On July13, 2024,

Evan Vucci Evan Vucci (; born June 15, 1977) is an American photojournalist, currently serving as chief photographer for the Associated Press in Washington, D.C. Vucci shoots and produces both still photography and video projects worldwide, as well as on ...

, an American

photojournalist Photojournalism is journalism that uses images to tell a news story. It usually only refers to still images, but can also refer to video used in broadcast journalism. Photojournalism is distinguished from other close branches of photography (suc ...

, captured a series of photographs of

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

—then a former

president of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal government of t ...

and the

presumptive nominee Preselection is the process by which a candidate is selected, usually by a political party, to contest an election for political office. It is also referred to as candidate selection. It is a fundamental function of political parties. The presel ...

of the Republican Party in the

2024 presidential election This is a list of elections that were held in 2024. The National Democratic Institute also maintains a calendar of elections around the world. *2024 United Nations Security Council election *2024 national electoral calendar *2024 local electoral ...

— raising his right fist with blood on his face, moments after Trump was shot in the ear during an assassination attempt at a political rally near

Butler, Pennsylvania Butler is a city in Butler County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is north of Pittsburgh and part of the Greater Pittsburgh region. As of the 2020 census, the population was 13,502. Butler is named after Major General ...

. In some photos, Trump's mouth is open as he chants "Fight!", while it is closed in others. The photographs, taken by Vucci for the

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...

, were widely shared on social media and received substantial press coverage. Their composition, featuring a prominent

American flag The national flag of the United States, often referred to as the American flag or the U.S. flag, consists of thirteen horizontal Bar (heraldry), stripes, Variation of the field, alternating red and white, with a blue rectangle in the Canton ( ...

behind Trump, was praised by commentators, who compared Vucci's photographs to several other iconic historical images and predicted that they would come to represent Trump and his 2024 election victory. Doug Mills, a photographer for ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', was awarded the 2024

Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Photography The Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Photography is one of the American Pulitzer Prizes annually awarded for journalism. From 2000 it has used the "breaking news" name but it is considered a continuation of the Pulitzer Prize for Spot News Photogr ...

for his photographs of the assassination attempt, one of which showed a bullet in the air behind Trump's head moments before he was injured in the shooting.

Background

, then a former

who was the

of the Republican Party in the

2024 United States presidential election United States presidential election, Presidential elections were held in the United States on November 5, 2024. The Republican Party (United States), Republican Party's Ticket (election), ticket—Donald Trump, who was the 45th president of ...

, held a

rally Rally or rallye may refer to: Gatherings * Political demonstration, a political rally, a political demonstration of support or protest, march, or parade * Pep rally, an event held at a North American school or college sporting event Sport ...

for his presidential campaign near

, on July 13, 2024. Shortly after the rally began,

Thomas Matthew Crooks Thomas Matthew Crooks (September 20, 2003 – July 13, 2024) was an American man who attempted to assassinate then-former U.S. president Donald Trump, who at the time was the presumptive Republican Party nominee for the 2024 presidential el ...

opened fire at Trump in an assassination attempt; Trump survived, though his ear was injured by a bullet, bloodying his face. Evan Vucci by Gage Skidmore

, the chief

of the

(AP) in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, was one of four photographers stationed in a buffer area near the stage where Trump spoke during the rally. Vucci had covered Trump since 2015 and had photographed hundreds of political rallies. He previously covered the

War in Afghanistan War in Afghanistan, Afghan war, or Afghan civil war may refer to: *Conquest of Afghanistan by Alexander the Great (330 BC – 327 BC), the conquest of Afghanistan by the Macedonian Empire * Muslim conquests of Afghanistan, a series of campaigns in ...

and the

Iraq War The Iraq War (), also referred to as the Second Gulf War, was a prolonged conflict in Iraq lasting from 2003 to 2011. It began with 2003 invasion of Iraq, the invasion by a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition, which ...

, and he took a well-known 2008 photograph of an Iraqi journalist throwing his shoes at then-U.S. president

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician and businessman who was the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Bush family and the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he i ...

. In 2021, he won the

as part of an AP team covering the

George Floyd protests The George Floyd protests were a series of protests, riots, and demonstrations against police brutality that began in Minneapolis in the United States on May 26, 2020. The protests and civil unrest began in Minneapolis as Reactions to the mu ...

