Tag: News

• Jeff Bezos offered words of support to Donald Trump after the Saturday rally shooting.
• The Amazon founder broke a 9-month silence on X to send the message.
• Trump has previously mocked Bezos and The Washington Post, which the Amazon founder owns.

Jeff Bezos commended Donald Trump after a rally shooting in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday, breaking a nearly nine-month hiatus on X.

"Our former President showed tremendous grace and courage under literal fire tonight. So thankful for his safety and so sad for the victims and their families," the Bezos wrote on X. The last post he shared on the site was from October 2023.

Big Tech figures were quick to condemn the Saturday shooting, which left at least two people, including the shooter, dead.

But Bezos's words of support are particularly notable considering the former president has had a long-standing public feud with the Amazon founder.

In 2019, Trump mocked Bezos, calling him "Jeff Bozo," appearing to revel in his impending divorce with MacKenzie Scott. The former president also bashed The Washington Post, which Bezos owns.

"So sorry to hear the news about Jeff Bozo being taken down by a competitor whose reporting, I understand, is far more accurate than the reporting in his lobbyist newspaper, the Amazon Washington Post," Trump wrote on January 13, 2019. "Hopefully the paper will soon be placed in better & more responsible hands!"

Amazon recognized this public feud in a federal complaint after the company lost a $10-billion contract with the Department of Defense to Microsoft. At the time, the company alleged that Trump's "repeated public and behind-the-scenes attacks" against Amazon and Bezos were the reason why Amazon Web Services lost a valuable contract to its competitor.

The Department of Defense canceled the contract in 2021 and sought a multi-cloud deal with Amazon and Microsoft.

Andy Jassy, the CEO of Amazon since 2021, also condemned the Saturday shooting.

"It's hard to digest what happened in Pennsylvania today. Just awful. My thoughts go out to the victims' families. Glad that President Trump is safe and hoping he recovers quickly," Jassy wrote on X.

A Trump spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.

A photograph of President Donald Trump rising his fist in defiance after he was shot at his rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday has become a rallying cry for Republicans.

The picture, taken by Associated Press photographer Evan Vucci, shows a blood-covered Trump holding up his fist against a backdrop of the American flag while being shielded by Secret Service agents.

Donald Trump Jr. posted the image on X with the caption, "He'll never stop fighting to Save America."

His brother, Eric Trump, followed up by posting the same image with the caption, "This is the fighter America needs!"

Florida Senator Marco Rubio shared both of their posts, before sharing the photo again with the caption, "God protected President Trump." Former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy echoed his sentiments, sharing the photo with a similar caption: "Grateful to President Trump for his sacrifice. Grateful to God for protecting him."

Conservative activist and prominent Trump supporter Candace Owens also posted the picture. "No words. Donald J Trump for President of the United States," she wrote. "This election is now over."

Venture capitalist and congressional candidate Blake Masters posted it and wrote, "He's going to make America great again."

Rising Christians Union chairman and Trump supporter Shakeel Jahangir shared the photo overlaid with an image of the cross alongside the words, "Trump just won… we will make America Christian again."

"We learned one very important thing tonight — President Donald Trump is willing to die for this country. Willing to die for this movement. Willing to die for us," YouTuber and commentator Benny Johnson captioned the photo, calling for Americans to "vote for the guy who is willing to die for what he believes in."

Elon Musk formally endorsed Trump after the shooting.

Two people, including the suspect, died in the shooting, and two others are reported to be severely injured. Democratic leaders including President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have condemned the shooting.

• A spectator was killed in a shooting at a Trump rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday.
• Eyewitness shared that the deceased spectator's family was right next to him as he was shot.
• Trump later said was shot in the ear but is fine.

An eyewitness shared his account of watching a spectator get fatally shot at the Trump rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday.

Trump was shot during his speech at the rally. Two people — including the suspect — were killed at the event, and two more are in critical condition after the shooting.

Speaking to NBC's Dasha Burns, a witness named Joseph said that he was situated to the very far left of the podium where Trump was speaking. "The man beside me suffered a gunshot wound to the head," he told NBC. "He was instantly killed."

