets underway Monday, it will show off a speaking schedule full of far-right personalities and an official party platform rewritten and simplified around Trump’s priorities. Trump, between now and then, will pick a vice president from a short list of people who have previously criticized him but are now all in on his candidacy. While the former president celebrates his dominance at the convention, Biden will be fighting back the argument that Democratic convention delegates should pick a younger successor next month. The latest in a series of public tests of Biden’s abilities will be another interview with a network news anchor, NBC this time, broadcast in prime time on Monday. 1:50 p.m. GMT+1, July 13, 2024 Some Black voters who helped Biden win Georgia in 2020 say it's too risky to abandon him now From CNN's Rene Marsh, Jade Gordon and Arit John Four years ago, Black voters saved Biden’s bid for the Democratic presidential nomination after his poor finishes in predominantly White early voting states. Now, that support within the Black community – from battleground state voters and Black leaders – serves as one of the last bulwarks against a growing number of lawmakers and donors asking him to pass the torch. In interviews, the president’s supporters in the state shared a similar message: The stakes of this election are too high to change course now. Voter voices: Alanna Morris tuned in to last month’s presidential debate hoping to watch President Joe Biden “wipe the floor” with former President Donald Trump. Instead, the 44-year-old Atlanta cardiologist saw a candidate she hardly recognized. She turned the event off halfway through, feeling sad and concerned the president had suffered a medical event like a stroke. That disappointment, however, hasn’t dissuaded her from her plan to vote for the president. She finds the alternative – a second Trump term – untenable. “Don’t rock the boat unless you have a plan to get me back to shore,” she said. “Getting me to shore is making sure that Donald Trump is not in office come January 2025.” “I am voting for democracy, and as of right now a convicted felon is not it,” Jarita Burdette, a 42-year-old Atlanta resident, told CNN. “Biden’s our guy, that’s who I’m riding with.” “The Democratic Party knew four years ago how old Joe Biden would be in 2024,” said Michelle Mitchell, a 69-year-old Black Atlanta resident who participated in a CNN roundtable with older voters and opposes efforts to pressure Biden to step aside. “To try to pull a stunt like this at the 11th hour is very disappointing.” Hear more thoughts from Georgia voters here. 1:37 p.m. GMT+1, July 13, 2024 Biden tells crowd in Detroit that he's still running — "and we're going to win" From CNN's Nikki Carvajal and Arlette Saenz President Joe Biden addresses supporters at a campaign event on July 12, in Detroit, Michigan. President Joe Biden addresses supporters at a campaign event on July 12, in Detroit, Michigan. Bill Pugliano/Getty Images President Joe Biden charged forward with his campaign before an enthusiastic crowd in Detroit on Friday, declaring unequivocally, “I am running.” He attacked Donald Trump in a number of new ways, including explicitly saying that Trump raped a woman. “Fourteen million Democrats like you voted for me in the primaries,” Biden said. “You made me the nominee, no one else. Not the press, not the pundits, not the insiders, not the donors. You the voters. You decided, no one else, and I’m not going anywhere.” “I am running and we’re going to win,” he said to cheers. The speech at a Detroit high school comes as the president has remained defiant in the face of growing calls from Democratic lawmakers and donors for him to step aside in the race. The Michigan crowd encouraged Biden to stay in the race, breaking out in a chant of “Don’t you quit!” For the first time, Biden also laid out what his priorities would be for the first 100 days of his second term, which included codifying Roe v. Wade, making the child tax cuts permanent, expanding Medicare and Medicaid, raising the minimum wage and banning assault weapons. Biden was clearly engaged with the crowd throughout his lengthy remarks which ran for 36 minutes. 1:15 p.m. GMT+1, July 13, 2024 "He raped her," Biden cites judge’s ruling in Trump’s sexual abuse case at rally From CNN's Nikki Carvajal and Arlette Saenz President Joe Biden sought to draw policy contrasts Friday night with former president Donald Trump, directly tying him to the conservative policy blueprint known as “Project 2025.” He attacked Trump in a number of new ways, including explicitly saying that Trump raped a woman. Biden read from a judge’s ruling against Trump in the defamation case of E. Jean Carol. “Donald Trump was found liable for sexual assault by a judge who told us not to be fooled by Trump brushing it off,” Biden said. “This is what the judge wrote quote, the judge in that case wrote ‘Mr. Trump’s attempt to minimize sexual abuse, finding it frivolous. Mr. Trump raped her.’” “That’s the judge’s language, not mine,” Biden added. “He raped her. As many people understand the word rape.” Among his other direct attacks on Trump, Biden called the former president a “loser,” and a “convicted criminal.” He accused Trump of “riding around in his golf cart, filling out a scorecard before he hits the ball,” and said he “filed for bankruptcy 6 times.” “He even went bankrupt running a casino,” Biden said. “I didn’t think that was possible. Doesn’t the house always win in a casino?” Biden also pointed out Trump’s own verbal slips – the day after Biden himself called Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelensky “President Putin” and referred to Vice President Kamala Harris as “Vice President Trump” “I guess they don’t remember that Trump called Nikki Haley ‘Nancy Pelosi,’” Biden said. The president mostly spoke using a teleprompter but did seem to veer off script at several points in the speech. 3:38 p.m. GMT+1, July 13, 2024 Washington Post Editorial Board: "Biden remains in denial" From CNN's Brian Rokus The editorial board of the Washington Post is calling on President Joe Biden’s allies to have a “candid conversation with him” but is not outright calling on him to leave the race. “Based on his comments Thursday, Mr. Biden seems to be somewhat oblivious to the political furor surrounding him and in denial about his frailty, personally and politically,” the Post wrote in a Friday opinion piece. “He needs to come to grips with reality,” the headline reads. “What makes Mr. Biden’s cognitive decline especially damaging is that he and his aides have systematically failed to level with the public about it. This undercuts Democrats’ efforts to contrast their commitment to facts and science with Mr. Trump’s lies and flights of demagoguery — however worse morally those might be,” the editorial continues. The board ended by calling for those close to the president to speak with him. “Mr. Biden said on Thursday he’s ‘not in this for my legacy.’ Well and good. What, then, is he in it for? The only right answer is the good of the country. And those with influence and access to the president need to explain forcefully and candidly what that calls for now.” 1:41 p.m. GMT+1, July 13, 2024 Analysis: Trump is favored, but Biden can still win this election Analysis from CNN's Harry Enten Former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden. Former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden. Getty Images I’ve tended to be pessimistic about President Joe Biden’s chances of reelection. There are plenty of reasons for that — for instance, he’s trailing in the polls both nationally and in swing states and has an approval rating south of 40%. But sometimes it’s worth taking a step back and looking at the counterargument. Biden’s been through arguably two of the worst weeks for a president running for reelection that I can recall, and he’s still within earshot of former President Donald Trump. If you average the national polls since the debate 15 days ago, Trump’s ahead by 3 points. An NPR/PBS News/Marist College poll out Friday morning even put the race at 50% for Biden to 48% for Trump (a result within the margin of error). No one should be comfortable calling the presidential race with these sorts of polling results. Since 1972, the average difference between the polls at this point and the eventual result has been 6 points. Sometimes races change by far more than that. Democrat Michael Dukakis led Republican George H.W. Bush by mid-to-high single digits at this point in 1988 before the party conventions. By the time the race was over, Bush had defeated Dukakis by 8 points. Biden and Trump’s own history should make you think twice about calling wraps on this race as well. Biden was ahead by 9 points in the early July national polls in 2020. He ended up winning the national popular vote by only half that (4.5 points). Biden’s clearest path, according to the public data (and both campaigns), continues to be through the northern battleground states of Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Wins in all three would likely mean Biden can lose Arizona, George, Nevada and North Carolina and still pull off a victory. History of the United States Article Talk Read Edit View history Tools Appearance hide Text Small Standard Large Width Standard Wide Color (beta) Automatic Light Dark Page protected with pending changes From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia "American history" redirects here. For the history of the continents, see History of the Americas. Further information: Economic history of the United States Current territories of the United States after the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands was given independence in 1994 This article is part of a series on the History of the United States Timeline and periods Prehistoric and Pre-Columbian Era until 1607 Colonial Era 1607–1765 1776–1789 American Revolution 1765–1783 Confederation period 1783–1788 1789–1815 Federalist Era 1788–1801 Jeffersonian Era 1801–1817 1815–1849 Era of Good Feelings 1817–1825 Jacksonian Era 1825–1849 1849–1865 Civil War Era 1849–1865 1865–1917 Reconstruction Era 1865–1877 Gilded Age 1877–1896 Progressive Era 1896–1917 1917–1945 World War I 1917–1918 Roaring Twenties 1918–1929 Great Depression 1929–1941 World War II 1941–1945 1945–1964 Post-World War II Era 1945–1964 Civil Rights Era 1954–1968 1964–1980 Civil Rights Era 1954–1968 Vietnam War 1964–1975 1980–1991 Reagan Era 1981–1991 1991–2008 Post-Cold War Era 1991–2008 2008–present Modern Era 2008–present Topics American CenturyAntisemitismCivil unrest Racial violenceCultural CinemaMusicNewspapersSportsDemography ImmigrationEconomy BankingEducation Higher educationFlagGovernment AbortionCapital punishmentCivil rightsCorruptionThe ConstitutionDebt ceilingDirect democracyForeign policyLaw enforcementPostal serviceTaxationVoting rightsJournalismMerchant MarineMilitary ArmyMarine CorpsNavyAir ForceSpace ForceCoast GuardParty Systems FirstSecondThirdFourthFifthSixthReligionSocial classSlavery Sexual slaveryTechnology and industry AgricultureLaborLumberMedicineRailway Groups African AmericanAsian American Chinese AmericanFilipino AmericanIndian AmericanJapanese AmericanKorean AmericanThai AmericanVietnamese AmericanEuropean American Albanian AmericanEnglish AmericanEstonian AmericanFinnish AmericanGerman AmericanIrish AmericanItalian AmericanLithuanian AmericanPolish AmericanSerbian AmericanHispanic and Latino American Mexican AmericanJewish AmericanMiddle Eastern American Egyptian AmericanIranian AmericanIraqi AmericanLebanese AmericanPalestinian AmericanSaudi AmericanNative Americans CherokeeComancheWomenLGBT Gay menLesbiansTransgender people Places Territorial evolution Admission to the UnionHistoric regionsAmerican frontierManifest destinyIndian removal Regions New EnglandThe SouthThe West Coast States ALAKAZARCACOCTDEFLGAHIIDILINIAKSKYLAMEMDMAMIMNMSMOMTNENVNHNJNMNYNCNDOHOKORPARISCSDTNTXUTVTVAWAWVWIWY Territories DCASGUMPPRVI Cities Urban history Cities OutlineList of yearsHistoriography Category Portal vte The history of the lands that became the United States began with the arrival of the first people in the Americas around 15,000 BC. Numerous indigenous cultures formed. After European colonization of North America began in the late 15th century, wars and epidemics decimated indigenous societies. Starting in 1585, the British Empire colonized the Atlantic Coast, and by the 1760s, the thirteen British colonies were established. The Southern Colonies built an agricultural system on slave labor, enslaving millions from Africa for this purpose. After defeating France, the British Parliament imposed a series of taxes, including the Stamp Act of 1765, rejecting the colonists' constitutional argument that new taxes needed their approval. Resistance to these taxes, especially the Boston Tea Party in 1773, led to Parliament issuing the Intolerable Acts designed to end self-government. Armed conflict began in Massachusetts in 1775. In 1776, in Philadelphia, the Second Continental Congress declared the independence of the colonies as the "United States of America". Led by General George Washington, it won the Revolutionary War in 1783. The Treaty of Paris established the borders of the new sovereign state. The Articles of Confederation, while establishing a central government, was ineffectual at providing stability. A convention wrote a new Constitution that was adopted in 1789, and a Bill of Rights was added in 1791 to guarantee inalienable rights. Washington, the first president, and his adviser Alexander Hamilton created a strong central government. The Louisiana Purchase in 1803 doubled the size of the country. Encouraged by available, inexpensive land and the notion of manifest destiny, the country expanded to the Pacific Coast. After 1830, Indian tribes were forcibly removed to the West. The resulting expansion of slavery was increasingly controversial, and fueled political and constitutional battles which were resolved by compromises. Slavery was abolished in all states north of the Mason–Dixon line by 1804, but it continued in southern states to support their agricultural economy. After the election of Abraham Lincoln as president in 1860, the southern states seceded from the Union to form the pro-slavery Confederate States of America, and started the Civil War. The Confederates' defeat in 1865 led to the abolition of slavery. In the subsequent Reconstruction era, legal and voting rights were extended to freed male slaves. The national government emerged much stronger, and gained explicit duty to protect individual rights. White southern Democrats regained their political power in the South in 1877, often using paramilitary suppression of voting and Jim Crow laws to maintain white supremacy, as well as new state constitutions that legalized racial discrimination and prevented most African Americans from participating in public life. The United States became the world's leading industrial power in the 20th century, due to entrepreneurship, industrialization, and the arrival of millions of immigrant workers and farmers. A national railroad network was completed, and large-scale mines and factories were established. Dissatisfaction with corruption, inefficiency, and traditional politics stimulated the Progressive movement, leading to reforms including the federal income tax, direct election of Senators, citizenship for many indigenous people, alcohol prohibition, and women's suffrage. Initially neutral during World War I, the United States declared war on Germany in 1917, joining the successful Allies. After the prosperous Roaring Twenties, the Wall Street Crash of 1929 marked the onset of the decade-long worldwide Great Depression. President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal programs, including unemployment relief and social security, defined modern American liberalism.[1] Following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States entered World War II and financed the Allied war effort, helping defeat Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy in the European theater. In the Pacific War, America defeated Imperial Japan after using nuclear weapons on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The United States and the Soviet Union emerged as rival superpowers in the aftermath of World War II. During the Cold War, the two countries confronted each other indirectly in the arms race, the Space Race, propaganda campaigns, and proxy wars. In the 1960s, in large part due to the civil rights movement, social reforms enforced the constitutional rights of voting and freedom of movement to African Americans. In the 1980s, Ronald Reagan's presidency realigned American politics towards reductions in taxes and regulations. The Cold War ended when the Soviet Union was dissolved in 1991, leaving the United States as the world's sole superpower. Foreign policy after the Cold War has often focused on many conflicts in the Middle East, especially after the September 11 attacks. In the 21st century, the country was negatively affected by the Great Recession and the COVID-19 pandemic. Indigenous inhabitants Main articles: Geological history of North America, History of Native Americans in the United States, and Pre-Columbian era See also: Native Americans in the United States Approximate location of the ice-free corridor and specific Paleoindian sites (Clovis theory) It is not definitively known how or when Native Americans first settled the Americas and the present-day United States. The prevailing theory proposes that people from Eurasia followed game across Beringia, a land bridge that connected Siberia to present-day Alaska during the Ice Age, and then spread southward throughout the Americas. This migration may have begun as early as 30,000 years ago[2] and continued through to about 10,000 years ago, when the land bridge became submerged by the rising sea level caused by the melting glaciers.[3] These early inhabitants, called Paleo-Indians, soon diversified into hundreds of culturally distinct settlements and countries. This pre-Columbian era incorporates all periods in the history of the Americas before the appearance of European influences on the American continents, spanning from the original settlement in the Upper Paleolithic period to European colonization during the early modern period. While the term technically refers to the era before Christopher Columbus' voyage in 1492, in practice the term usually includes the history of American indigenous cultures until they were conquered or significantly influenced by Europeans, even if this happened decades or centuries after Columbus's initial landing.[4] Paleo-Indians Main article: Pre-Columbian North America The cultural areas of pre-Columbian North America, according to Alfred Kroeber By 10,000 BCE, humans were relatively well-established throughout North America. Originally, Paleo-Indians hunted Ice Age megafauna like mammoths, but as they began to go extinct, people turned instead to bison as a food source. As time went on, foraging for berries and seeds became an important alternative to hunting. Paleo-Indians in central Mexico were the first in the Americas to farm, starting to plant corn, beans, and squash around 8,000 BCE. Eventually, the knowledge began to spread northward. By 3,000 BCE, corn was being grown in the valleys of Arizona and New Mexico, followed by primitive irrigation systems and, by 300 BCE, early villages of the Hohokam.