. After shots began to be fired at the rally, Vucci saw

United States Secret Service The United States Secret Service (USSS or Secret Service) is a federal law enforcement agency under the Department of Homeland Security tasked with conducting criminal investigations and providing protection to American political leaders, thei ...

agents in Trump's

security detail A security detail, often known as a PSD (protective services detail, personal security detachment, personal security detail) or PPD (personal protection detail), is a protective team assigned to protect the personal security of an individual or ...

rush towards the former president, so he ran to find a better vantage point and began photographing. He later recounted that he "knew right away" that it was an attempt to assassinate Trump, and that he "knew it was a moment in American history and it had to be documented". Of the situation, Vucci recounted:

Composition

Evan Vucci's photographs show Trump moments after he stood up after being shot in the ear during an assassination attempt. His right fist is raised into the air in defiance and blood is streaked across his face. He is surrounded by Secret Service agents on his security detail, one of whom, Sean M. Curran, stares at the camera. A large

flag of the United States The national flag of the United States, often referred to as the American flag or the U.S. flag, consists of thirteen horizontal Bar (heraldry), stripes, Variation of the field, alternating red and white, with a blue rectangle in the Canton ( ...

waves in the background of the photos, in front of a clear blue sky. Trump holds a red

MAGA hat "Make America Great Again" (MAGA, ) is an American political slogan most recently popularized by Donald Trump during his successful presidential campaigns in 2016 and in 2024. "MAGA" is also used to refer to Trump's ideology, political base ...

that reads "

Make America Great Again "Make America Great Again" (MAGA, ) is an American political slogan most recently popularized by Donald Trump during his successful presidential campaigns in 2016 and in 2024. "MAGA" is also used to refer to Trump's ideology, political bas ...

"—his signature slogan—in his left hand. In some of Vucci's photographs, Trump's mouth is open as he either mouths or shouts "Fight!"; in other photos, Trump's lips are pursed. Other photographers in the press gallery also took photos of Trump during the assassination attempt. A photograph by Doug Mills of ''

'' showed a bullet streaking past Trump's head. Mills, another

Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prizes () are 23 annual awards given by Columbia University in New York City for achievements in the United States in "journalism, arts and letters". They were established in 1917 by the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made his fo ...

–winning photographer, had photographed American presidents since 1983. He initially thought the noise was that of a car before he noticed that Trump had been shot, after which he continued to take pictures using a

Sony is a Japanese multinational conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at Sony City in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. The Sony Group encompasses various businesses, including Sony Corporation (electronics), Sony Semiconductor Solutions (i ...

camera capable of taking 30 pictures per second. Mills had captured a picture of Trump pumping his fist, though he also sent to his editor photographs taken of Trump speaking before the shooting. She saw what appeared to be a bullet behind Trump's head in one of the photographs, which was later confirmed by a

forensic Forensic science combines principles of law and science to investigate criminal activity. Through crime scene investigations and laboratory analysis, forensic scientists are able to link suspects to evidence. An example is determining the time and ...

analysis. Anna Moneymaker, a photographer for

Getty Images Getty Images Holdings, Inc. (stylized as gettyimages) is a visual media company and supplier of stock images, editorial photography, video, and music for business and consumers, with a library of over 477 million assets. It targets three mark ...

, captured a photo of Trump on the ground with blood trickling over his face immediately after the shooting, underneath Secret Service agents who were on top of him. In ''The Conversation'', Sara Oscar described numerous elements she said made Vucci's work "such a powerful image": The agents form nga triangular composition that places Trump at the vertex;... The agent draw ngus into the image, he looks back at us, he sees the photographer and therefore, he seems to see us;... Set against a blue sky, everything else in the image is red, white and navy blue. The trickles of blood falling down Trump's face are echoed in the red stripes of the American flag which aligns with the republican red of the podium."

Philip Kennicott Philip Kennicott is the chief Art and Architecture Critic of ''The Washington Post.'' Education Kennicott was raised in Schenectady, New York, where he studied piano with composer and pianist Joseph Fennimore. In 1983, he attended Deep Sprin ...

, writing for ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

'', described Vucci's photographs as "Densely packed with markers of

nationalism Nationalism is an idea or movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the state. As a movement, it presupposes the existence and tends to promote the interests of a particular nation, Smith, Anthony. ''Nationalism: Theory, I ...

and authority" such as "the flag, the blood, the urgent faces of federal agents in dark suits". He described one of the closed-mouth photos as "strongly constructed, with aggressive angles that reflect the chaos and drama of the moment, and a powerful balance of color, all red, white and blue, including the azure sky above and the red-and-white decorative banner below. Trump seems to emerge from within a deconstructed version of its basic colors."

Reception and impact

The photographs of Trump were quickly shared widely on the internet, circulated by Republicans and Trump's allies and appeared in

internet meme An Internet meme, or meme (, Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''MEEM''), is a cultural item (such as an idea, behavior, or style) that spreads across the Internet, primarily through Social media, social media platforms. Internet memes manif ...

s. The photos appeared on the front pages of newspapers across the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia. Two days after the assassination attempt, Vucci's photos were called "already iconic"; Patrick Witty, a former photo editor at ''

Time Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...

'', ''The New York Times'', and ''

National Geographic ''National Geographic'' (formerly ''The National Geographic Magazine'', sometimes branded as ''Nat Geo'') is an American monthly magazine published by National Geographic Partners. The magazine was founded in 1888 as a scholarly journal, nine ...