"Half the people thought it was fireworks, but I knew it was gunshots straight away," he continued.

According to Joseph, the deceased spectator's family members were right next to him and had to watch the situation unfold in front of them. "They were in shock…two of them were relatively hysterical," he said.

He went on to state that another woman next to them looked like she got hit on her forearm.

Multiple gunshots were heard at the scene. Before he was rushed off the stage by Secret Service agents, a bloodied Trump raised his fist into the air and mouthed the words "Fight, fight."

Biden condemned the shooting in a statement, saying, "There's no place for this kind of violence in America." Meanwhile, Elon Musk gave Trump his public support, saying he "fully endorses" his presidential bid and hopes for a rapid recovery.

House Oversight Chairman James Comer posted on X that the Secret Service has been contacted for a meeting, presumably to discuss the security failures that were involved in the incident. He also called on Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle to appear for a hearing.

• Shots were fired at a Trump rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday, killing at least two people.
• Tech CEOs and billionaires are condemning the shooting, with some voicing their support for Trump.
• Billionaires Mark Cuban and Elon Musk, who have feuded over political views, denounced the shooting.

Prominent tech CEOs and billionaires condemned the shooting at a Trump rally on Saturday, with some voicing their support for former President Donald Trump.

At least two people, including the suspected shooter, were killed on Saturday after shots were fired at the rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, according to a statement from the Secret Service. Two other rally attendees were critically injured, the agency said.

The shooting immediately drew reactions from top lawmakers, the Biden administration, and business leaders across the political spectrum.

Billionaire Mark Cuban, who has voiced support for President Joe Biden for a second term, wrote on X in the hour of the shooting that he hoped "the former president is Ok and no one else was injured."

"And let's hope they catch the idiot who did this. This is not the way," Cuban wrote. "And thank you to the Secret Service who put themselves in harms way to protect the former President."

Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who has feuded with Cuban over hot-button political issues, chose the moment to announce his endorsement of Trump. Musk previously said he would avoid financially backing a 2024 candidate, but Bloomberg reported this week that he donated to a pro-Trump super PAC.

"I fully endorse President Trump and hope for his rapid recovery," Musk wrote on X.

Some tech investors, including venture capitalists David Sacks and Shaun Maguire, reaffirmed their support for the former president on social media.

"There's not a braver man in America than Donald Trump," Sacks wrote on X.

Marc Andreessen, cofounder of Andreessen Horowitz venture capital firm, posted a cryptic image of an American flag on X following the incident. He has yet to publicly endorse a 2024 candidate but has been critical of the Biden Administration.

Big Tech CEOs also took to social media to denounce the shooting.

Apple CEO Tim Cook, who typically prefers to maintain some semblance of neutrality and diplomacy in US politics, condemned the shooting.

"I pray for President Trump's rapid recovery. My thoughts are with him, the other victims and the Trump family. I strongly condemn this violence," he wrote on X.

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg similarly said on Threads that he is praying for a "quick recovery for President Trump."

Satya Nadella, Microsoft CEO, called the incident on X a "horrific event" and said "there is simply no place for any type of violence in our society."

Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky said in a statement posted on X that he was "thankful President Trump wasn't seriously injured."

Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff, who hasn't publicly endorsed a 2024 candidate but was optimistic about his company's prospects regardless of the election outcome, wrote on X that he wished a quick recovery for Trump and condemned "political violence."

"A full and speedy recovery to President Trump. May his body be healed, his mind be soothed, and his soul be comforted. May he be blessed with strength and courage, and return to health soon. There is no room in our country for political violence," he wrote.

• Trump in a post on Truth Social spoke out about the shooting at his Pennsylvania rally.
• He thanked law enforcement, the Secret Service, and sent condolences to the victim's family.
• Trump wrote that he was shot, saying he "immediately felt the bullet ripping through the skin."

Several hours after a shooting during his rally in Pennsylvania, former President Donald Trump in a post on social media confirmed he had been struck in the ear during the incident.

"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," Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social. "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."

He added: "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!"