[5][6] One of the earlier cultures in the present-day United States was the Clovis culture, who are primarily identified by the use of fluted spear points called the Clovis point. From 9,100 to 8,850 BCE, the culture ranged over much of North America and also appeared in South America. Artifacts from this culture were first excavated in 1932 near Clovis, New Mexico. The Folsom culture was similar, but is marked by the use of the Folsom point. A later migration identified by linguists, anthropologists, and archeologists occurred around 8,000 BCE. This included Na-Dene-speaking peoples, who reached the Pacific Northwest by 5,000 BCE.[7] From there, they migrated along the Pacific Coast and into the interior and constructed large multi-family dwellings in their villages, which were used only seasonally in the summer to hunt and fish, and in the winter to gather food supplies.[8] Another group, the Oshara tradition people, who lived from 5,500 BCE to 600 CE, were part of the Archaic Southwest. Mound builders and pueblos Duration: 10 minutes and 58 seconds.10:58 The First Corn, folktale from the Pawnee people. Maize was the staple crop for Native American agriculture. Main articles: Mound Builders and Ancestral Puebloans Monks Mound of Cahokia (UNESCO World Heritage Site) in summer Cliff Palace, Mesa Verde National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site The Adena began constructing large earthwork mounds around 600 BCE. They are the earliest known people to have been Mound Builders, however, there are mounds in the United States that predate this culture. Watson Brake is an 11-mound complex in Louisiana that dates to 3,500 BCE, and nearby Poverty Point, built by the Poverty Point culture, is an earthwork complex that dates to 1,700 BCE. These mounds likely served a religious purpose. The Adenans were absorbed into the Hopewell tradition, a powerful people who traded tools and goods across a wide territory. They continued the Adena tradition of mound-building, with remnants of several thousand still in existence across the core of their former territory in southern Ohio. The Hopewell pioneered a trading system called the Hopewell Exchange System, which at its greatest extent ran from the present-day Southeast up to the Canadian side of Lake Ontario.[9] By 500 CE, the Hopewellians had too disappeared, absorbed into the larger Mississippian culture. The Mississippians were a broad group of tribes. Their most important city was Cahokia, near modern-day St. Louis, Missouri. At its peak in the 12th century, the city had an estimated population of 20,000, larger than the population of London at the time. The entire city was centered around a mound that stood 100 feet (30 m) tall. Cahokia, like many other cities and villages of the time, depended on hunting, foraging, trading, and agriculture, and developed a class system with slaves and human sacrifice that was influenced by societies to the south, like the Mayans.[5] In the Southwest, the Anasazi began constructing stone and adobe pueblos around 900 BCE.[10] These apartment-like structures were often built into cliff faces, as seen in the Cliff Palace at Mesa Verde. Some grew to be the size of cities, with Pueblo Bonito along the Chaco River in New Mexico once consisting of 800 rooms.[5] Northwest and northeast Main articles: Indigenous peoples of the Eastern Woodlands and Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast The K'alyaan Totem pole of the Tlingit Kiks.ádi Clan, erected at Sitka National Historical Park to commemorate the lives lost in the 1804 Battle of Sitka The indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest were likely the most affluent Native Americans. Many distinct cultural groups and political entities developed there, but they all shared certain beliefs, traditions, and practices, such as the centrality of salmon as a resource and spiritual symbol. Permanent villages began to develop in this region as early as 1,000 BCE, and these communities celebrated by the gift-giving feast of the potlatch. These gatherings were usually organized to commemorate special events such as the raising of a Totem pole or the celebration of a new chief. In present-day upstate New York, the Iroquois formed a confederacy of tribal peoples in the mid-15th century, consisting of the Oneida, Mohawk, Onondaga, Cayuga, and Seneca. Their system of affiliation was a kind of federation, different from the strong, centralized European monarchies.[11][12][13] Each tribe had seats in a group of 50 sachem chiefs. It has been suggested that their culture contributed to political thinking during the development of the United States government. The Iroquois were powerful, waging war with many neighboring tribes, and later, Europeans. As their territory expanded, smaller tribes were forced further west, including the Osage, Kaw, Ponca, and Omaha peoples.[13][14] Native Hawaiians Main articles: Ancient Hawaii and Hawaiian Kingdom The exact date for the settling of Hawaii is disputed but the first settlement most likely took place between 940 and 1130 CE.[15] Around 1200 CE, Tahitian explorers found and began settling the area as well establishing a new caste system. This marked the rise of the Hawaiian civilization, which would be largely separated from the rest of the world until the arrival of the British 600 years later.[16][17][18] Europeans under the British explorer James Cook arrived in the Hawaiian Islands in 1778, and within five years of contact, European military technology would help Kamehameha I conquer most of the island group, and eventually unify the islands for the first time; establishing the Hawaiian Kingdom.[19] Puerto Rico Main articles: History of Puerto Rico and Taino The island of Puerto Rico has been settled for at least 4,000 years dating back to the remains of Puerto Ferro man. Starting with the Ortoiroid culture, successive generations of native migrations arrived replacing or absorbing local populations. By the year 1000 Arawak people had arrived from South America via the Lesser Antilles, these settlers would become the Taíno encountered by the Spanish in 1493. Upon European contact a native population between 30,000 and 60,000 was likely, led by a single chief called a Cacique.[20] Colonization resulted in the decimation of the local inhabitants due to the harsh Encomienda system and epidemics caused by Old World diseases. Puerto Rico would remain a part of Spain until American annexation in 1898.[20] European colonization (1075–1754) Main article: Colonial history of the United States The Mayflower in Plymouth Harbor. Fluyts, caravels and carracks brought the first Europeans to the Americas. Norse exploration Main article: Norse colonization of North America The earliest recorded European mention of America is in a historical treatise by the medieval chronicler Adam of Bremen, circa 1075, where it is referred to as Vinland.[a] It is also extensively referred to in the 13th-century Norse Vinland sagas, which relate to events which occurred around 1000. Whilst the strongest archaeological evidence of the existence of Norse settlements in America is located in Canada, most notably at L'Anse aux Meadows and dated to circa 1000, there is significant scholarly debate as to whether Norse explorers also made landfall in New England and other east-coast areas.[22] In 1925, President Calvin Coolidge declared that a Norse explorer called Leif Erikson (c. 970 – c. 1020) was the first European to discover America.[23] Early settlements Main article: European colonization of the Americas The Spaniards then rediscovered America in 1492. After a period of exploration sponsored by major European states, the first successful English settlement was established in 1607. Europeans brought horses, cattle, and hogs to the Americas and, in turn, took back maize, turkeys, tomatoes, potatoes, tobacco, beans, and squash to Europe. Many explorers and early settlers died after being exposed to new diseases in the Americas. However, the effects of new Eurasian diseases carried by the colonists, especially smallpox and measles, were much worse for the Native Americans, as they had no immunity to them. They suffered epidemics and died in very large numbers, usually before large-scale European settlement began. Their societies were disrupted and hollowed out by the scale of deaths.[24][25] Spanish contact Landing of Columbus in Hispaniola Main article: Spanish colonization of the Americas Spanish explorers were the first Europeans, after the Norse, to reach the present-day United States, after Christopher Columbus's expeditions (beginning in 1492) established possessions in the Caribbean, including the modern-day U.S. territories of Puerto Rico, and parts of the U.S. Virgin Islands. Juan Ponce de León landed in Florida in 1513.[26] Spanish expeditions quickly reached the Appalachian Mountains, the Mississippi River, the Grand Canyon,[27] and the Great Plains.[28] Duration: 20 minutes and 5 seconds.20:05 The letter of Christopher Columbus on the Discovery of America to King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain In 1539, Hernando de Soto extensively explored the Southeast,[28] and a year later Francisco Coronado explored from Arizona to central Kansas in search of gold.[28] Escaped horses from Coronado's party spread over the Great Plains, and the Plains Indians mastered horsemanship within a few generations.[5] Small Spanish settlements eventually grew to become important cities, such as San Antonio, Albuquerque, Tucson, Los Angeles, and San Francisco.[29] Dutch mid-Atlantic Main article: Dutch colonization of the Americas New Amsterdam in c. 1626 The Dutch East India Company sent explorer Henry Hudson to search for a Northwest Passage to Asia in 1609. New Netherland was established in 1621 by the company to capitalize on the North American fur trade. Growth was slow at first due to mismanagement by the Dutch and Native American conflicts. After the Dutch purchased the island of Manhattan from the Native Americans for a reported price of US$24, the land was named New Amsterdam and became the capital of New Netherland. The town rapidly expanded and in the mid-1600s it became an important trading center and port. Despite being Calvinists and building the Reformed Church in America, the Dutch were tolerant of other religions and cultures and traded with the Iroquois to the north.[30] The colony served as a barrier to British expansion from New England, and as a result a series of wars were fought. The colony was taken over by Britain as New York in 1664 and its capital was renamed New York City. New Netherland left an enduring legacy on American cultural and political life of religious tolerance and sensible trade in urban areas and rural traditionalism in the countryside (typified by the story of Rip Van Winkle). Notable Americans of Dutch descent include Martin Van Buren, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Eleanor Roosevelt and the Frelinghuysens.[30] Swedish settlement Main article: New Sweden Nothnagle Log House, the oldest wooden building in the United States In the early years of the Swedish Empire, Swedish, Dutch, and German stockholders formed the New Sweden Company to trade furs and tobacco in North America. The company's first expedition was led by Peter Minuit, who had been governor of New Netherland from 1626 to 1631 but left after a dispute with the Dutch government, and landed in Delaware Bay in March 1638. The settlers founded Fort Christina at the site of modern-day Wilmington, Delaware, and made treaties with the indigenous groups for land ownership on both sides of the Delaware River.[31][32] Over the following seventeen years, 12 more expeditions brought settlers from the Swedish Empire (which also included contemporary Finland, Estonia, and portions of Latvia, Norway, Russia, Poland, and Germany) to New Sweden. The colony established 19 permanent settlements along with many farms, extending into modern-day Maryland, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. It was incorporated into New Netherland in 1655 after a Dutch invasion from the neighboring New Netherland colony during the Second Northern War.[31][32] French and Spanish The San Pablo Bastion (completed by 1683) of the Castillo de San Marcos in St. Augustine, Florida Giovanni da Verrazzano landed in North Carolina in 1524, and was the first European to sail into New York Harbor and Narragansett Bay. In the 1540s, French Huguenots settled at Fort Caroline near present-day Jacksonville in Florida. In 1565, Spanish forces led by Pedro Menéndez destroyed the settlement and established the first Spanish settlement in what would become the United States — St. Augustine. Most French lived in Quebec and Acadia (modern Canada), but far-reaching trade relationships with Native Americans throughout the Great Lakes and Midwest spread their influence. French colonists in small villages along the Mississippi and Illinois rivers lived in farming communities that served as a grain source for Gulf Coast settlements. The French established plantations in Louisiana along with settling New Orleans, Mobile and Biloxi. British colonies Further information: British colonization of the Americas and British North America English peasants settling the east of North Carolina in 1713 The English, drawn in by Francis Drake's raids on Spanish treasure ships leaving the New World, settled the strip of land along the east coast in the 1600s. The first British colony in North America was established at Roanoke by Walter Raleigh in 1585, but failed. It would be twenty years before another attempt.[5] The early British colonies were established by private groups seeking profit, and were marked by starvation, disease, and Native American attacks. Many immigrants were people seeking religious freedom or escaping political oppression, peasants displaced by the Industrial Revolution, or those simply seeking adventure and opportunity. Between the late 1610s and the Revolution, the British shipped an estimated 50,000 to 120,000 convicts to their American colonies.[33] In some areas, Native Americans taught colonists how to plant and harvest the native crops. In others, they attacked the settlers. Virgin forests provided an ample supply of building material and firewood. Natural inlets and harbors lined the coast, providing easy ports for essential trade with Europe. Settlements remained close to the coast due to this as well as Native American resistance and the Appalachian Mountains that were found in the interior.[5] First settlement in Jamestown Main articles: Jamestown, Virginia and Colony of Virginia The Indian massacre of Jamestown settlers in 1622. Soon the colonists in Virginia feared all natives as enemies. The first successful English colony, Jamestown, was established by the Virginia Company in 1607 on the James River in Virginia. The colonists were preoccupied with the search for gold and were ill-equipped for life in the New World. Captain John Smith held the fledgling Jamestown together in the first year, and the colony descended into anarchy and nearly failed when he returned to England two years later. John Rolfe began experimenting with tobacco from the West Indies in 1612, and by 1614 the first shipment arrived in London. It became Virginia's chief source of revenue within a decade. In 1624, after years of disease and Indian attacks, including the Powhatan attack of 1622, King James I revoked the Virginia Company's charter and made Virginia a royal colony. New England Colonies Main articles: New England Colonies and Puritan migration to New England (1620–1640) The First Thanksgiving at Plymouth, 1914, Pilgrim Hall Museum, Plymouth, Massachusetts Duration: 41 minutes and 43 seconds.41:43 "A Model of Christian Charity", authored by Puritan leader John Winthrop New England was initially settled primarily by Puritans fleeing religious persecution. The Pilgrims sailed for Virginia on the Mayflower in 1620, but were knocked off course by a storm and landed at Plymouth, where they agreed to a social contract of rules in the Mayflower Compact. During the first winter at Plymouth, about half of the Pilgrims died.[34] Like Jamestown, Plymouth suffered from disease and starvation, but local Wampanoag Indians taught the colonists how to farm maize. Plymouth was followed by the Puritans and Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1630. They maintained a charter for self-government separate from England, and elected founder John Winthrop as the governor for most of its early years. Roger Williams opposed Winthrop's treatment of Native Americans and religious intolerance, and established the colony of Providence Plantations, later Rhode Island, on the basis of freedom of religion. Other colonists established settlements in the Connecticut River Valley, and on the coasts of present-day New Hampshire and Maine. Native American attacks continued, with the most significant occurring in the 1637 Pequot War and the 1675 King Philip's War. New England became a center of commerce and industry due to the poor, mountainous soil making agriculture difficult. Rivers were harnessed to power grain mills and sawmills, and the numerous harbors facilitated trade. Tight-knit villages developed around these industrial centers, and Boston became one of America's most important ports. Middle Colonies Main article: Middle Colonies Treaty of Penn with Indians in the province of Pennsylvania by Benjamin West In the 1660s, the Middle Colonies of New York, New Jersey, and Delaware were established in the former Dutch New Netherland, and were characterized by a large degree of ethnic and religious diversity. At the same time, the Iroquois of New York, strengthened by years of fur trading with Europeans, formed the powerful Iroquois Confederacy. The last colony in this region was Pennsylvania, established in 1681 by William Penn as a home for religious dissenters, including Quakers, Methodists, and the Amish.[35] The capital of the colony, Philadelphia, became a dominant commercial center in a few short years, with busy docks and brick houses. While Quakers populated the city, German immigrants began to flood into the Pennsylvanian hills and forests, while the Scots-Irish pushed into the far western frontier. Southern Colonies Main article: Southern Colonies "The Old Plantation," South Carolina, about 1790. Gullah slaves are playing traditional West Africa instruments resisting forced assimilation from the Planation culture. The overwhelmingly rural Southern Colonies contrasted sharply with the New England and Middle Colonies. After Virginia, the second British colony south of New England was Maryland, established as a Catholic haven in 1632. The economy of these two colonies was built entirely on yeoman farmers and planters. The planters established themselves in the Tidewater region of Virginia, establishing massive plantations with slave labor. In 1670, the Province of Carolina was established, and Charleston became the region's great trading port. While Virginia's economy was also based on tobacco, Carolina was more diversified, exporting rice, indigo, and lumber as well. In 1712, it was divided in two, creating North and South Carolina. The Georgia Colony – the last of the Thirteen Colonies – was established by James Oglethorpe in 1732 as a border to Spanish Florida and a reform colony for former prisoners and the poor.