Mar-a-Lago after shooting at Trump rally: Supporters flock to Palm Beach

Editor's note: This story was updated on Sunday, July 14, 2024

PALM BEACH — Supporters of former President Donald Trump flocked to his Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach on Saturday night after the former president was wounded in an apparent assassination attempt at a rally in Pennsylvania.

A small number of people were out showing support for the former president Sunday morning, and a caravan of Trump supporters from Miami was due to arrive at Mar-a-Lago later that afternoon.

A gunman opened fire Saturday evening as Trump was speaking at a rally in Butler, Pa. The shooter, a 20-year-old man from suburban Pittsburgh, was killed by Secret Service agents. One person attending the rally was killed, and two others were critically injured, the Secret Service said Sunday.

Dozens of people lined the Southern Boulevard causeway between West Palm Beach and Palm Beach on Saturday night. Some carried U.S. flags and large flags bearing slogans of Trump's 2024 campaign.

Others carried signs showing their support for Trump. Many were dressed in red, white and blue attire. One group wore motorcycle vests that said, "Born to Ride for 45 Donald J. Trump."

In Palm Beach, parking lots along the causeway were packed with Trump supporters' vehicles, and Palm Beach Police officers stood guard next to Mar-a-Lago, a National Historic Landmark in which the former president has his primary residence.

More: Florida Republicans, Dems offer prayers and defiance after Trump 'assassination' attempt

So many people packed the area that cars parked along Flagler Drive, where there is no on-street parking. Some left their vehicles along the road for the walk across the Intracoastal Waterway toward Mar-a-Lago. Supporters got as close as they could to Mar-a-Lago, waving their signs and flags as many passing vehicles honked.

"We're really shocked, just shocked," said Boynton Beach resident Debbie Macchia.

The FBI is investigating the shooting, but has not disclosed the gunman's motive. Macchia said she wanted to know "who ordered it." Others along the causeway shared her sentiments.

"There's no question it was a sniper," Macchia said. "This wasn't just someone that was just looney tunes."

Yeimmi Santa Cruz of West Palm Beach said she traveled to Mar-a-Lago on Saturday night "to support the best president we've ever had."

Later, Santa Cruz embraced another of Trump's supporters who was crying after watching a video of Trump being shot.

Trump was recovering Sunday after being hit in the upper part of his right ear by a bullet. He later posted on his Truth Social account: "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."

He thanked the Secret Service and law enforcement for their quick response and shared condolences for the families of the audience member who was killed and the others injured.

Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump)

"It is incredible that such an act can take place in our Country," he wrote.

Video from C-SPAN showed the chaos following the sound of several pops that echoed through the crowd just minutes after Trump began speaking at the rally, which was attended by thousands of people, including his supporters, local and regional officials and the press.

Trump grabbed his right ear after one of the pops, just before Secret Service agents pushed him to the ground. Photos show several agents covering the former president with their bodies.

The microphone into which Trump had just been speaking picked up the Secret Service agents' voices as they declared, "Shooter is down," before helping Trump to his feet and quickly moving him to a waiting black, armored SUV.

As Trump stood, his trademark red ballcap knocked from his head, he asked for time to put on his shoes before looking to the crowd and raising his right fist in the air, with blood on his right ear and smeared across his right cheek.

Trump's campaign said the former president still planned to attend the Republican National Convention, which begins Monday in Milwaukee.

At his Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach on Saturday morning, Trump had conducted business as usual.

That included an interview with Fox News anchor and host Harris Faulkner, where, according to a tweet from Faulkner, Trump told the journalist the sit-down would be a "ratings grabber."

He later boarded his Trump-branded Boeing 757 to fly from Palm Beach International Airport to Pennsylvania.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: Shooting at Trump rally: Supporters flock to Mar-a-Lago in Florida