Photos from the shooting show Trump with blood on his face. He can be seen defiantly raising his fist before being whisked off stage by Secret Service agents.

Per a Secret Service statement, one spectator was killed at the rally, and two remain critically injured. The shooter was "neutralized" by the Secret Service personnel, the statement said.

• The Biden campaign said it's pausing "outbound communications" after a shooting at a Trump rally.
• Biden also condemned the incident, calling it "sick."
• Trump was escorted offstage Saturday after shots rang out.

President Joe Biden will be pausing campaign communications following a shooting incident at a Donald Trump campaign rally on Saturday.

"The Biden campaign is pausing all outbound communications and working to pull down our television ads as quickly as possible," a Biden campaign official told Business Insider in a statement.

The official did not clarify the exact reason behind the campaign's decision to pull down the ads.

The White House also released a statement condemning political violence.

"I'm grateful to hear that he's safe and doing well…There's no place for this kind of violence in America," Biden said in the White House statement. "We must unite as one nation to condemn it."

Biden later addressed the nation, calling the incident "sick."

Following the shooting, the Secret Service announced that Trump was "safe."

Potential Trump vice presidential pick, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, criticized the Biden campaign on X, claiming that its messaging resulted in the "attempted assassination" of Trump.

Per a Secret Service statement, one spectator was killed at the rally, and two remain critically injured. The shooter was "neutralized" by the Secret Service personnel, the statement said.

• A man who said he was a witness to the shooting that injured Donald Trump described the scene to the BBC.
• The man said he saw the shooter crawling on the roof of a nearby building with a rifle.
• He said he heard five shots and also saw the Secret Service kill the shooter.

A man who said he witnessed the shooting at a rally for former President Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday told the BBC in a video interview that he saw a man with a gun crawling along the roof of a nearby building outside the rally and later saw the Secret Service kill the suspect shooter.

The man told the BBC he'd gathered with friends before the rally and said they were watching it from outside the fenced-in location.

"We noticed a guy bear crawling up the roof of the building beside us, probably 50 feet away," he told the BBC. "So we're pointing at the guy crawling up the roof…he had a rifle; we could clearly see him with a rifle."

The man told the BBC he and his friends were pointing at the man to the Secret Service and alerted local police.

"The police were like, 'Huh, what?' Like they didn't know what was going on," he said. "I'm thinking, why is Trump still speaking? I'm pointing at the roof… for two to three minutes, and the Secret Service is just looking at us.

"Next thing you know, five shots ring out," he said.

The BBC interview asked if he was certain the shots came from the roof.

"100%," the man said. "We were telling the police, we were telling the Secret Service."

The BBC asked what happened to the shooter.

"They blew his head off," he said. "Secret Service blew his head off."

Business Insider could not immediately confirm the details of this witness's account.

The gunman and an attendee at the rally were killed, according to a local district attorney. Trump appeared bloodied in the shooting. The Secret Service has since released a statement saying the former president is safe.

• Donald Trump was removed from the stage after a shooting at his rally.
• The incident is drawing a flood of supporting words for Trump across the political aisle.
• But at least one Republican lawmaker is already spreading conspiracy theories about the incident.

A shooting at a Trump rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday is drawing a flood of condemnation against the incident, supporting words for the former president, and, in less than an hour, unsubstantiated claims of a conspiracy.

Prominent Republican and Democratic lawmakers were quick to condemn what's being characterized as an act of "political violence."

"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," President Joe Biden said in a statement. "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."

A Biden campaign spokesperson said in a statement to Business Insider that the campaign is working to "pull down our television ads as quickly as possible."

The shocking Saturday incident left one rally attendee and a suspected shooter dead, multiple outlets reported. Law enforcement officials told the AP that the shooting is being investigated as an attempted assassination.

The incident quickly sparked GOP lawmakers and backers to re-affirm their support for Trump.

"God protected President Trump," Sen. Marco Rubio posted on X.

Democratic lawmakers, including Sen. Bernie Sanders, also condemned the incident and offered supporting words for Trump.

"I wish Donald Trump, and anyone else who may have been hurt, a speedy recovery," Sanders said in a statement on X.