[35] Religion Main article: History of religion in the United States John Gadsby Chapman, Baptism of Pocahontas (1840), on display in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol Religiosity expanded greatly after the First Great Awakening, a religious revival in the 1740s which was led by preachers such as Jonathan Edwards and George Whitefield. American Evangelicals affected by the Awakening added a new emphasis on divine outpourings of the Holy Spirit and conversions that implanted new believers with an intense love for God. Revivals encapsulated those hallmarks and carried the newly created evangelicalism into the early republic, setting the stage for the Second Great Awakening in the late 1790s.[36] In the early stages, evangelicals in the South, such as Methodists and Baptists, preached for religious freedom and abolition of slavery; they converted many slaves and recognized some as preachers. Government Main article: Colonial government in the Thirteen Colonies Each of the 13 American colonies had a slightly different governmental structure. Typically, a colony was ruled by a governor appointed from London who controlled the executive administration and relied upon a locally elected legislature to vote on taxes and make laws. By the 18th century, the American colonies were growing very rapidly as a result of low death rates along with ample supplies of land and food. The colonies were richer than most parts of Britain, and attracted a steady flow of immigrants, especially teenagers who arrived as indentured servants.[37] Servitude and slavery Main articles: Indentured servitude in British America and Slavery in the colonial history of the United States 18th century certificate of indentured servitude. At least 500,000 Europeans arrived in North America as indentured servants. This practice declined after the rise of slavery in the colonies. Over half of all European immigrants to Colonial America arrived as indentured servants.[38] Few could afford the cost of the journey to America, and so this form of unfree labor provided a means to immigrate. Typically, people would sign a contract agreeing to a set term of labor, usually four to seven years, and in return would receive transport to America and a piece of land at the end of their servitude. In some cases, ships' captains received rewards for the delivery of poor migrants, and so extravagant promises and kidnapping were common. The Virginia Company and the Massachusetts Bay Company also used indentured servant labor.[5] The first African slaves were brought to Virginia[39] in 1619,[40] just twelve years after the founding of Jamestown. Initially regarded as indentured servants who could buy their freedom, the institution of slavery began to harden and the involuntary servitude became lifelong[40] as the demand for labor on tobacco and rice plantations grew in the 1660s.[citation needed] Slavery became identified with brown skin color, at the time seen as a "black race", and the children of slave women were born slaves (partus sequitur ventrem).[40] By the 1770s African slaves comprised a fifth of the American population. The question of independence from Britain did not arise as long as the colonies needed British military support against the French and Spanish powers. Those threats were gone by 1765. However, London continued to regard the American colonies as existing for the benefit of the mother country in a policy known as mercantilism.[37] Colonial America was defined by a severe labor shortage that used forms of unfree labor, such as slavery and indentured servitude. The British colonies were also marked by a policy of avoiding strict enforcement of parliamentary laws, known as salutary neglect. This permitted the development of an American spirit distinct from that of its European founders.[41] Map of the British, French and Spanish settlements in North America in 1750, before the French and Indian War Revolutionary period (1754–1793) Main article: History of the United States (1776–1789) Lead-up to the Revolution An upper class emerged in South Carolina and Virginia, with wealth based on large plantations operated by slave labor. A unique class system operated in upstate New York, where Dutch tenant farmers rented land from very wealthy Dutch proprietors, such as the Van Rensselaer family. The other colonies were more egalitarian, with Pennsylvania being representative. By the mid-18th century Pennsylvania was basically a middle-class colony with limited respect for its small upper-class.[42] Join, or Die: This 1756 political cartoon by Benjamin Franklin urged the colonies to join during the French and Indian War. The French and Indian War (1754–1763), part of the larger Seven Years' War, was a watershed event in the political development of the colonies. The influence of the French and Native Americans, the main rivals of the British Crown in the colonies and Canada, was significantly reduced and the territory of the Thirteen Colonies expanded into New France, both in Canada and Louisiana.[citation needed] The war effort also resulted in greater political integration of the colonies, as reflected in the Albany Congress and symbolized by Benjamin Franklin's call for the colonies to "Join, or Die." Franklin was a man of many inventions – one of which was the concept of a United States of America, which emerged after 1765 and would be realized a decade later.[43] An 1846 painting of the 1773 Boston Tea Party Population density in the American Colonies in 1775 Following Britain's acquisition of French territory in North America, King George III issued the Royal Proclamation of 1763, to organize the new North American empire and protect the Native Americans from colonial expansion into western lands beyond the Appalachian Mountains. In the following years, strains developed in the relations between the colonists and the Crown. The British Parliament passed the Stamp Act of 1765, imposing a tax on the colonies without going through the colonial legislatures. The issue was drawn: did Parliament have the right to tax Americans who were not represented in it? Crying "No taxation without representation", the colonists refused to pay the taxes as tensions escalated in the late 1760s and early 1770s.[44] The Boston Tea Party in 1773 was a direct action by activists in the town of Boston to protest against the new tax on tea. Parliament quickly responded the next year with the Intolerable Acts, stripping Massachusetts of its historic right of self-government and putting it under military rule, which sparked outrage and resistance in all thirteen colonies. Patriot leaders from every colony convened the First Continental Congress to coordinate their resistance to the Intolerable Acts. The Congress called for a boycott of British trade, published a list of rights and grievances, and petitioned the king to rectify those grievances.[45] This appeal to the Crown had no effect, though, and so the Second Continental Congress was convened in 1775 to organize the defence of the colonies against the British Army. Common people became insurgents against the British even though they were unfamiliar with the ideological rationales being offered. They held very strongly a sense of "rights" that they felt the British were deliberately violating – rights that stressed local autonomy, fair dealing, and government by consent. They were highly sensitive to the issue of tyranny, which they saw manifested by the arrival in Boston of the British Army to punish the Bostonians. This heightened their sense of violated rights, leading to rage and demands for revenge, and they had faith that God was on their side.[46] American Revolution Main article: American Revolution John Trumbull's Declaration of Independence (1819) Duration: 9 minutes and 51 seconds.9:51 Reading of The Declaration of Independence originally written by Thomas Jefferson, presented on July 4, 1776 Washington's surprise crossing of the Delaware River in December 1776 was a major comeback after the loss of New York City; his army defeated the British in two battles and recaptured New Jersey. The Second Continental Congress voted to declare independence on July 2, 1776, and the Declaration of Independence was drafted by the Committee of Five. The Declaration of Independence presented arguments in favor of the rights of citizens, stating that all men are created equal, supporting the rights of Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness, and demanding the consent of the governed. It also listed grievances against the crown.[47] The Founding Fathers were guided by the ideology of republicanism, rejecting the monarchism of Great Britain.[48] The Declaration of Independence was signed by members of the Congress on July 4.[47] This date has since been commemorated as Independence Day.[49] The American Revolutionary War began with the Battles of Lexington and Concord when American and British forces clashed on April 19, 1775.[50] George Washington was appointed general of the Continental Army.[51] The New York and New Jersey campaign was the first major campaign of the war, beginning in 1776. Washington's crossing of the Delaware River began a series of victories that expelled British forces from New Jersey.[52] The British began the Saratoga campaign in 1777 to capture Albany, New York, as a choke point.[53] After American victory at Saratoga, France, the Netherlands, and Spain began providing support to the Continental Army.[54] Britain responded to defeat in the northern theater by advancing in the southern theater, beginning with the Capture of Savannah in 1778.[55] American forces reclaimed the south in 1781, and the British Army was defeated in the Siege of Yorktown on October 19, 1781.[56] King George III formally ordered the end of hostilities on December 5, 1782, recognizing American independence.[57] The Treaty of Paris was negotiated between Great Britain and the United States to establish terms of peace. It was signed on September 3, 1783,[58] and it was ratified by the Congress of the Confederation on January 14, 1784.[59] Washington resigned his commission as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army on December 23, 1783.[60] The United States after the Treaty of Paris (1783), with individual state claims and cessions through 1802 Confederation period Main article: Confederation period The Articles of Confederation were ratified as the governing law of the United States, written to limit the powers of the central government in favor of state governments. This caused economic decline, as the government was unable to pass economic legislation and pay its debts.[61] Nationalists worried that the confederate nature of the union was too fragile to withstand an armed conflict with any adversarial states, or even internal revolts such as the Shays' Rebellion of 1786 in Massachusetts.[62] In the 1780s the national government was able to settle the issue of the western regions of the young United States, which were ceded by the states to Congress and became territories. With the migration of settlers to the Northwest, soon they became states.[62] The American Indian Wars continued in the 1780s as settlers moved west, prompting Native American attacks on American civilians and in turn prompting American attacks on Native American civilians.[63] The Northwestern Confederacy and American settlers began fighting the Northwest Indian War in the late 1780s; the Northwestern Confederacy received British support, but the settlers received little assistance from the American government.[64][65] Duration: 49 minutes and 18 seconds.49:18 Reading of the United States Constitution of 1787 Nationalists – most of them war veterans – organized in every state and convinced Congress to call the Philadelphia Convention in 1787. The delegates from every state wrote a new Constitution that created a federal government with a strong president and powers of taxation. The new government reflected the prevailing republican ideals of guarantees of individual liberty and of constraining the power of government through a system of separation of powers.[62] A national debate took place over whether the constitution should be ratified, and it was ratified by a sufficient number of states in 1788 to begin forming a federal government.[66] The United States Electoral College chose George Washington as the first President of the United States in 1789.[67] Early republic (1793–1830) Economic growth in America per capita income. Index with 1700 set as 100. Main article: History of the United States (1789–1815) President George Washington Main article: Presidency of George Washington George Washington's legacy remains among the greatest in American history, as Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army, hero of the Revolution, and first president of the United States (by Gilbert Charles Stuart). George Washington became the first president of the United States under the new Constitution in 1789. The national capital moved from New York to Philadelphia in 1790 and finally settled in Washington, D.C., in 1800. The major accomplishment of the Washington Administration was creating a strong national government that was recognized without question by all Americans.[68] His government, following the vigorous leadership of Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton, assumed the debts of the states (the debt holders received federal bonds), created the Bank of the United States to stabilize the financial system, and set up a uniform system of tariffs (taxes on imports) and other taxes to pay off the debt and provide a financial infrastructure. To support his programs Hamilton created a new political party – the first in the world based on voters[vague] – the Federalist Party. To assuage the Anti-Federalists who feared a too-powerful central government, the Congress adopted the United States Bill of Rights in 1791. Comprising the first ten amendments of the Constitution, it guaranteed individual liberties such as freedom of speech and religious practice, jury trials, and stated that citizens and states had reserved rights (which were not specified).[69] Two-party system Main article: First Party System Thomas Jefferson and James Madison formed an opposition Republican Party (usually called the Democratic-Republican Party by political scientists). Hamilton and Washington presented the country in 1794 with the Jay Treaty that reestablished good relations with Britain. The Jeffersonians vehemently protested, and the voters aligned behind one party or the other, thus setting up the First Party System. Federalists promoted business, financial and commercial interests and wanted more trade with Britain. Republicans accused the Federalists of plans to establish a monarchy, turn the rich into a ruling class, and making the United States a pawn of the British.[70] The treaty passed, but politics became intensely heated.[71] Challenges to the federal government Serious challenges to the new federal government included the Northwest Indian War, the ongoing Cherokee–American wars, and the 1794 Whiskey Rebellion, in which western settlers protested against a federal tax on liquor. Washington called the state militia and personally led an army against the settlers, as the insurgents melted away and the power of the federal government was firmly established.[72] Duration: 51 minutes and 3 seconds.51:03 Reading of the farewell address of President George Washington, 1796 Washington refused to serve more than two terms – setting a precedent – and in his famous farewell address, he extolled the benefits of federal government and importance of ethics and morality while warning against foreign alliances and the formation of political parties.[73] John Adams, a Federalist, defeated Jefferson in the 1796 election. War loomed with France and the Federalists used the opportunity to try to silence the Republicans with the Alien and Sedition Acts, build up a large army with Hamilton at the head, and prepare for a French invasion. However, the Federalists became divided after Adams sent a successful peace mission to France that ended the Quasi-War of 1798.[70][74] Increasing demand for slave labor Main article: Slavery in the United States Slaves Waiting for Sale: Richmond, Virginia (by Eyre Crowe) During the first two decades after the Revolutionary War, there were dramatic changes in the status of slavery among the states and an increase in the number of freed blacks. Inspired by revolutionary ideals of the equality of men and influenced by their lesser economic reliance on slavery, northern states abolished slavery. States of the Upper South made manumission easier, resulting in an increase in the proportion of free blacks in the Upper South (as a percentage of the total non-white population) from less than one percent in 1792 to more than 10 percent by 1810. By that date, a total of 13.5 percent of all blacks in the United States were free.[75] After that date, with the demand for slaves on the rise because of the Deep South's expanding cotton cultivation, the number of manumissions declined sharply; and an internal U.S. slave trade became an important source of wealth for many planters and traders.[citation needed] In 1807, with four million slaves already in the United States, Congress severed the U.S.'s involvement with the Atlantic slave trade.[76] For 50 of the country's first 72 years, a slaveholder served as president, and during that period, only slaveholding presidents were re-elected to second terms.[77] Second Great Awakening Main article: Second Great Awakening A drawing of a Protestant camp meeting (by H. Bridport, c. 1829) The Second Great Awakening was a Protestant revival movement that affected virtually all of society during the early 19th century and led to rapid church growth. The movement began around 1790, gained momentum by 1800, and, after 1820 membership rose rapidly among Baptist and Methodist congregations, whose preachers led the movement. It was past its peak by the 1840s.[78] It enrolled millions of new members in existing evangelical denominations and led to the formation of new denominations. Many converts believed that the Awakening heralded a new millennial age. The Second Great Awakening stimulated the establishment of many reform movements – including abolitionism and temperance designed to remove the evils of society before the anticipated Second Coming of Jesus Christ.[79] Louisiana and Jeffersonian republicanism Main articles: Presidency of Thomas Jefferson and Louisiana Purchase Thomas Jefferson saw himself as a man of the frontier and a scientist; he was keenly interested in expanding and exploring the West. Territorial expansion; Louisiana Purchase in white Duration: 10 minutes and 36 seconds.10:36 Chapter IV of The Journal of Lewis and Clarke (1840) describes the upper Missouri River and its tributaries. Jefferson defeated Adams massively for the presidency in the 1800 election. Jefferson's major achievement as president was the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, which provided U.S. settlers with vast potential for expansion west of the Mississippi River.[80] Jefferson, a scientist, supported expeditions to explore and map the new domain, most notably the Lewis and Clark Expedition.[81] Jefferson believed deeply in republicanism and argued it should be based on the independent yeoman farmer and planter; he distrusted cities, factories and banks. He also distrusted the federal government and judges, and tried to weaken the judiciary. However he met his match in John Marshall, a Federalist from Virginia. Although the Constitution specified a Supreme Court, its functions were vague until Marshall, the Chief Justice of the United States (1801–1835), defined them, especially the power to overturn acts of Congress or states that violated the Constitution, first enunciated in 1803 in Marbury v. Madison.