{"id":2294559,"date":"2024-07-14T10:40:01","date_gmt":"2024-07-14T14:40:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/i-was-four-feet-away-when-i-heard-the-bullets-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2024-07-14T10:41:22","modified_gmt":"2024-07-14T14:41:22","slug":"i-was-four-feet-away-when-i-heard-the-bullets-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/i-was-four-feet-away-when-i-heard-the-bullets-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018I Was Four Feet Away When I Heard the Bullets\u2019 &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">26<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fi-was-four-feet-away-when-i-heard-the-bullets-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2294559&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The\u200b article from the Washington Examiner titled &#8220;\u2018I Was Four Feet Away When \u2062I Heard the Bullets\u2019&#8221; written by Salena Zito recounts a personal experience with former President\u2062 Donald Trump at a rally in \u2064Pennsylvania. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/fact-check-does-this-map-show-what-scientists-say-the-us-will-look-like-in-30-years-due-to-climate-change\/\" title=\"FACT CHECK: Does This Map Show What Scientists Say The US Will Look Like In 30 Years Due To Climate Change?\">author describes<\/a> her interaction with \u200dTrump before shots were fired, causing panic and chaos. Despite the\u2064 dangerous situation, Trump remained calm and composed, even encouraging\u2062 his supporters to &#8220;Fight!&#8221; and chanting &#8220;USA!&#8221; with the crowd. The article provides a firsthand account of the\u2063 incident and the response of those present.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><br \/>\n<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC \"-\/\/W3C\/\/DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional\/\/EN\" \"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/TR\/REC-html40\/loose.dtd\"><br \/>\n<?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><html><body><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><a class=\"tdb-logo-a\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" title=\"Washington Examiner\"><span class=\"tdb-logo-img-wrap\"><\/span><span class=\"tdb-logo-text-wrap\"><span class=\"tdb-logo-text-title\">Washington Examiner<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\">\n<div class=\"tdb-search-form-inner\"><input class=\"tdb-head-search-form-input\" placeholder=\" \" type=\"text\" value name=\"s\" autocomplete=\"off\"><button class=\"wpb_button wpb_btn-inverse btn tdb-head-search-form-btn\" title=\"Search\" type=\"submit\"><span>Search<\/span><\/button><\/div>\n<\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><a class=\"tdb-logo-a\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" title=\"Washington Examiner\"><span class=\"tdb-logo-img-wrap\"><\/span><span class=\"tdb-logo-text-wrap\"><span class=\"tdb-logo-text-title\">Washington Examiner<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">\u2018I Was Four Feet Away When I Heard the Bullets\u2019<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-author-name-wrap\"><span class=\"tdb-author-by\">By<\/span> <a class=\"tdb-author-name\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/author\/salena-zito\/\">Salena Zito<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><time class=\"entry-date updated td-module-date\" datetime=\"2024-07-14T10:07:28-04:00\">July 14, 2024 10:07 am<\/time><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1701734\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>BUTLER, PENN.\u00a0\u2014\u00a0As soon as he saw me, he shook my hand. <\/p>\n<p>It was that thing that all electeds do\u2014the familiarity, the warmth, or the faux-warmth\u2014but he\u2019s better. It feels like he means it.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSalena, it\u2019s so great to see you. How are you doing? How are all those grandkids?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Donald Trump always remembers my grandkids. I have four. Last time I talked to him, over the phone in the spring, I told him about my latest, Rocco. He replied, \u201cI love my grandkids, too. I love being around them.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>It was just before six o\u2019clock on Saturday when he greeted me. He was about to go onstage for a rally about 50 miles from my hometown of Pittsburgh. Inside the tent with me were forty local cops\u2014men and women.<\/p>\n<p>Many of them told him they were looking forward to him being president.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThank you so much for your service,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n<p>He was in great spirits. At rallies like these, he always is.<\/p>\n<p>These are the people I wrote about during his first campaign in 2016, when I noticed that Trump, the billionaire, was connecting with blue-collar crowds. They weren\u2019t taking him literally, as I <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/politics\/archive\/2016\/09\/trump-makes-his-case-in-pittsburgh\/501335\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">wrote at the time<\/a>. They were taking him seriously.<\/p>\n<p>Eight years ago, he won this county by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/opinion\/3076361\/trump-plans-pennsylvania-rally-grow-coalition\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">65 percent<\/a>. He won it again, by the same margin, in 2020. Despite January 6, despite his felony conviction, the support of the people in this corner of Pennsylvania has not wavered.<\/p>\n<p>The crowd formed in the sprawling field five hours before he arrived. Even in the 90-degree heat, they waited for him. Kids. Old people in wheelchairs. They waved signs: \u201cTrump 2024.\u201d \u201cJoe Biden You\u2019re Fired.\u201d They listened to music. They heard speeches. A Ukrainian priest gave an invocation. As they waited, the crowd swelled to 30,000 people. <\/p>\n<p>Then Lee Greenwood blared through the speakers: \u201cGod Bless the USA.