The shooting also drew Elon Musk, who has been shy to publicly support a presidential candidate, to announce on X that he will be endorsing Trump. Bloomberg reported this week that the billionaire donated to a pro-Trump super PAC.

Some Trump supporters, however, were quick to find a scapegoat for the incident, blaming mainstream media and even spreading baseless claims that the shooting was a coordinated attack.

Venture capitalist David Sacks, who hosted a Trump fundraiser in San Francisco in June, said on X that the shooting was a result of extreme rhetoric, amplified by mainstream media, from the left.

"This is the vile hyperbolic hysterical rhetoric — endlessly amplified by the mainstream media — that invited every lunatic in the country to take matters into their own hands," Sacks wrote in reply to an X post from Biden in which the president said "Americans want a president, not a dictator."

The identity of the suspected shooter or his political affiliation remains unknown.

And at least one prominent GOP lawmaker is suggesting conspiracy theories about the shooting.

Rep. Mike Collins of Georgia wrote on X within the hour of the shooting that "Joe Biden sent the orders," replying to a social media post citing a statement from the president that said that "it's time to put Trump in a bullseye."

A spokesperson for Collins did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

• President Joe Biden addressed the nation after an apparent shooting at a Donald Trump rally.
• Biden said "there's no place in America for this kind of violence."
• "It's sick," Biden said. "It's sick."

President Joe Biden addressed the nation on Saturday after an apparent shooting at a rally for Former President Donald Trump in Pennsylvania on Saturday.

He said he hoped to speak to Trump and said that he had heard that he was "doing well." Biden also condemned political violence.

"There's no place in America for this kind of violence," he said. "It's sick. It's sick. It's one of the reasons we have to unite this country. We cannot allow for this to be happening. We cannot be like this. We cannot condone this."

Trump was rushed off the stage by Secret Service agents, blood apparently splattered on his face, after loud popping sounds rang out.

Law enforcement officials and a local district attorney told multiple news outlets that one bystander had been killed at the rally. The apparent gunman was also killed, according to multiple reports.

The Trump campaign said the ex-president was "fine" after the incident.

In his short speech, Biden said Trump "should have been able to conduct peacefully" his rally "without any problem."

"The idea, the idea that there's political violence or violence in America like this, it's just unheard of. It's just not appropriate," Biden said. "And … everybody, everybody must condemn it. Everybody."

Before his speech, Biden had also released a written statement, in full below:

"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."

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

• The Associated Press reported one attendee was killed during an incident at a Trump rally.
• The former president was whisked offstage following what sounded like loud pops from the crowd.
• AP reported a suspected shooter, in addition to the rally attendee, was killed.

The Associated Press reported one person was killed during an incident at a Trump rally in Pennsylvania, during which the former president was whisked offstage following what sounded like gunshots from the crowd.

AP, citing the Butler County District attorney, reported a suspected shooter was also killed following the incident. CNN also reported the suspected shooter, as well as a rally attendee, were killed.

Butler County DA Richard A. Goldinger also said there was "possibly a second" bystander dead as well, according to ABC News reporter Olivia Rubin.

Dave McCormick, the Republican nominee for Senate in Pennsylvania, had been seated in the front row of the rally and told Politico it appeared a member of the crowd behind him had been shot.

"All the sudden shots started to crack, someone behind me appears to have been shot," McCormick told Politico. "There's lots of blood, and then the Secret Service were all over President Trump."

CBS News reported an emergency room physician who was in attendance at the rally attempted to save the life of someone in the crowd.

"I heard the shots. I thought it was firecrackers to begin with," the man stated in video posted to social media by CBS News reporter Jake Rosen. "Somebody over there was screaming 'He's been shot, he's been shot.' So I made my way over."

Trump was quickly escorted from the stage after loud pops were heard from the crowd. He could be seen in video from the incident grasping his ear, then defiantly raising his fist with blood on his face as Secret Service members took him from the stage.

A spokesperson for the Trump campaign said Trump was "fine" following the incident and is being examined at a local medical facility.