[82] War of 1812 Main article: War of 1812 See also: The United States and the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars Americans were increasingly angry at the British violation of American ships' neutral rights to hurt France, the impressment (seizure) of 10,000 American sailors needed by the Royal Navy to fight Napoleon, and British support for hostile Indians attacking American settlers in the American Midwest with the goal of creating a pro-British Indian barrier state to block American expansion westward. They may also have desired to annex all or part of British North America, although this is still heavily debated.[83][84][85][86][87] Despite strong opposition from the Northeast, especially from Federalists who did not want to disrupt trade with Britain, Congress declared war on June 18, 1812.[88] Oliver Hazard Perry's message to William Henry Harrison after the Battle of Lake Erie began with: "We have met the enemy and they are ours" (by William H. Powell, 1865).[89] The war was frustrating for both sides. Both sides tried to invade the other and were repulsed. The American high command remained incompetent until the last year. The American militia proved ineffective because the soldiers were reluctant to leave home and efforts to invade Canada repeatedly failed. The British blockade ruined American commerce, bankrupted the Treasury, and further angered New Englanders, who smuggled supplies to Britain. The Americans under General William Henry Harrison finally gained naval control of Lake Erie and defeated the Indians under Tec*mseh in Canada,[90] while Andrew Jackson ended the Indian threat in the Southeast. The Indian threat to expansion into the Midwest was permanently ended. The British invaded and occupied much of Maine. The British raided and burned Washington, but were repelled at Baltimore in 1814 – where the "Star Spangled Banner" was written to celebrate the American success. In upstate New York a major British invasion of New York State was turned back at the Battle of Plattsburgh. Finally in early 1815 Andrew Jackson decisively defeated a major British invasion at the Battle of New Orleans, making him the most famous war hero.[91] With Napoleon (apparently) gone, the causes of the war had evaporated and both sides agreed to a peace that left the prewar boundaries intact. Americans claimed victory on February 18, 1815, as news came almost simultaneously of Jackson's victory of New Orleans and the peace treaty that left the prewar boundaries in place. Americans swelled with pride at success in the "second war of independence"; the naysayers of the antiwar Federalist Party were put to shame and the party never recovered. This helped lead to an emerging American identity that cemented national pride over state pride.[92] Britain never achieved the war goal of granting the Indians a barrier state to block further American settlement and this allowed settlers to pour into the Midwest without fear of a major threat.[91] The War of 1812 also destroyed America's negative perception of a standing army, which had proven useful in many areas against the British as opposed to ill-equipped and poorly-trained militias in the early months of the war, and War Department officials instead decided to place regular troops as the main military capabilities of the government.[93] Era of Good Feelings Main article: Era of Good Feelings Depiction of election-day activities in Philadelphia (by John Lewis Krimmel, 1815) As strong opponents of the War of 1812, the Federalists held the Hartford Convention in 1814 that hinted at disunion. National euphoria after the victory at New Orleans ruined the prestige of the Federalists and they no longer played a significant role as a political party.[94] President Madison and most Republicans realized they were foolish to let the First Bank of the United States close down, for its absence greatly hindered the financing of the war. So, with the assistance of foreign bankers, they chartered the Second Bank of the United States in 1816.[95][96] The Republicans also imposed tariffs designed to protect the infant industries that had been created when Britain was blockading the U.S. With the collapse of the Federalists as a party, the adoption of many Federalist principles by the Republicans, and the systematic policy of President James Monroe in his two terms (1817–1825) to downplay partisanship, society entered an Era of Good Feelings, with far less partisanship than before (or after), and closed out the First Party System.[95][96] The Monroe Doctrine, expressed in 1823, proclaimed the United States' opinion that European powers should no longer colonize or interfere in the Americas. This was a defining moment in the foreign policy of the United States. The Monroe Doctrine was adopted in response to American and British fears over Russian and French expansion into the Western Hemisphere.[97] In 1832, President Andrew Jackson, 7th President of the United States, ran for a second term under the slogan "Jackson and no bank" and did not renew the charter of the Second Bank, dissolving the bank in 1836.[98] Jackson was convinced that central banking was used by the elite to take advantage of the average American, and instead implemented publicly owned banks in various states, popularly known as "pet banks".[98] Expansion and reform (1830–1848) Main article: History of the United States (1815–1849) Second Party System Main articles: Second Party System and Presidency of Andrew Jackson After the First Party System of Federalists and Republicans withered away in the 1820s, the stage was set for the emergence of a new party system based on well organized local parties that appealed for the votes of (almost) all adult white men. The former Jeffersonian (Democratic-Republican) party split into factions. They split over the choice of a successor to President James Monroe, and the party faction that supported many of the old Jeffersonian principles, led by Andrew Jackson and Martin Van Buren, became the Democratic Party. As Norton explains the transformation in 1828: Jacksonians believed the people's will had finally prevailed. Through a lavishly financed coalition of state parties, political leaders, and newspaper editors, a popular movement had elected the president. The Democrats became the nation's first well-organized national party, and tight party organization became the hallmark of nineteenth-century American politics.[99] Opposing factions led by Henry Clay helped form the Whig Party. The Democratic Party had a small but decisive advantage over the Whigs until the 1850s, when the Whigs fell apart over the issue of slavery. Westward expansion and manifest destiny Main articles: American frontier, Manifest destiny, and Indian removal The Indian Removal Act resulted in the transplantation of several Native American tribes and the Trail of Tears. The American colonies and the newly formed union grew rapidly in population and area, as pioneers pushed the frontier of settlement west.[100][101] The process finally ended around 1890–1912 as the last major farmlands and ranch lands were settled. Native American tribes in some places resisted militarily, but they were overwhelmed by settlers and the army, and after 1830, were relocated to reservations in the west.[102] That year, Congress passed the Indian Removal Act, which authorized the president to negotiate treaties that exchanged Native American tribal lands in the eastern states for lands west of the Mississippi River.[103] Its goal was primarily to remove Native Americans, including the Five Civilized Tribes, from the American Southeast – they occupied land that settlers wanted.[104] Jacksonian Democrats demanded the forcible removal of native populations who refused to acknowledge state laws to reservations in the West. Whigs and religious leaders opposed the move as inhumane. Thousands of deaths resulted from the relocations, as seen in the Cherokee Trail of Tears.[104] The Trail of Tears resulted in approximately 2,000 to 8,000 of the 16,543 relocated Cherokee dying along the way.[105][106] Many of the Seminole Indians in Florida refused to move west, and fought the Army for years in the Seminole Wars. The California Gold Rush news of gold brought some 300,000 people to California from the rest of the United States and abroad. The first settlers in the west were the Spanish in New Mexico ("Californios"), followed by over 100,000 California Gold Rush miners ('49ers). California grew rapidly, and by 1880, San Francisco had become the economic hub of the entire Pacific Coast, with a diverse population of a quarter million. From the early 1830s to 1869, the Oregon Trail and its many offshoots were used by over 300,000 settlers. '49ers, ranchers, farmers, entrepreneurs, and their families headed to California, Oregon, and other points in the far west. Wagon-trains took five or six months on foot.[107] Horace Greeley's New York Tribune—the leading Whig paper—endorsing Henry Clay for president in 1844 Manifest destiny was the belief that American settlers were destined to expand across the continent. This concept was born out of "A sense of mission to redeem the Old World by high example ... generated by the potentialities of a new earth for building a new heaven".[108] Manifest destiny was rejected by modernizers, especially the Whigs like Henry Clay and Abraham Lincoln who wanted to build cities and factories – not more farms.[b] Democrats strongly favored expansion, and won the key election of 1844. After a bitter debate in Congress, the Republic of Texas was annexed in 1845, leading to war with Mexico, who considered Texas to be a part of Mexico due to the large numbers of Mexican settlers.[110] The Mexican–American War broke out in 1846, with the Whigs opposed to the war, and the Democrats supporting it. The U.S. Army, using regulars and large numbers of volunteers, defeated the Mexican armies, invaded at several points, captured Mexico City, and won decisively. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ended the war in 1848. Many Democrats wanted to annex all of Mexico, but that idea was rejected by White Southerners, who argued that by incorporating millions of Mexican people, mainly of mixed race, would undermine the U.S. as an exclusively white republic.[109] Instead, the U.S. took Texas and the lightly settled northern parts (California and New Mexico). The Hispanic residents were given full citizenship, and the Mexican Indians became American Indians. Simultaneously, gold was discovered in California in 1848. To clear the state for settlers, the U.S. government began a policy of extermination since termed the California genocide.[111] A peaceful compromise with Britain gave the U.S. ownership of the Oregon Country, which was renamed the Oregon Territory.[110] The American occupation of Mexico City in 1848 The demand for guano (prized as an agricultural fertilizer) led the U.S. to pass the Guano Islands Act in 1856, which enabled U.S. citizens to take possession, in the name of the country, of unclaimed islands containing guano deposits. Under the act, the U.S. annexed nearly 100 islands in the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. By 1903, 66 of these islands were recognized as territories of the United States.[112] The women's suffrage movement began with the 1848 National Convention of the Liberty Party. Presidential candidate Gerrit Smith argued for and established women's suffrage as a party goal. One month later, the Seneca Falls Convention was organized, sining the Declaration of Sentiments demanding equal rights for women, including the right to vote.[c] Many of these activists became politically aware during the abolitionist movement. The women's rights campaign during first-wave feminism was led by Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Lucy Stone and Susan B. Anthony, among others. Stone and Paulina Wright Davis organized the prominent and influential National Women's Rights Convention in 1850.[114] Civil War and Reconstruction (1848–1877) Divisions between North and South Main articles: Origins of the American Civil War, History of the United States (1849–1865), and Abolitionism in the United States See also: Plantation complexes in the Southern United States, Proslavery thought, and Antebellum South United States map, 1863 Union states Union territories not permitting slavery Border Union states, permitting slavery Confederate states Union territories permitting slavery (claimed by Confederacy) Duration: 7 minutes and 48 seconds.7:48 Excerpt of Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, a major inspiration for the American abolitionist movement The central issue after 1848 was the expansion of slavery, with the anti-slavery elements in the North pitted against the pro-slavery elements in the South.[115] By 1860, there were four million slaves in the South, nearly eight times as many as there were nationwide in 1790.[citation needed] A small number of active Northerners were abolitionists who followed William Lloyd Garrison, and declared that ownership of slaves was a sin and demanded its immediate abolition. Much larger numbers in the North were against the expansion of slavery, seeking to put it on the path to extinction so that America would be committed to free land (as in low-cost farms owned and cultivated by a family), free labor, and free speech (as opposed to censorship of abolitionist material in the South).[115] However, before 1860, only a minority of Northern white people supported abolition, which was often seen as a 'radical' measure. There were violent reactions to abolitionist advocates in the North, notably the burning of an anti-slavery society in Pennsylvania Hall.[116] There was resistance to slavery by both peaceful and violent means. Slave rebellions, by Gabriel Prosser (1800), Denmark Vesey (1822), Nat Turner (1831), and John Brown (1859) caused fear in the white South, which imposed stricter oversight of slaves and reduced the rights of free Black people.[citation needed] Former slaves Frederick Douglass and Harriet Tubman became leading advocates for abolition.[117][118] The issue was discussed in the best-selling anti-slavery novel Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe.[119] Southern white Democrats insisted that slavery was of economic, social, and cultural benefit to all white people and even to the slaves themselves.[115] Justifications of slavery included history, religion, legality, social good, and economics. Defenders argued that the sudden end to the slave economy would have had a fatal economic impact in the South, and there would be widespread unemployment and chaos; slave labor was the foundation of their economy.[120] Southern slavery-based societies had become wealthy based on their cotton and other agricultural commodity production, as well as the internal slave trade. The plantations were highly profitable, due to the heavy European demand for raw cotton. Northern cities and regional industries were tied economically to slavery by banking, shipping, and manufacturing, including textile mills. In addition, southern states benefited by their increased apportionment in Congress due to the partial counting of slaves in their populations. Remember Your Weekly Pledge, collection box for Massachusetts Anti-Slavery Society, 1850 Religious activists were split on slavery, with the Methodists and Baptists dividing into northern and southern denominations. In the North, the Methodists, Congregationalists, and Quakers included many abolitionists, especially among women activists. The Catholic, Episcopal, and Lutheran denominations largely ignored the issue.[121] The issue of slavery in the new territories was seemingly settled by the Compromise of 1850, brokered by Whig Henry Clay and Democrat Stephen Douglas; the Compromise included the admission of California as a free state in exchange for no federal restrictions on slavery placed on Utah or New Mexico.[122] A point of contention was the Fugitive Slave Act, which required the states to cooperate with slave owners when attempting to recover escaped slaves. Formerly, an escaped slave that reached a non-slave state was presumed to have attained sanctuary and freedom under the Missouri Compromise.[123][124][119] The Compromise of 1820 was repealed in 1854 with the Kansas–Nebraska Act, promoted by Stephen Douglas in the name of "popular sovereignty" and democracy. It permitted voters to decide on the legality of slavery in each territory, and allowed Douglas to adopt neutrality on the issue of slavery. Anti-slavery forces rose in anger and alarm, forming the new Republican Party. Pro- and anti- contingents rushed to Kansas to vote for or against slavery, resulting in a miniature civil war called Bleeding Kansas. By the late 1850s, the young Republican Party dominated nearly all northern states, and thus, the electoral college. It insisted that slavery would never be allowed to expand, and thus would slowly die out.[125] The Supreme Court's 1857 decision in Dred Scott v. Sandford ruled that the Compromise was unconstitutional and that free Black people were not U.S. citizens; the decision enraged Northerners. The Republicans worried the decision could be used to expand slavery throughout all states and territories. With Senator Abraham Lincoln leading criticism of the ruling, the stage was set for the 1860 presidential election.[123][124][119] Civil War Main articles: American Civil War, Confederate States of America, and 1860 United States presidential election See also: Union Army, Confederate States Army, and Military history of African Americans in the American Civil War Start of the war Evolution of the Confederate States between December 1860 and July 1870 After Abraham Lincoln won the 1860 election, seven Southern states seceded from the Union and formed a sovereign state, the Confederate States of America (Confederacy), on February 8, 1861.[126] The Civil War began on April 12, 1861, when Confederate forces attacked a U.S. military installation at Fort Sumter in South Carolina. In response, Lincoln called on the states to send troops to recapture forts, protect Washington D.C., and "preserve the Union," which in his view still existed despite the secession.[127] Lincoln's call led to four more states seceding and joining the Confederacy. A few of the (northernmost) slave states did not secede and became known as the border states; these were Delaware, Maryland, Kentucky, and Missouri.[citation needed] During the war, the northwestern portion of Virginia seceded from the Confederacy, which became the new Union state of West Virginia.[128] Lincoln with Allan Pinkerton and John Alexander McClernand at the Battle of Antietam The two armies' first major battle was the First Battle of Bull Run, which proved to both sides that the war would be much longer than anticipated.[127] In the western theater, the Union Army was relatively successful, with major battles such as Perryville and Shiloh, along with Union Navy gunboat dominance of navigable rivers producing strategic Union victories and destroying major Confederate operations.[129] Warfare in the eastern theater began poorly for the Union. U.S. General George B. McClellan failed to capture the Confederate capital of Richmond, Virginia, in his Peninsula campaign and retreated after attacks from Confederate General Robert E. Lee.[130] Meanwhile, in 1861 and 1862, both sides concentrated on raising and training new armies. The Union successfully gained control the border states, driving the Confederates out.