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Right around 6 p.m., Trump appeared on a red walkway, in his trademark blue suit and MAGA hat, waving to his fans. The excitement grew to a frenzy as he strode to the podium.<\/p>\n<p>I was four feet from the stage, in a causeway with about five other journalists. My daughter, a photographer, was next to me. Her husband was next to her.<\/p>\n<p>Trump started speaking.<\/p>\n<p>Six minutes later, we heard the noise.<\/p>\n<p><em>Pop.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Pop.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Pop.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Some people in the crowd might have thought they heard fireworks. But I knew exactly what it was. I own a gun.<\/p>\n<p>I looked up at the president. He touched his ear. I was shocked to see blood on his face. A smear of red across his cheek.<\/p>\n<p>Suddenly, he was surrounded. Everyone went down.<\/p>\n<p>My daughter hit the ground. My son-in-law lay on top of her. I threw my body next to theirs. Immediately, a security officer was on top of me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cARE YOU OKAY? ARE YOU OKAY?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n<p>Three more shots.<\/p>\n<p><em>Pop.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Pop.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Pop.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>I\u2019ve since seen videos of what happened. People were screaming. But all I remember hearing was an eerie silence. With that kind of crowd, you\u2019d expect pandemonium, a stampede. But I never had a sense of chaos. <\/p>\n<p>Trump was back on his feet within seconds, although his red hat was knocked off his head. He was calm.<\/p>\n<p>I heard him shout to one of his staffers, \u201cGet my shoes!\u201d <\/p>\n<p>He lifted his arm in the air. I think he shouted, \u201cFight!\u201d <\/p>\n<p>Then he definitely shouted, \u201cUSA!\u201d <\/p>\n<p>The crowd chanted it back in unison.<\/p>\n<p>The former president was moved off the stage. We were told he was flown to a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wake-up-america-bold-billionaire-offers-1-million-bounty-for-dominions-eric-coomers-comeuppance\/\" title=\"WAKE UP AMERICA! Bold Billionaire Offers  Million Bounty for Dominion\u2019s, Eric Coomer\u2019s Comeuppance\">local hospital<\/a>. I was moved into a holding pen with the other journalists.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m still in shock. I can\u2019t make sense of any of it right now. As a journalist, you\u2019re always looking 360 degrees around you at all times\u2014but for details, not for danger. <\/p>\n<p>The whole thing was deeply disorienting. We\u2019ve all seen enactments of this sort of violence\u2014in movies or documentaries\u2014but when you experience it, it doesn\u2019t happen that way. There\u2019s no soundtrack, no visual signposts. It\u2019s just unreal.<\/p>\n<p>What\u2019s clear to me after today is that if someone is determined to commit an act of political violence, they will find a way.<\/p>\n<p>Earlier that afternoon, before the shooting that left two <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/authorities-identify-suspect-in-pa-convenience-store-shooting-2-people-dead-including-gunman\/\" title=\"Authorities identify suspect in Pa. convenience store shooting, 2 people dead including gunman\">people dead including<\/a> the gunman, I asked an 11-year-old: \u201cIs this your first Trump rally?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYeah,\u201d he smiled, \u201cbut it\u2019s not going to be my last.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thefp.com\/p\/salena-zito-assassination-attempt-trump\">This <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/live-impeachment-updates-house-reconvenes-to-debate-trump-impeachment\/\" title=\"Live impeachment updates: House reconvenes to debate Trump impeachment\">article originally appeared<\/a> in the <em>Free Press. <\/em>To read it click here. <\/a><\/p>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1701734\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1701734\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><a class=\"tdb-logo-a\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" title=\"Washington Examiner\"><span class=\"tdb-logo-img-wrap\"><\/span><span class=\"tdb-logo-text-wrap\"><span class=\"tdb-logo-text-title\">Washington Examiner<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<p><\/body><\/html><\/p>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I Was Four Feet Away When I Heard the Bullets&#8217; is an article by Salena Zito that recounts her experience at a rally where former President Donald Trump was shot at. The article describes the atmosphere at the rally, the moment of the shooting, and the aftermath. Zito reflects on the shock and disorientation of the event and emphasizes the unpredictability of political violence<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2942,"featured_media":2294560,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/donald-trump-rally-shot.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[13868,17926,34988,4300,32076],"class_list":["post-2294559","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-bullets","tag-distance","tag-eyewitness","tag-shooting","tag-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/donald-trump-rally-shot.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2294559","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2942"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2294559"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2294559\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2294560"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2294559"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2294559"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2294559"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}