Never-Before-Seen Footage Of Trump Assassination Attempt Released

Never-before-seen footage of the assassination attempt on U.S. President Donald Trump has been released.

The new drone footage captures the scene at Trump’s Butler rally on July 13, 2024, and features in Fox Nation’s “Art of the Surge: The Donald Trump Comeback” documentary.

It shows the moments leading up to when Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, fired at Trump from a rooftop, grazing his ear with a bullet, killing one attendee and injuring seven others.

New drone footage of the assassination attempt on Donald Trump has been released

Image credits: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

The clip shows close-up footage of Secret Service officers protecting Trump, and the crowd’s reaction to the terrifying events.

In the Fox Nation episode, Trump describes how close the bullet got to him.

“130 yards is like sinking a one-foot putt,” Trump said. “It’s considered really close.”

Crooks was shot and killed at the campaign rally, which was held while Trump was the presumptive Republican presidential nominee.

One spectator, former fire chief Corey Comperatore, 50, was killed as Crooks fired eight bullets.

Two other attendees were hit by the gunfire and left critically injured, while four Secret Service officers were injured by flying debris during the attack.

In the aftermath of the attack, Trump, clutching his bleeding ear, shouted for the crowd to “fight, fight, fight” as he was quickly pulled off the stage by Secret Service agents.

The moment was captured in a photograph that quickly went viral and is now featured on collectible trading cards.

Trump was treated for a superficial wound and later appeared at the Republican National Convention with a bandaged ear and a defiantly raised fist.

Image credits: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Nearly one year on from the attack, there is still not much known about Crooks’ motive, despite extensive interviews and forensic searches of his phone.

He was not known to the FBI before the incident and the AR-style rifle he used during the attack was purchased legally.

The FBI investigation remains ongoing and is being treated as a case of potential domestic terrorism.

In the aftermath, the Secret Service confirmed there had been several failures regarding perimeter security and rooftop surveillance, including missed signs of the shooter’s elevated position and insufficient coverage of nearby buildings.

There is still not much known about Crooks’ motive

Image credits: Trump Campaign Office / Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images

A Senate report released in September last year said a lack of communication in the Secret Service had “directly contributed” to the assassination attempt.

The security failures that day were “foreseeable” and “preventable”, as the report said as it noted several problems, including issues with agents’ radios.

“What happened here was really an accumulation of errors that produced a perfect storm of stunning failure,” Connecticut Senator Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat on the committee, said, as the BBC reports.

Image credits: Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

The events of that day led to the head of the agency, Kimberly Cheetle, taking full responsibility for the failures and handing in her resignation on July 14.

“The Secret Service’s solemn mission is to protect our nation’s leaders and financial infrastructure. On July 13th, we fell short on that mission,” she said in her resignation letter.

“The scrutiny over the last week has been intense and will continue to remain as our operational tempo increases. As your director, I take full responsibility for the security lapse.”

“In light of recent events, it is with a heavy heart that I have made the difficult decision to step down as your director,” she added.