[131] Confederate losses First Reading of the Emancipation Proclamation of President Lincoln by Francis Bicknell Carpenter[132] (People in the image are clickable.) The autumn 1862 Confederate retreat at the Battle of Antietam led to Lincoln's warning he would issue the Emancipation Proclamation in January 1863 if the states did not return. Making slavery a central war goal energized Northern Republicans, as well as their enemies, the anti-war Copperhead Democrats. It ended the chance of British and French intervention.[131] Lee's smaller Army of Northern Virginia won battles in late 1862 and spring 1863, but he pushed too hard and ignored the Union threat in the west. He invaded Pennsylvania in search of supplies and to cause war-weariness in the North.[133] The Emancipation Proclamation was an executive order issued by Lincoln on January 1, 1863. It freed 3 million slaves in designated areas of the Confederacy. The owners were not compensated. Plantation owners, realizing that emancipation would destroy their economic system, sometimes moved their slaves as far as possible from the Union army.[134] Duration: 5 minutes and 11 seconds.5:11 Modern reading of President Abraham Lincoln's 1863 Emancipation Proclamation In perhaps the turning point of the war, Lee's army was badly beaten by the Army of the Potomac at the July 1863 Battle of Gettysburg, and barely made it back to Virginia.[131] Survivors of the battle were immediately redeployed to suppress the New York City draft riots by Irish Americans protesting Civil War conscription and the city's free Black population.[133] In July 1863, Union forces under General Ulysses S. Grant gained control of the Mississippi River at the Battle of Vicksburg, thereby splitting the Confederacy. In 1864, Union General William Tec*mseh Sherman marched south from Chattanooga to capture Atlanta, a decisive victory that ended war jitters among Republicans in the North and helped Lincoln win re-election. A map of Sherman's March to the Sea (William Tec*mseh Sherman's 1863 Union troop movement across Georgia) End of the war Main articles: End of the American Civil War and End of slavery in the United States The Civil War was the world's earliest industrial war. Railroads, the telegraph, steamships, and mass-produced weapons were employed extensively. Civilian factories, mines, shipyards, and were mobilized.[135] Foreign trade increased, with the U.S. providing both food and cotton to Britain, and Britain sending in manufactured products and thousands of volunteers for the Union Army (and a few to the Confederate army). The Union blockade shut down Confederate ports, and by late 1864, the British blockade runners supplying Confederates were usually captured before they could make more than a handful of runs. Robert E. Lee and the Confederates surrendering to the Union after the Battle of Appomattox Court House Sherman's march to the sea was almost unopposed, and demonstrated that the South was unable to resist a Union invasion. Much of the South was destroyed, and could no longer provide desperately needed supplies to its armies. In spring 1864, Grant launched a war of attrition and pursued Lee to the final Appomattox campaign, which resulted in Lee surrendering in April 1865.[citation needed] By June 1865, the Union Army controlled all of the Confederacy and liberated all of the designated slaves.[134] It remains the deadliest war in American history, resulting in the deaths of about 750,000 soldiers and an undetermined number of civilian casualties.[d] About ten percent of all Northern males 20–45 years old, and 30 percent of all Southern white males aged 18–40 died.[135] Many Black people died after being dislocated during the war and Reconstruction.[138] Reconstruction Main articles: Reconstruction era and History of the United States (1865–1918) Reconstruction lasted from the end of the war until 1877.[127][139][140] Lincoln had to decide the statuses of the ex-slaves ("Freedmen"), ex-Confederates, and ex-Confederate states. He supported the Ten Percent Plan for states' re-admission, and the right of Black people to vote.[141] Lincoln was assassinated in April 1865 by John Wilkes Booth, and succeeded by Andrew Johnson.[142] Freedmen voting in New Orleans, 1867 The severe threats of starvation and displacement of the unemployed Freedmen were met by the first major federal relief agency, the Freedmen's Bureau, operated by the Army.[143] The bureau also took in freed slaves.[citation needed] Three "Reconstruction Amendments" expanded civil rights for black Americans: the 1865 Thirteenth Amendment outlawed slavery;[144] the 1868 Fourteenth Amendment guaranteed equal rights for all and citizenship for Black people;[145] the 1870 Fifteenth Amendment prevented race from being used to disenfranchise men.[146] Ex-Confederates remained in control of most Southern states for over two years, until the Radical Republicans gained control of Congress in the 1866 elections. Johnson, who sought good treatment for ex-Confederates, was virtually powerless in the face of Congress; he was impeached, but the Senate's attempt to remove him from office failed by one vote. Congress enfranchised black men and temporarily banned many ex-Confederate leaders from holding office. New Republican governments came to power based on a coalition of Freedmen made up of Carpetbaggers (new arrivals from the North), and Scalawags (native white Southerners). They were backed by the Army. Opponents said they were corrupt and violated the rights of whites.[147] The completion of the first transcontinental railroad in 1869 After the war, the far west was developed and settled, first by wagon trains and riverboats, and then by the first transcontinental railroad. Many Northern European immigrants took up low-cost or free farms in the Prairie States. Mining for silver and copper encouraged development.[148] KKK and the rise of Jim Crow laws Main articles: Ku Klux Klan, Jim Crow laws, and Nadir of American race relations A cartoon from Tuscaloosa's Independent Monitor in 1868, threatening that the KKK will lynch scalawags (left) and carpetbaggers (right) the day President Grant takes office in 1869 State by state, the New Republicans lost power to a conservative-Democratic coalition, which gained control of the South by 1877. In response to Radical Reconstruction, the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) emerged in 1867 as a white-supremacist organization opposed to black civil rights and Republican rule. President Ulysses Grant's enforcement of the Ku Klux Klan Act of 1870 shut them down.[147] Paramilitary groups, such as the White League and Red Shirts emerging around 1874, openly intimidated and attacked Black people voting, to regain white political power in states across the South. One historian described them as the military arm of the Democratic Party.[147] Reconstruction ended after the disputed 1876 election. The Compromise of 1877 gave Republican candidate Rutherford B. Hayes the presidency in exchange for removing all remaining federal troops in the South. The federal government withdrew its troops, and Southern Democrats took control of the region[149] In 1882, the United States passed the Chinese Exclusion Act (which barred all Chinese immigrants except for students and businessmen),[150] and the Immigration Act of 1882 (which barred all immigrants with mental health issues).[151] From 1890 to 1908, southern states effectively disenfranchised Black and poor white voters by making voter registration more difficult through poll taxes and literacy tests. Black people were segregated from whites in the violently-enforced Jim Crow system that lasted until roughly 1968.[152][153][154] Gilded Age and the Progressive Era (1877–1914) Main articles: Gilded Age, Progressive Era, and Second Industrial Revolution After Reconstruction The Breakers in New Port, Rhode Island The Breakers, built by the wealthy railroad Vanderbilt family, constructed in 1895. An example of Conspicuous consumption and Social stratification of the late 19th century. Manhattan, turn of the 20th century Mulberry Street, along which Manhattan's Little Italy is centered. Lower East Side, circa 1900. The tenements of lower Manhattan were often unsanitary and unsafe.[155] The "Gilded Age" was a term that Mark Twain used to describe the period of the late 19th century with a dramatic expansion of American wealth and prosperity, underscored by the mass corruption in the government.[156] Some historians have argued that the United States was effectively plutocratic for at least part of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era.[157][158][159] As financiers and industrialists such as J.P. Morgan and John D. Rockefeller began to amass vast fortunes, many observers were concerned that the nation was losing its pioneering egalitarian spirit.[160] An unprecedented wave of immigration from Europe served to both provide the labor for American industry and create diverse communities in previously undeveloped areas. From 1880 to 1914, peak years of immigration, more than 22 million people migrated to the country.[161] By 1890, American industrial production and per capita income exceeded those of all other countries.[citation needed] Most were unskilled workers who quickly found jobs in mines, mills, and factories. Many immigrants were craftsmen and farmers (especially from Britain, Germany, and Scandinavia) who purchased inexpensive land on the prairies. Poverty, growing inequality and dangerous working conditions, along with socialist and anarchist ideas diffusing from European immigrants, led to the rise of the labor movement.[162][163][164] Dissatisfaction on the part of the growing middle class with the corruption and inefficiency of politics, and the failure to deal with increasingly important urban and industrial problems, led to the dynamic progressive movement starting in the 1890s. In every major city, and at the federal level, progressives called for the modernization and reform of decrepit institutions in the fields of politics, education, medicine, and industry.[165] Duration: 25 minutes and 28 seconds.25:28 Chapter 9 of The Jungle, a 1906 muckraking novel by Upton Sinclair describing corruption in the Gilded Age Leading politicians from both parties, most notably Republicans Theodore Roosevelt, Charles Evans Hughes, and Robert La Follette, and Democrats William Jennings Bryan and Woodrow Wilson, took up the cause of progressive reform.[165] "Muckraking" journalists such as Upton Sinclair, Lincoln Steffens and Jacob Riis exposed corruption in business and government, and highlighted rampant inner-city poverty. Progressives implemented antitrust laws and regulated such industries of meat-packing, drugs, and railroads. Four new constitutional amendments – the Sixteenth through Nineteenth – resulted from progressive activism, bringing the federal income tax, direct election of Senators, prohibition, and female suffrage.[165] In 1881, President James A. Garfield was assassinated by Charles Guiteau.[166] Unions and strikes Main articles: Labor history of the United States and Union violence in the United States Violence erupted on July 7, 1894, with hundreds of boxcars and coal cars looted and burned. State and federal troops violently attacked striking workers, as this study by Frederic Remington illustrates. Skilled workers banded together to control their crafts and raise wages by forming labor unions in industrial areas of the Northeast. Samuel Gompers led the American Federation of Labor (1886–1924), coordinating multiple unions. In response to heavy debts and decreasing farm prices, wheat and cotton farmers joined the Populist Party.[167] The Panic of 1893 broke out, and created a severe nationwide depression impacted farmers, workers, and businessmen.[168] Many railroads went bankrupt. The resultant political reaction fell on the Democratic Party, whose leader President Grover Cleveland shouldered much of the blame. Labor unrest involved numerous strikes, most notably the violent Pullman Strike of 1894, which was forcibly shut down by federal troops under Cleveland's orders. One of the disillusioned leaders of the Pullman strike, Eugene V. Debs, went on to become the leader of the Socialist Party of America, eventually going on to win almost 1 million votes in the 1912 presidential election.[169] Economic growth Important legislation of the era included the 1883 Civil Service Act, which mandated a competitive examination for applicants for government jobs, the 1887 Interstate Commerce Act, which ended railroads' discrimination against small shippers, and the 1890 Sherman Antitrust Act, which outlawed monopolies in business.[156] After 1893, the Populist Party gained strength among farmers and coal miners, but was overtaken by the even more popular Free silver movement, which demanded using silver to enlarge the money supply, leading to inflation that the silverites promised would end the depression.[170] Financial and railroad communities fought back hard, arguing that only the gold standard would save the economy. In the 1896 presidential election, conservative Republican William McKinley defeated silverite William Jennings Bryan, who ran on the Democratic, Populist, and Silver Republican tickets. Bryan swept the South and West, but McKinley ran up landslides among the middle class, industrial workers, cities, and among upscale farmers in the Midwest.[171] The assassination of William McKinley by Leon Czolgosz in 1901 Prosperity returned under McKinley. The gold standard was enacted, and the tariff was raised. By 1900, the U.S. had the strongest economy in the world. Republicans, citing McKinley's policies, took the credit for the growth.[172] McKinley was assassinated by Leon Czolgosz in 1901, and was succeeded by Theodore Roosevelt.[173] The period also saw a major transformation of the banking system, with the arrival of the first credit union in 1908 (and thus, cooperative banking) and the creation of the Federal Reserve System in 1913.[174][175] Apart from two short recessions in 1907 and 1920, the economy remained prosperous and growing until 1929.[172] Imperialism Further information: American imperialism and Spanish–American War This cartoon reflects the view of Judge magazine regarding America's imperial ambitions following a quick victory in the Spanish–American War of 1898.[176] The United States Army continued to fight wars with Native Americans as settlers encroached on their traditional lands. Gradually the U.S. purchased the Native American tribal lands and extinguished their claims, forcing most tribes onto subsidized reservations. According to the U.S. Census Bureau in 1894, from 1789 to 1894, the Indian Wars killed 19,000 white people and more than 30,000 Indians.[177] The United States emerged as a world economic and military power after 1890. The main episode was the Spanish–American War, which began when Spain refused American demands to reform its oppressive policies in Cuba.[178] The war was a series of quick American victories on land and at sea. At the Treaty of Paris peace conference the United States acquired the Philippines, Puerto Rico, and Guam.[179] American children of many ethnic backgrounds celebrate noisily in a 1902 Puck cartoon. Cuba became an independent country, under close American tutelage. Although the war itself was widely popular, the peace terms proved controversial. William Jennings Bryan led his Democratic Party in opposition to control of the Philippines, which he denounced as imperialism unbecoming to American democracy.[179] President William McKinley defended the acquisition and was riding high as society had returned to prosperity and felt triumphant in the war. McKinley easily defeated Bryan in a rematch in the 1900 presidential election.[180] After defeating an insurrection by Filipino nationalists, the United States achieved little in the Philippines except in education, and it did something in the way of public health. It also built roads, bridges, and wells, but infrastructural development lost much of its early vigor with the failure of the railroads.[181] By 1908, however, Americans lost interest in an empire and turned their international attention to the Caribbean, especially the building of the Panama Canal. The canal opened in 1914 and increased trade with Japan and the rest of the Far East. A key innovation was the Open Door Policy, whereby the imperial powers were given equal access to Chinese business, with not one of them allowed to take control of China.[182] Charlotte Perkins Gilman (pictured) wrote these articles about feminism for the Atlanta Constitution in 1916. Women's suffrage Main article: Women's suffrage in the United States Duration: 24 minutes and 9 seconds.24:09 Excerpt of a reading of Susan B Anthony's 1873 speech at her voter fraud trial, advocating for woman's suffrage The women's suffrage movement reorganized after the Civil War, gaining experienced campaigners, many of whom had worked for prohibition in the Women's Christian Temperance Union. By the end of the century, a few Western states had granted women full voting rights,[114] and women gained rights in areas such as property and child custody law.[183] Around 1912, the feminist movement reawakened, putting an emphasis on its demands for equality, and arguing that the corruption of American politics demanded purification by women.[184] Protests became increasingly common, as suffragette Alice Paul led parades through the capital and major cities. Paul split from the large, moderate National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA) led by Carrie Chapman Catt, and formed the more militant National Woman's Party. Suffragists were arrested during their "Silent Sentinels" pickets at the White House, and were taken as political prisoners.[185] Another prominent leader of the movement was Jane Addams of Chicago, who created settlement houses.[165] Women's suffragists parade in New York City in 1917, carrying placards with signatures of more than a million women.[186] The anti-suffragist argument that only men could fight in a war, and therefore only men deserve the right to vote, was refuted by the participation of American women on the home front in World War I. The success of woman's suffrage was demonstrated by the politics of states which already allowed women to vote, including Montana, who elected the first woman to the House of Representatives, Jeannette Rankin. The main resistance came from the South, where white leaders were worried about the threat of Black women voting. Congress passed the Nineteenth Amendment in 1919, and women could vote in 1920.[187] NAWSA became the League of Women Voters. Politicians responded to the new electorate by emphasizing issues of special interest to women, especially prohibition, child health, and world peace.[188][189] Notably, in 1928, women were mobilized to support both candidates in the year's presidential election between Al Smith and Herbert Hoover.[190] Modern America and World Wars (1914–1945) World War I and the interwar years Main article: History of the United States (1917–1945) See also: American entry into World War I, United States home front during World War I, United States in World War I, and Roaring Twenties The American Cemetery at Romagne-sous-Montfaucon, France As World War I raged in Europe from 1914, President Woodrow Wilson took full control of foreign policy, declaring neutrality, but warning Germany that resumption of unrestricted submarine warfare against American ships supplying goods to Allied nations would mean war. Germany decided to take the risk, and try to win by cutting off supplies to Britain through the sinking of ships such as the RMS Lusitania. The U.S. declared war in April 1917, mainly from the threat of the Zimmermann Telegram.[191] By the summer of 1918 soldiers in General John J. Pershing's American Expeditionary Forces arrived at the rate of 10,000 a day, while Germany was unable to replace its losses.[192] Dissent against the war was suppressed by the Sedition Act of 1918 & Espionage Act of 1917. German language, leftist & pacifist publications were suppressed. Over 2,000 were imprisoned for speaking out against the war, later released by U.S. President Warren G. Harding.[193] The Allies won in November 1918. Wilson demanded Germany depose Wilhelm II and accept his terms in the famed Fourteen Points speech. Wilson dominated the 1919 Paris Peace Conference, putting his geopolitical hopes in the new League of Nations as Germany was treated harshly in the Treaty of Versailles (1919). Wilson refused to compromise with Senate Republicans over the issue of Congressional power to declare war, and the Senate rejected the Treaty and the League.[194] Instead, the United States chose to pursue unilateralism.[195] The aftershock of Russia's October Revolution resulted in real fears of Communism in the United States, leading to a Red Scare and the deportation of non-citizens considered subversive. Prohibition agents destroying barrels of alcohol in Chicago, 1921 Despite the Progressive-era modernization of hospitals and medical schools,[196] the country lost around 550,000 lives to the Spanish flu pandemic in 1918 and 1919.[197][198] During the "Roaring" 1920s, the economy expanded. African-Americans benefited from the Great Migration and had more cultural power; an example being the Harlem Renaissance which spread jazz music. Meanwhile, the Ku Klux Klan had a resurgence, and the Immigration Act of 1924 was passed to strictly limit the number of new entries.[199] The Osage Indian murders, an attempt by some rich, white Oklahomans to control the Osage Nation's oil reserves, were the first "big case" of the newly created Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).[200] Prohibition began in 1920, when the manufacture, sale, import and export of alcohol were prohibited by the Eighteenth Amendment and the Volstead Act. Americans resulted to drinking denatured alcohol or bootlegged alcohol from elsewhere in the Americas. Bootlegged alcohol in the cities ended up under the control of gangs, who fought each other for territory in which they controlled the drink's sale. Italian bootleggers in New York City gradually formed the Mafia crime syndicate, and powerful gangster such as Al Capone rose in power, corrupting the media and politicians. In 1933, President Franklin D. Roosevelt repealed prohibition by signing the Cullen-Harrison Act.[201] Great Depression and the New Deal Main articles: New Deal, Presidency of Herbert Hoover, and Presidency of Franklin D. Roosevelt The sharp decrease of the money supply between Black Tuesday and the Bank Holiday in March 1933, when there were massive bank runs across the United States The Great Depression (1929–1939) and the New Deal (1933–1936) were decisive moments in American political, economic, and social history that reshaped the nation.[202] During the 1920s, the nation enjoyed widespread prosperity, albeit with a weakness in agriculture. A financial bubble was fueled by an inflated stock market, which later led to the Wall Street Crash on October 29, 1929.[203] This, along with many other economic factors, triggered a worldwide depression. During this time, the United States experienced deflation as prices fell, unemployment soared from 3% in 1929 to 25% in 1933, farm prices fell by half, and manufacturing output plunged by one-third. Duration: 13 minutes and 6 seconds.13:06 The March 12, 1933 fireside chat radio address from President Franklin Roosevelt In 1932, Democratic presidential nominee Franklin D. Roosevelt promised "a New Deal for the American people", coining the enduring label for his domestic policies. The result was a series of permanent reform programs including the Social Security program, unemployment relief and insurance, public housing, bankruptcy insurance, farm subsidies, and regulation of financial securities.[204] It also provided unemployment relief through the Works Progress Administration (WPA) and for young men, the Civilian Conservation Corps. Large scale spending projects designed to provide private sector construction jobs and rebuild the infrastructure were under the purview of the Public Works Administration.[204] Dorothea Lange's Migrant Mother depicts destitute pea pickers in California, in Nipomo, California, in 1936. State governments added new programs as well, and introduced the sales tax to pay for them. Ideologically, the New Deal established modern liberalism in the United States and kept the Democrats in power in Washington almost continuously for three decades, thanks to the New Deal coalition of ethnic white and Black people, blue-collar workers, and labor unions.[204] The New Deal coalition won re-election for Roosevelt in 1936, 1940, and 1944.[204] However, the Conservative coalition, composed of conservatives Republicans and Southern Democrats opposed much of Roosevelt's New Deal reforms, and stopped legislation that they judged to much progressive. The Second New Deal in 1935 and 1936 brought the economy further left, building up labor unions through the Wagner Act. Roosevelt weakened his second term by a failed effort to pack the Supreme Court, which had been a center of conservative resistance to his programs.[204] The economy essentially recovered by 1936, but had a sharp, short recession in 1937 and 1938. Long-term unemployment, however, remained a problem until it was solved by wartime spending. Most of the relief programs were dropped in the late 1940s, when the conservatives regained power in Congress in the 80th United States Congress. In an effort to denounce past U.S. interventionism and create a friendly relationship with Latin America, Roosevelt announced in 1933 he would stray from asserting military force in the region.[205][206] For Hispanics in the United States, the Depression was a difficult period, as the Mexican Repatriation resulted in the dislocation of an estimated 400,000 Mexicans and Mexican Americans.[207] World War II Main articles: World War II, United States in World War II, and Military history of the United States during World War II The USS Arizona (BB-39) burning after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 See also: Historiography of World War II and United States home front during World War II During the Depression, the United States remained focused on domestic concerns, while democracy declined across the world and many countries fell under the control of dictators. Imperial Japan asserted dominance in East Asia and in the Pacific. Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy militarized and threatened conquests of their neighbors, while Britain and France attempted appeasem*nt to avert another war in Europe. U.S. legislation in the Neutrality Acts sought to avoid foreign conflicts; however, policy clashed with increasing anti-Nazi feelings following the German invasion of Poland in September 1939 that started World War II.[208] Duration: 8 minutes and 42 seconds.8:42 President Roosevelt's speech in aftermath of Pearl Harbor Attack At first, Roosevelt positioned the U.S. as the "Arsenal of Democracy", pledging full-scale financial and munitions support for the Allies and Lend-Lease agreements – but no military personnel.[208] Japan tried to neutralize America's power in the Pacific by attacking Pearl Harbor in 1941, but instead it catalyzed American support to enter the war.[209] Japanese-Americans in Woodland, California, boarding a bus to the Merced Assembly Center internment camp in 1942 War fervor inspired anti-Japanese sentiment, leading to internment of Japanese Americans.[210] Roosevelt's Executive Order 9066 resulted in over 120,000 Americans of Japanese descent being removed from their homes and placed in internment camps. Two-thirds of those interned were American citizens, and half of them were children.[211][212][213] The Allies – the United States, Britain, the Soviet Union, and other countries – fought against Germany in the European theater and Japan in the Pacific War.[214] The U.S. gave the Allied war effort money, food, petroleum, technology, and military personnel. The U.S. focused on maximizing its national economic output, causing a dramatic increase in GDP, the end of unemployment, and a rise in civilian consumption, even as 40% of the GDP went to the war effort.[202] A wartime production boom led to the end of the Great Depression. Tens of millions of workers moved into the active labor force and to higher-productivity jobs. Labor shortages encouraged industries to look for new sources of workers, finding new roles for women and Black people. Economic mobilization was managed by the War Production Board.[202] Most durable goods became unavailable, and meat, clothing, and gasoline were tightly rationed. In industrial areas, housing was in short supply, as people lived in cramped quarters. Prices and wages were controlled, and Americans saved a high portion of their incomes, which led to renewed growth after the war.[215][216] Into the Jaws of Death: U.S. troops landing at Omaha Beach in France, during the Normandy landings in June 1944 The U.S. stopped Japanese expansion in the Pacific in 1942; after the loss of the Philippines to Japanese conquests, as well as a draw in the Battle of the Coral Sea in May, the American Navy then inflicted a decisive blow at Midway in June 1942. The Allied forces built up a garrison on Guadalcanal, a Pacific island formerly held by the Japanese, after the successes of the Battle of the Eastern Solomons and the Battle of Guadalcanal. The Japanese then stopped advancing south, and the U.S. began taking New Guinea. Japan also lost their invasion of the Alaskan Aleutian Islands, allowing the U.S. to begin attacking the Japanese-controlled Kuril Islands.[214] American ground forces assisted in the North African campaign that eventually concluded with the collapse of Fascist Italy in 1943, as Italy switched to the Allied side. A more significant European front was opened on D-Day, June 6, 1944, in which Allied forces invaded Nazi-occupied France from Britain.[214] The Allies began pushing the Germans out of France in the Normandy campaign, breaking through the local German defenses after Operation Cobra in August. This also led to conflict within the German high command, and the unsuccessful July Plot. After French and American forces landed at the French Riviera in Operation Dragoon, Hitler allowed his army to retreat from Normandy.[217] Roosevelt died in 1945, and was succeeded by Harry Truman.[218] The western front stopped short of Berlin, leaving the Soviets to take it in the Battle of Berlin. The Nazi regime formally capitulated in May 1945, ending the war in Europe.[214] The Manhattan Project's Trinity Test, the first detonation of a nuclear weapon, in 1945 In the Pacific, the U.S. implemented an island hopping strategy toward Tokyo. The Philippines was eventually reconquered, after Japan and the United States fought in history's largest naval battle, the Battle of Leyte Gulf.[219] However, the war wiped out all the development the United States invested in the Philippines, as cities and towns were completely destroyed.[220] After the war, the U.S. granted the Philippines independence.[221] Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima: United States Marines raising a US flag atop Mount Suribachi during the Battle of Iwo Jima Military research and development increased during the war, leading to the Manhattan Project, a secret effort to harness nuclear fission to produce atomic bombs.[222] The first nuclear device ever detonated was conducted on July 16, 1945.[223] Meanwhile, the U.S. established airfields for bombing runs against mainland Japan from the Mariana Islands, achieving hard-fought victories at Iwo Jima and Okinawa in 1945.[224] The U.S. prepared to invade Japan's home islands when they dropped atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, compelling Japan to surrender and ending World War II.[225] The U.S. occupied Japan (and part of Germany), and restructured Japan along American lines.[226] 400,000 American military personnel and civilians were killed.[227] Nuclear weapons have not been used since the war ended, and a "long peace" began between the global powers in era of competition that came to be known as the Cold War.[228] Post-war America (1945–1981) Main articles: Cold War, History of the United States (1945–1964), and History of the United States (1964–1980) The NATO (blue) and Warsaw Pact (red) alliances from 1949 to 1990 Economic boom and the beginning of the Cold War Truman administration Main articles: Presidency of Harry S. Truman and Cold War (1947-1953) In the decades after World War II, the United States became a global influence in economic, political, military, cultural, and technological affairs. Following World War II, the United States emerged as one of the two dominant superpowers, the Soviet Union being the other. The U.S. Senate, on a bipartisan vote, approved U.S. participation in the United Nations (UN), which marked a turn away from traditional American isolationism and toward increased international involvement.[229] The United States and other major Allied powers — the United Kingdom, Soviet Union, and China — became the foundation of the UN Security Council.[230] The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) was created in 1947, taking the place of the too much powerful Office of Strategic Services (OSS).[231] Marshall Plan poster One of a number of posters created by the Economic Cooperation Administration, an agency of the U.S. government, to sell the Marshall Plan in Europe America wished to rescue Europe from the devastation of World War II, and to contain the expansion of communism, represented by the Soviet Union. U.S. foreign policy during the Cold War was built around the support of Western Europe and Japan along with the policy of containment (containing the spread of communism to countries already under that system).[232] The Truman Doctrine in 1947 was the U.S.' attempt to secure trading partners in Europe, by providing military and economic aid to Greece and Turkey to counteract the threat of communist expansion in the Balkans.[233][228] In 1948, the United States replaced piecemeal financial aid programs with a comprehensive Marshall Plan, which pumped money into Western Europe, and removed trade barriers, while modernizing the managerial practices of businesses and governments.[234] Post-war American aid to Europe totaled $25 billion, out of the U.S. GDP of $258 billion in 1948. Soviet head of state Joseph Stalin prevented his satellite states from participating, and from that point on, Eastern Europe, with inefficient centralized economies, fell further and further behind Western Europe in terms of economic development and prosperity.[234] In Asia, despite being devastated by World War 2 and being a former colony, the Philippines, received negligible assistance from the United States compared to the larger aid given to other Asian allies like: South Korea, South Vietnam, and Israel;[235] because the latter had hostile Pro-Soviet Union neighbors which the United States were opposed to.[236] In 1949, the United States, rejecting the long-standing policy of no military alliances in peacetime, formed the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) alliance, which continues into the 21st century. In response, the Soviets formed the Warsaw Pact of communist states, leading to the "Iron Curtain".[234] In 1949, the Soviets performed their first nuclear weapon test, using intelligence they had gained from spies inside the Manhattan Project.[237][228] This escalated the risk of nuclear warfare; the threat of mutually assured destruction, however, prevented both powers from nuclear war, and resulted the proxy wars in which the two sides did not directly confront each other.[228] U.S. Marines fighting in the streets of Seoul, Korea during the Second Battle of Seoul in 1950 The U.S. fought against communists in the Korean War and Vietnam War, and toppled left-wing governments in the third world to try to stop its spread, such as Iran in 1953 and Guatemala in 1954.[232] McCarthyism was a widespread government program led by Senator Joseph McCarthy to expose communists in government and business. Government employees were made to prove their loyalty to America, and Hollywood was targeted by the House Un-American Activities Committee.[238][239] J. Robert Oppenheimer, director of the Los Alamos Laboratory during the Manhattan Project, had his high-level security clearance revoked in 1954 over alleged communist sympathies, losing his ability to advise the top heads of government.[240][241] Gay people were targeted under the McCarthyist Lavender Scare.[242] Eisenhower administration Main articles: Presidency of Dwight D. Eisenhower and Cold War (1953–1962) An American family watching television together in 1958 Dwight D. Eisenhower was elected president in 1952 in a landslide.[243] He ended the Korean War, and avoided any other major conflict. He cut military spending by relying on advanced technology, such as nuclear weapons carried by long-range bombers and intercontinental missiles.[244] He also promoted safe and fast travel across the country with the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956, creating the Interstate Highway System.[245] After Stalin died in 1953, Eisenhower worked to obtain friendlier relationships with the Soviet Union. At home, he ended McCarthyism, expanded the Social Security program, and presided over a decade of bipartisan cooperation.[244] Domestically, after 1948, America entered an economic boom. Americans found themselves flush with cash from wartime work, due to there being little to buy for several years. As a result, 60% of the American population had attained a "middle-class" standard of living by the mid-1950s (defined as incomes of $3,000 to $10,000 in constant dollars), compared with only 31% in the 1928 and 1929. Between 1947 and 1960, the average real income for American workers increased by as much as it had in the previous half-century.[246] The economy allowed for an affordable lifestyle with large families; this created the baby boom, in which millions of children were born at increased rates from 1945 to 1964. The baby boomer demographic eventually made up 40 percent of the country.[247][248] Many Americans moved into suburban neighborhoods.[249] The 101st Airborne Division escorting the Little Rock Nine into Little Rock Central High School in 1957 Eisenhower promoted civil rights for African-Americans cautiously.[244] In the 1954 Supreme Court decision Brown v. Board of Education, public school segregation was ruled unconstitutional.[250] When nine Black students were threatened over their admission into all-white Little Rock Central High School, Eisenhower sent in a thousand National Guard troops to ensure peace.[244][251] Starting in the late 1950s, institutionalized racism across the United States, but especially in the South, was increasingly challenged by the growing civil rights movement. The activism of Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr. led to the boycott of segregated public buses in Montgomery, Alabama in 1955, organized by King and the Montgomery Improvement Association. They faced multiple acts of violence, but continued the boycott for a year, until the Supreme Court ordered the city to desegregate the buses. In 1957, King created the Southern Christian Leadership Conference to facilitate future protests.[250] The Soviets unexpectedly surpassed American technology in 1957 with Sputnik, the first Earth satellite. The R-7 missile which launched Sputnik into space could have hypothetically dropped a nuclear bomb into U.S. air space from above; new American fears regarding Soviet power began the Space Race, a competition between the two countries to prove their technological superiority through space exploration. In 1958, Eisenhower created the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) for this purpose, and in 1958, the U.S. launched the Explorer I satellite.[252] In 1961, Eisenhower's newly elected successor, John F. Kennedy, announced the U.S. would land a man on the moon by the end of the decade.[253] Angst about the weaknesses of American education led to large-scale federal support for science education and research.[254] Civil unrest and social reforms Main articles: History of the United States (1964–1980) and Cold War (1962-1991) Kennedy and Johnson administrations Lyndon B. Johnson being inaugurated in 1963 after the assassination of John F. Kennedy Main articles: Presidency of John F. Kennedy, Presidency of Lyndon B. Johnson, and Great Society In 1960, John F. Kennedy was elected President and his administration saw the acceleration of the country's role in the Space Race, escalation of the American role in the Vietnam War, the Bay of Pigs Invasion, and the Cuban Missile Crisis. President Kennedy was assassinated on November 22, 1963, leaving the nation in profound shock.[255] Lyndon B. Johnson then became president.[256] Duration: 10 minutes and 22 seconds.10:22 President Lyndon Johnson's speech on the Civil Rights Act of 1964 Johnson was rewarded with an electoral landslide in 1964 against conservative Barry Goldwater.[256] He then secured congressional passage of his Great Society programs,[257] dealing with civil rights, the end of legal segregation, Medicare, extension of welfare, federal aid to education at all levels, subsidies for the arts and humanities, environmental activism, and a series of programs designed to wipe out poverty.[258][259] Civil rights and counterculture movements Main articles: Civil rights movement, Counterculture of the 1960s, and Second-wave feminism Civil rights activists during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in 1963 For years, civil rights activists were victims of violence, but they would achieve great steps toward equality with Supreme Court decisions like Loving v. Virginia, and laws like the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and the Fair Housing Act of 1968. These ended the Jim Crow laws that legalized racial segregation between white and Black people.[260] Native Americans protested federal courts, highlighting the federal government's failure to honor treaties involving them. One of the most outspoken Native American groups was the American Indian Movement (AIM). In the 1960s, Cesar Chavez began organizing poorly paid Mexican-American farm workers in California. He led a five-year-long strike by grape pickers. Then Chávez formed the country's first successful union of farm workers, the United Farm Workers of America (UFW).[261] U.S. soldiers searching a village for potential Viet Cong during the Vietnam War in 1966 An anti-Vietnam War demonstration in 1967 Amid the Cold War, the United States entered the Vietnam War, whose growing unpopularity fed already existing social movements, including those among women, minorities, and young people. Feminism and the environmental movement became political forces, and progress continued toward civil rights for all Americans. A counterculture revolution swept through the nation and much of the western world in the late sixties and early seventies, further dividing Americans in a "culture war" but also bringing forth more liberated social views.[262] Frustrations with the seemingly slow progress of the integration movement led to the emergence of more radical politics, such as Black Power movement of the late 1960s and early 1970s.[263] The summer of 1967 saw opposing philosophies in two widespread movements, the more peaceful summer of love and the radical long, hot summer, which included nationwide riots.[264] Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in 1968.[265] Following his death, there were further riots, and others led the movement, most notably his wife, Coretta Scott King.[265][266] The modern gay rights movement started after the Stonewall riots in 1969.[267] A new consciousness of the inequality of American women began sweeping the nation, starting with the 1963 publication of Betty Friedan's best-seller, The Feminine Mystique, which critiqued the American cultural idea that women could only find fulfillment through their roles as wives, mothers, and keepers of the home, arguing that women should join the workforce. In 1966, Friedan and others established the National Organization for Women (NOW) to advocate for women's rights.[183][268] Protests began, and the new women's liberation movement grew in size and power, gaining much media attention. There were striking gains for women in medicine, law, and business, while only a few were elected to office.[269] Activists protesting for women's liberation in 1970 The proposed Equal Rights Amendment to the Constitution, passed by Congress in 1972 was defeated by a conservative coalition mobilized by Phyllis Schlafly.[269][270] However, many federal laws stablished women's equal status under the law, such as those equalizing pay, employment, education, employment opportunities, and credit between genders, ending pregnancy discrimination, and requiring organizations like NASA to admit women. State laws criminalized spousal abuse and marital rape, and the Supreme Court ruled that the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment applied to women. Social custom and consciousness began to change, accepting women's equality. The controversial issue of abortion, deemed by the Supreme Court as a fundamental right in Roe v. Wade (1973), is still a point of debate today. Nixon administration Main article: Presidency of Richard Nixon Buzz Aldrin (shown) and Neil Armstrong became the first humans to walk on the Moon during NASA's 1969 Apollo 11 mission. In March 1968, Johnson announced he would not run for a second full term in office.[271] This was partially because Robert F. Kennedy, who was against the Vietnam War, entered the Democratic primary race. The war was increasingly controversial after the recent Tet Offensive. Kennedy was assassinated in June. The winner of the primaries was Hubert Humphrey; his policies regarding the Vietnam War led to riots at the party's convention that year.[272][273] Humphrey was defeated by Republican Richard Nixon,[272] who largely continued the New Deal and Great Society programs he inherited.[256][274] The Republican Party expanded its base throughout the South after 1968, largely due to its strength among socially conservative white Evangelical Protestants and traditionalist Roman Catholics, adding to its traditional strength in the business community and suburbs. The Democratic party also started moving to the right-center.[275] Nixon created the Environmental Protection Agency,[276] opened relations with China,[277] and attempted to gradually turn the Vietnam War effort over to the South Vietnamese forces. He negotiated the peace treaty in 1973 which secured the release of POWs and led to the withdrawal of U.S. troops. The war had cost the lives of 58,000 American troops. Nixon manipulated the fierce distrust between the Soviet Union and China to the advantage of the U.S., achieving détente with both parties.[274] He was also president during the U.S.' landing on the moon in 1969.[278] Richard Nixon departing from the White House, 1974 The Watergate scandal, involving Nixon's cover-up of his operatives' break-in into the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate office complex destroyed his political base, sent many aides to prison, and forced his resignation on August 9, 1974.[274] He was succeeded by Vice President Gerald Ford, who pardoned Nixon for Watergate.[274][279] Ford and Carter administrations Main articles: Presidency of Gerald Ford and Presidency of Jimmy Carter The Fall of Saigon on April 30, 1975, ended the Vietnam War, and resulted in North and South Vietnam being reunited. Communist victories in neighboring Cambodia and Laos occurred in the same year, with the fall of Cambodia's capital, Phnom Penh on April 17 and the taking of Laos's capital, Vientiane on December 2.[274] In Central America, the U.S. government supported right-wing governments against left-wing groups, such as in El Salvador and Guatemala. In South America, they supported Argentina and Chile, who carried out Operation Condor, a campaign of assassinations of exiled political opponents by Southern Cone governments, which was created at the behest of Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet in 1975.[280][281][282] The OPEC oil embargo marked a long-term economic transition since, for the first time, energy prices skyrocketed, and American factories faced serious competition from foreign automobiles, clothing, electronics, and consumer goods. By the late 1970s, the economy suffered an energy crisis, slow economic growth, high unemployment, and very high inflation, coupled with high-interest rates. The term stagflation was coined to define these trends. Since economists agreed on deregulation, many of the New Deal era regulations were ended, such as in transportation, banking, and telecommunications.[283] Meanwhile, the first mass-market personal computers were being developed in California's Silicon Valley.[284] Jimmy Carter, running as someone who was not a part of the Washington political establishment, was elected president in 1976.[285] Carter brokered the Camp David Accords between Israel and Egypt. In 1979, Iranian students stormed the U.S. embassy in Tehran and took 66 Americans hostage, resulting in the Iran hostage crisis. With the hostage crisis and continuing stagflation, Carter lost the 1980 election to the Republican Ronald Reagan.[286] On January 20, 1981, minutes after Carter's term ended, the remaining U.S. captives were released.[287] Contemporary America (1981–present) Main articles: History of the United States (1980–1991), History of the United States (1991–2008), and History of the United States (2008–present) Reagan and George H.W. Bush administrations Main articles: Presidency of Ronald Reagan, Presidency of George H. W. Bush, and Post–Cold War era Monthly unemployment, inflation, and interest rates from January 1981 to January 1989 The Republican Party's central leader by 1980 was president Ronald Reagan, whose conservative policies produced a major political realignment with his 1980 and 1984 landslide elections.[275][288] Reagan's neoliberal economic policies (dubbed "Reaganomics"), including the implementation of the Economic Recovery Tax Act of 1981, lowered the top marginal tax rate from 70% to 28% over the course of seven years.[288][289][290] Reagan continued to downsize government taxation and regulation;[291] New Deal and Great Society programs were ended.[256] The U.S. experienced a recession in 1982, but after inflation decreased, unemployment then decreased, and the economic growth rate increased from 4.5% in 1982 to 7.2% in 1984.[292][293] However, homelessness and economic inequality also rose.[294][295] The Reagan administration's expansion of the War on Drugs led to an increase in incarceration, particularly among African Americans, with the number of people imprisoned for drug offences rising from 50,000 to 400,000 between 1980 and 1997.[296][297] Manufacturing industries moving out of inner cities increased poverty in those areas; poverty increased drug dealing and contributed to the crack epidemic, which in turn led to increased crime and incarceration.[296][298] The government also reacted slowly to the AIDS crisis, and banned reliable information on the disease, which led to higher infection rates.[299][300] Ronald Reagan at the Brandenburg Gate challenges Soviet general secretary Mikhail Gorbachev to tear down the Berlin Wall in 1987, shortly before the end of the Cold War. Reagan ordered a buildup of the U.S. military, incurring additional budget deficits.[301] The 1983 invasion of Grenada and 1986 bombing of Libya were popular in the U.S., though Reagan's backing of the Contra rebels was mired in the controversy over the Iran–Contra affair.[302] Reagan also introduced a complicated missile defense system known as the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI). The Soviets reacted harshly because they thought it violated the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, and would upset the balance of power by giving the U.S. a major military advantage, so they stopped negotiating disarmament deals until the late 1980s.[301] Historians debate over if the SDI forced Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev to initiate radical reforms, or whether the deterioration of the Soviet economy alone forced the reforms.[303] US Air Force aircraft fly over oil fields which had been destroyed by the retreating Iraqi army in 1991's Operation Desert Shield. Reagan met four times with Gorbachev, and their summit conferences led to the signing of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty. Gorbachev tried to save communism in the Soviet Union, first by ending the expensive nuclear arms race with America.[304] However, the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, ending the Cold War.[305] For the remainder of the 20th century, the United States emerged as the world's sole remaining superpower and continued to intervene in international affairs during the 1990s.[306] The Gulf War against Iraq started during George H.W. Bush's administration.[306] The war started when Iraq invaded neighboring Kuwait in 1990. After a "massive", international U.S.-led offensive, Kuwait was taken back.[307] Under Bush, the U.S. also became involved in wars in Panama, Somalia, Bosnia, and Croatia.[308][309][310] In 1992, there were riots in Los Angeles over police brutality.[311] Clinton administration Main articles: Presidency of Bill Clinton, Third Way (United States), and Republican Revolution Ruins of the aftermath of the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995 Following his election in 1992, President Bill Clinton oversaw one of the longest periods of economic expansion and unprecedented gains in securities values. President Clinton worked with the Republican Congress to pass the first balanced federal budget in 30 years.[306] Much of the economic boom was a side effect of the Digital Revolution, and new business opportunities created by the Internet (which started as the government project ARPANET).[312] During Clinton's administration, the U.S. was involved in wars in Haiti and Kosovo.[313][314] White Democrats in the South lost dominance of the Democratic Party in the 1990s.[275] Conservative Republicans heavily won the 1994 midterm elections in a "Republican Revolution" which was built around the Contract with America policy agenda.[315][316] Newt Gingrich was chosen as House Speaker,[315] and he would heavily influence the Republican Party to engage in "confrontational" political speech.[317][318] In response, in June 1995, Clinton shifted his policies more towards the center from the left. This did not majorly increase his approval, but rather, his leadership after the Oklahoma City bombing in April did.[319] He won in the 1996 presidential elections.[320] In 1998, Clinton was impeached by the House of Representatives on charges of lying under oath about a sexual relationship with White House intern Monica Lewinsky. He was acquitted by the Senate. The failure of impeachment and the Democratic gains in the 1998 election forced Gingrich to resign from Congress.[306] The Nasdaq Composite index swelled with the dot-com bubble in the optimistic "New economy". The bubble burst in 2000. In 2000, the dot-com bubble, a widespread overvaluation of Internet company stocks, burst and hurt the U.S. economy.[321][322] The close presidential election in 2000 between Governor George W. Bush and Al Gore helped lay the seeds for political polarization to come. The vote in the decisive states of New Mexico and Florida was extremely close and produced a dramatic dispute over the counting of votes.[323] Bush ultimately won.[324] Including 2000, the Democrats outpolled the Republicans in the national vote in every election from 1992 to 2020, except for 2004.[325] George W. Bush administration Main articles: Presidency of George W. Bush, September 11 attacks, and War on terror United Airlines Flight 175 crashes into the South Tower of the World Trade Center complex in New York City during the September 11 attacks. On September 11, 2001 (9/11), the United States was struck by a terrorist attack, when 19 al-Qaeda hijackers commandeered four commercial planes to be used in suicide attacks. Two were crashed intentionally into both Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, and a third into the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia. The fourth plane was re-taken by the passengers and crew of the aircraft, and it was crashed into an empty field in Pennsylvania, killing everyone on board and saving whatever target the terrorists were aiming for. Every building of the World Trade Center partially or completely collapsed, massively damaging the surrounding area and blanketing Lower Manhattan in toxic dust clouds. A total of 2,977 victims died in the attacks. In response, on September 20, Bush announced a "war on terror".[326][327] Bush's address to the American people on the night of the September 11 attacks U.S. Marines prepare to storm one of Saddam Hussein's palaces during the 2003 invasion of Iraq. In October 2001, the U.S. and NATO invaded Afghanistan and ousted the Taliban regime, which had harbored al-Qaeda and its leader Osama bin Laden.[328] Bin Laden then escaped to Pakistan, starting a manhunt for him.[329] The U.S. established new domestic efforts to prevent future attacks. The Patriot Act increased the power of government to monitor communications and removed legal restrictions on intelligence sharing between federal law enforcement agencies.[330] The government's indefinite detention of terrorism suspects captured abroad at the Guantanamo Bay detention camp, a prison at the U.S. naval base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, led to allegations of human rights abuses and violations of international law.[331][332][333] The Department of Homeland Security was created to lead federal counter-terrorism activities.[330] In March 2003, the U.S. launched an invasion of Iraq, claiming Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) and the Iraqi people needed to liberated from him. Intelligence backing WMDs were later found to be inaccurate. The war led to the collapse of the Iraqi government and the eventual capture of Hussein.[334][335] Despite some initial successes early in the invasion, the continued Iraq War fueled international protests and gradually saw domestic support decline as many people questioned if the invasion was worth the cost.[336][337] In 2005, Hurricane Katrina killed 1,800 people around New Orleans after the city's levees broke.[338] In 2007, after years of violence by the Iraqi insurgency, Bush deployed more troops in a strategy dubbed "the surge". While the death toll decreased, the political stability of Iraq remained in doubt.[339] In December 2007, the U.S. unemployment rate rose from 5% to 10%.[340] In 2008, the U.S. entered the Great Recession.[341][342] Multiple overlapping crises were involved, especially the housing market crisis, a subprime mortgage crisis, soaring oil prices, an automotive industry crisis, rising unemployment, and the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression. The financial crisis threatened the stability of the entire economy in September 2008, when Lehman Brothers failed, and other giant banks were in grave danger.[343] Starting in October, the federal government lent $245 billion to financial institutions through the bipartisan Troubled Asset Relief Program.[344][345] Obama administration Main articles: Great Recession in the United States and Presidency of Barack Obama First term Barack Obama's 2009 inauguration speech The unpopularity of Bush and the Iraq War, along with the financial crisis, led to the 2008 election of Barack Obama, the first multiracial[346] president, with African-American or Kenyan ancestry.[347] He won by a wide electoral margin.[348] He signed the Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act, which allowed people to serve in the military while openly gay.[349] To help the economy, he signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009,[350] Consumer Assistance to Recycle and Save Act,[351] the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (informally "Obamacare"),[352] and the Dodd–Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act.[353][354] The employment rate began falling as the economy and labor markets experienced a recovery.[340] These changes to the economic system created new political movements, such as the liberal Occupy movement and the conservative Tea Party movement.[355] Tea Party protesters walk towards the United States Capitol during the Taxpayer March on Washington in 2009. The recession officially ended in June 2009, and the economy slowly began recovering.[356] Following the 2010 midterm elections, which resulted in a Republican-controlled House of Representatives and a Democratic-controlled Senate,[357] Congress was in gridlock, as heated debates were held over whether or not to raise the debt ceiling, extend tax cuts for citizens making over $250,000 annually, and how to address other key issues.[358] These ongoing debates led to the Budget Control Act of 2011.[359] The economic expansion that followed the Great Recession was the longest in U.S. history;[360][361] the unemployment rate reached a 50-year low in 2019.[362] Despite the strong economy, increases in the cost of living surpassed increases in wages.[363][364] The economic expansion came to an end in early 2020, largely caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.[360][361] Obama announces the killing of Osama bin Laden in 2011. In 2009, Obama issued an executive order banning the use of torture,[365][366] a prohibition codified into law in 2015.[367] He ordered the closure of secret CIA-run prisons overseas,[368][369] and sought to close the Guantanamo Bay detention camp, but his efforts were stymied by Congress, which in 2011 enacted a measure blocking him from transferring any Guantanamo detainees to U.S. facilities. The number of inmates nonetheless was decreased.[370][371] Obama reluctantly continued the war effort in Iraq until August 2010, when he declared that combat operations had ended. However, 50,000 American soldiers and military personnel were kept in Iraq for safety reasons until they left the country in December 2011.[372] Meanwhile, he increased involvement in Afghanistan, adding an additional 30,000 troops, while proposing to begin withdrawing troops in 2014.[366] The U.S., with NATO, intervened in the Libyan Civil War for seven months in 2011.[373] In May 2011, Osama bin Laden was killed in Pakistan in a raid ordered by Obama and conducted by Navy SEALs. While Al Qaeda was near collapse in Afghanistan, affiliated organizations continued to operate in Yemen and other remote areas, as the CIA used drones to hunt down its leadership.[374][375] In October, Obama sent troops to Central Africa to fight the Lord's Resistance Army.[376] Second term Following Obama's 2012 re-election, Congressional gridlock continued. Congressional Republicans' demands, like calling for the repeal of the Affordable Care Act, resulted in the first government shutdown since the Clinton administration, and almost led to the first default on U.S. debt since the 19th century. As a result of growing public frustration with both parties in Congress, Congressional approval ratings fell to record lows.[377] In 2012, the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, Connecticut led to unsuccessful attempts from Obama to promote gun reform.[378] The Boston Marathon bombing of 2013 killed three people and injured more than 260.[379] Also that year, NSA employee Edward Snowden leaked information regarding the NSA's widespread program of surveilling American citizens through the Internet.[380] In 2013, the U.S. also started a counter-terrorist invention in Niger,[381] and began a covert operation to train rebels in Syria who were fighting against the terrorist group ISIS. The latter program was publicized and expanded in 2014.[382] That year, ISIS grew in scope in the Middle East, and inspired many terrorist attacks in the United States, including the 2015 San Bernardino attack.[383][384][385] The U.S. and its allies began a significant military offensive against ISIS in Iraq which lasted from 2014 to 2021.[386][387] In December 2014, Obama officially ended the combat mission in Afghanistan and promised a withdrawal of almost all remaining U.S. troops at the end of 2016.[388] However, troops stayed until 2021.[389] The White House lit with rainbow colors in celebration of the legalization of gay marriage in 2015 The shooting of Black teen Michael Brown by police officer Darren Wilson, and a grand jury declining to charge Wilson with murder, led to the Ferguson unrest in Missouri in 2014 and 2015.[390] In 2015, U.S. also joined the international Paris Agreement on climate change.[391] Meanwhile, debate over the issue of rights for the LGBT community, including same-sex marriage, began to shift in favor of same-sex couples.[392] In 2012, President Obama became the first president to openly support same-sex marriage.[393] The Supreme Court provided federal recognition of same-sex marriages in 2013,[394] and then legalized gay marriage nationwide with Obergefell v. Hodges in 2015.[395] Trump administration Main articles: Presidency of Donald Trump and COVID-19 pandemic in the United States Donald Trump's 2016 presidential election victory speech In November 2016, following a contentious election against Hillary Clinton, Republican Donald Trump was elected president.[396] The election's legitimacy was disputed when the FBI and Congress investigated if Russia interfered in the election to help Trump win. There were also accusations of collusion between Trump's campaign and Russian officials. The Mueller report concluded that Russia attempted to help Trump's campaign, but there was no evidence of "explicit" collusion found.[397][398][399] Trump, however, "welcomed help from Russia"; in July 2016, after WikiLeaks published emails from the Democratic National Committee (DNC) – initially suspected to be obtained by Russian hackers – Trump publicly asked Russia to find emails that were deleted from Clinton's private email server that she used as Obama's Secretary of State. In 2018, the DNC emails were confirmed to be obtained by a Russian hacker or hacker group named Guccifer 2.0.[398][400][401][402] A demonstration organized in the wake of the Parkland shooting in Florida in 2018 In the 2010s and early 2020s, Americans became more politically polarized.[403][404][405] The #MeToo movement exposed alleged sexual harassment and abuse in the workplace.[406] Many celebrities were accused of misconduct or rape.[407][408] The Black Lives Matter movement gained support after multiple police killings of African-Americans.[409] White supremacy also grew.[410][411][412] The 2017 Women's March against Trump's presidency was one of the largest protests in American history.[413] Multiple mass shootings, including the 2016 Pulse Nightclub shooting, 2017 Las Vegas shooting, and 2018 Parkland shooting, led to increased calls for gun reform, such as in the March for Our Lives student protest movement.[414][415] During Trump's presidency, he espoused an "America First" ideology, placing restrictions on asylum seekers, expanding the wall on the U.S.-Mexico border, and banning immigration from seven Muslim-majority countries. Many of his executive orders and other actions were challenged in court.[416][417][418] He confirmed three new Supreme Court justices (cementing a conservative majority),[419] started a trade war with China,[420] signed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, and removed the U.S. from the Paris Agreement.[391] In 2018, the administration separated families which were illegally immigrating to the country. After public outcry, Trump rescinded the policy.[421][422] In 2019, a U.S. attack caused the suicide of the leader of ISIS, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.[423] A whistleblower complaint also alleged that Trump had withheld foreign aid from Ukraine under the demand that they investigate the business dealings of Hunter Biden; Hunter's father, Democrat Joe Biden, would be Trump's opponent in the 2020 presidential election.[424][425] Trump was impeached for abuse of power and obstruction of congress, but he was acquitted in 2020.[426] Weekly confirmed deaths from COVID-19 in the United States from January 2020 to August 2023 The COVID-19 disease started spreading in China in 2019.[427] In March 2020, the WHO declared the spread to be a pandemic.[428] American state and local governments imposed stay-at-home orders to slow the virus' spread, reducing patient overload in hospitals. By April, the U.S. had the most cases of any country, at 100,000.[429][430][431] At Trump's direction, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and Centers for Disease Control released preventative guidelines for Americans.[432] On April 11, the U.S. death toll became the highest in the world at 20,000,[433] and by May 2022, one million had died.[434] U.S. life expectancy fell by around a year and a half in 2020 and 2021, and unemployment rates were the highest since the Great Depression.[435][436] The biggest mass vaccination campaign in U.S. history started in December 2020, when the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine was first distributed to U.S. citizens.[437] By October 2022, 613 million vaccine shots had been administered to Americans.[438] The May 2020 murder of George Floyd caused mass protests and riots in many cities over police brutality, with many states calling in the National Guard.[439] Many organizations attempted to rid themselves of institutionalized racism.[440] 2020 was also marked by a rise in domestic terrorist threats and widespread conspiracy theories around mail-in voting and COVID-19.[441][442][443] The QAnon conspiracy theory gained publicity due to greater Internet usage during the pandemic.[444][445] Multiple major cities were hit by rioting and fighting between far-left anti-fascist groups and far-right groups like the Proud Boys.[446][447] Supporters of then-President Trump attempting to stop the counting of electoral votes on January 6, 2021 Joe Biden defeated Trump in the 2020 election, the first defeat of an incumbent president since 1992.[425] The election, with an exceptional amount of mail-in voting and early voting due to the pandemic, had historically high voter turnout.[448] Trump then repeatedly made false claims of massive voter fraud and election rigging,[449][450][451] leading to the January 6 United States Capitol attack by supporters of Trump and right-wing militias.[452][453] The attack was widely described as a coup d'état.[454][455][456] It led to Trump's impeachment for incitement of insurrection, making him the only U.S. president to be impeached twice.[457][458][459] The Senate later acquitted Trump, despite some fellow Republicans voting against him.[460][461] Kamala Harris was inaugurated as the first Black, Asian, and female vice president.[462] Biden administration Main article: Presidency of Joe Biden In 2021, Biden finished the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan which started under Trump. After an evacuation of over 120,000 American citizens, Afghanistan fell to the Taliban in August.[389][463][464] Biden signed into law the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021; a $1.9 trillion stimulus bill in response to continued economic pressure from COVID-19.[465] He also proposed a significant expansion of the social safety net through the Build Back Better Act, but those efforts, along with voting rights legislation, failed in Congress.[466] He then signed bills regarding infrastructure,[467] gun reform,[468] inflation reduction,[469] and healthcare for veterans,[470] among other issues.[471] The Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, started spreading in 2021. New preventative restrictions were put in place in reaction to this.[472][473][474] Protestors outside the Supreme Court shortly after the announcement of the Dobbs v. Jackson decision in 2022 In the early 2020s, Republican-led states began sweeping rollbacks of LGBT rights.[475] In 2022, the Supreme Court ruled in Dobbs v. Jackson that having an abortion is not a protected Constitutional right, overturning Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey and sparking nationwide protests.[476][477] Biden also appointed Ketanji Brown Jackson to become the first Black woman to serve on the court.[478] In 2023, Trump began appearing in court as a defendant in multiple notable criminal trials, including alleged federal crimes,[479] while he was campaigning for the 2024 presidential election.[480] Meanwhile, the U.S. began supporting Israel in the Israel-Hamas war[481] and protecting shipping in the Red Sea from attacks by the Yemeni Houthis.[482] In June 2024, Trump became the first president convicted of a crime, when he was found guilty of 34 felony counts for falsifying business documents related to his paying off of Stormy Daniels in 2016.[483] In July, the Supreme Court ruled in Trump v. United States that presidents are somewhat immune from criminal prosecution after their presidency over "official acts" taken during their presidency, helping Trump before his planned election subversion trial;[484][485][486] the trial was later dismissed by a Trump-appointed judge.[487] Later in July, Trump was injured in an assassination attempt at a rally of his in Pennsylvania,[488] and Biden dropped out of the 2024 race, endorsing Kamala Harris.[489] See also flag United States portal American urban history Bibliography of American history Colonial history of the United States Economic history of the United States History of agriculture in the United States History of education in the United States History of United States foreign policy History of immigration to the United States History of North America History of religion in the United States History of the Southern United States History of the United States government History of women in the United States List of historians by area of study List of history journals List of presidents of the United States Military history of the United States Outline of the history of the United States Politics of the United States Racism in the United States Territorial evolution of the United States Territories of the United States United States factor An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States Notes 'In addition, he [i.e., Sweyn Estridsson, king of Denmark (reigned 1047–1076)] named one more island in this ocean, discovered by many, which is called "Vinland", because vines grow wild there, making the best wine. For [that] crops [that are] not sown, abound there, we learn not from fanciful opinion but from the true account of the Danes.'[21] Howe argued that, "American imperialism did not represent an American consensus; it provoked bitter dissent within the national polity."[109] The Seneca Falls Convention was preceded by the Anti-Slavery Convention of American Women in 1837 held in New York City, at which women's rights issues were debated, especially African-American women's rights.[113] A new way of calculating casualties by looking at the deviation of the death rate of men of fighting age from the norm through analysis of census data found that at least 627,000 and at most 888,000 people, but most likely 761,000 people, died through the war.[136][137] Tooker E (1990). "The United States Constitution and the Iroquois League". In Clifton JA (ed.). The Invented Indian: Cultural Fictions and Government Policies. Transaction Publishers. pp. 107–128. ISBN 9781560007456. Retrieved November 24, 2010. van Dijk, Ruud; et al. (2013). Encyclopedia of the Cold War. Routledge. pp. 863–64. ISBN 9781135923112. Vann Woodward, C. (1974). The Strange Career of Jim Crow (3rd ed.). Wilentz, Sean (2008). The Age of Reagan: A History, 1974–2008. Harper. ISBN 9780060744809. Wood, Gordon S. (2009). Empire of Liberty: A History of the Early Republic, 1789–1815. Oxford History of the United States. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780195039146. Zinn, Howard (2003). A People's History of the United States. HarperPerennial Modern Classics. ISBN 9780060528423. Zophy, Angela Howard, ed. (2000). Handbook of American Women's History (2nd ed.). Garland. ISBN 9780824087449. External links History of the United States at Wikipedia's sister projects Definitions from Wiktionary Media from Commons News from Wikinews Quotations from Wikiquote Texts from Wikisource Textbooks from Wikibooks Resources from Wikiversity "Encyclopedia of American Studies". "US History map animation". Houston Institute for Culture. Archived from the original on January 17, 2013. Retrieved July 24, 2011. "Edsitement, History & Social Studies". National Endowment for the Humanities. Archived from the original on August 26, 2013. "The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History". "BackStory"., American history public radio show hosted by Ed Ayers, Brian Balogh, and Peter Onuf vte History of the United States by polity States AlabamaAlaskaArizonaArkansasCaliforniaColoradoConnecticutDelawareFloridaGeorgiaHawaiiIdahoIllinoisIndianaIowaKansasKentuckyLouisianaMaineMarylandMassachusettsMichiganMinnesotaMississippiMissouriMontanaNebraskaNevadaNew HampshireNew JerseyNew MexicoNew YorkNorth CarolinaNorth DakotaOhioOklahomaOregonPennsylvaniaRhode IslandSouth CarolinaSouth DakotaTennesseeTexasUtahVermontVirginiaWashingtonWest VirginiaWisconsinWyoming Federal district Washington, D.C. 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• Condition: In Excellent Condition
• Options: Commemorative
• Certification Number: Trump
• Fineness: Plated
• Grade: Ungraded
• Material: Metal
• Certification: Uncertified
• Colour: Silver
• Year of Issue: 2024
• Currency: Trump
• Features: Commemorative
• Country/Region of Manufacture: United Kingdom
• Variety: Washington
• Country of Origin: United States

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