'', said "Without question, Evan's photo will become the definitive photo from the ssassinationattempt" because it "captures a range of complex details and emotions in one still image". AP customers used two of the photos 4,100 times the day after the shooting, compared to 700–800 times for a typical week's most-used photo. Many compared the photographs of Trump to historical patriotic images, most prominently ''

Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima is an iconic photograph of six United States Marines raising the U.S. flag atop Mount Suribachi during the Battle of Iwo Jima in the final stages of the Pacific War. Taken by Joe Rosenthal of the Associated Press on February 23, 1945, the p ...

'', a 1945 photograph by

Joe Rosenthal Joseph John Rosenthal (October 9, 1911 – August 20, 2006) was an American photographer who received the Pulitzer Prize for his iconic World War II photograph '' Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima'', taken during the 1945 Battle of Iwo Jima. H ...

U.S. Marines The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionary ...

raising the American flag during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. ''The New York Times'' art and culture crisis Jason Farago said that Trump's raised fist suggested "fearlessness and indomitability". He compared photos of the assassination attempt by Vucci, Mills, Moneymaker, and a

Reuters Reuters ( ) is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide writing in 16 languages. Reuters is one of the largest news agencies in the world. The agency ...

photographer to historical paintings: ''

Liberty Leading the People ''Liberty Leading the People'' ( ) is a painting of the Romantic era by the French artist Eugène Delacroix, commemorating the July Revolution of 1830 that toppled King Charles X (''r.'' 1824–1830). A bare-breasted “woman of the people” w ...

'' (1830) of the

July Revolution The French Revolution of 1830, also known as the July Revolution (), Second French Revolution, or ("Three Glorious ays), was a second French Revolution after French Revolution, the first of 1789–99. It led to the overthrow of King Cha ...

in France by

Eugène Delacroix Ferdinand Victor Eugène Delacroix ( ; ; 26 April 1798 – 13 August 1863) was a French people, French Romanticism, Romantic artist who was regarded as the leader of the French Romantic school.Noon, Patrick, et al., ''Crossing the Channel: ...

; and ''

The Death of Major Peirson ''The Death of Major Peirson, 6 January 1781'' is a large oil painting executed in 1783 by the Anglo-American artist John Singleton Copley. It depicts the death of Major Francis Peirson at the Battle of Jersey on 6 January 1781, part of the ...

'' (1783), by

John Singleton Copley John Singleton Copley (July 3, 1738 – September 9, 1815) was an Anglo-American painter, active in both colonial America and England. He was believed to be born in Boston, Province of Massachusetts Bay, to Richard and Mary Singleton Copley ...

during the Anglo-French War. The photographs were taken as evidence of Trump's strong media instincts because he understood the opportunity to leverage the crisis into a strong appearance even during the shock of the moment. On July 14, the day after the assassination attempt, Trump told ''

The New York Post The ''New York Post'' (''NY Post'') is an American Conservatism in the United States, conservative daily Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid newspaper published in New York City. The ''Post'' also operates three online sites: NYPost. ...

'': "A lot of people say it's the most iconic photo they've ever seen. They're right and I didn't die. Usually you have to die to have an iconic picture." Trump's presidential campaign used images of the assassination attempt to solicit donations. In ''

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a British daily broadsheet conservative newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed in the United Kingdom and internationally. It was found ...

'', Roland Oliphant wrote that Trump "could not have looked more like an American hero if he tried", calling Vucci's photos "a product of world-class photojournalism—and also, perhaps, of Trump's innate political instincts." The press gallery photographers were commended for their bravery in running towards the stage to take the photos after shots were fired. ''

Axios Axios commonly refers to: * Axios (river), a river that runs through Greece and North Macedonia * ''Axios'' (website), an American news and information website Axios may also refer to: Brands and enterprises * Axios, a brand of suspension produ ...

'' writer Aïda Amer said that notable images by Vucci, Moneymaker, and Mills quickly became known in newsrooms as the "Evan photo", "Anna photo", and "the bullet photo", respectively. Amer also reported that "Multiple photographers worried privately that the images from the rally could turn into a kind of 'photoganda for Trump's campaign, and that one told her it was "dangerous" for the media to continue using the Vucci photo "despite how good it is", because it was "free P.R. for Trump" that made him a "martyr". In ''

Deutsche Welle (; "German Wave"), commonly shortened to DW (), is a German state-funded television network, state-owned international broadcaster funded by the Federal Government of Germany. The service is available in 32 languages. DW's satellite tele ...

'', Carla Bleiker called one of Vucci's photographs an "image for the history books", describing it as a "declaration of defiance in the face of adversity" and noting the cultural importance of the U.S. flag in the image, especially for conservative Americans.

Fraser Nelson Fraser Andrew Nelson (born 14 May 1973) is a British political journalist who was editor of ''The Spectator'' magazine from 2009 to 2024. Early life Nelson was born in Truro, Cornwall, England and raised in Nairn, Highland, Scotland. He attended ...

of ''

The Spectator ''The Spectator'' is a weekly British political and cultural news magazine. It was first published in July 1828, making it the oldest surviving magazine in the world. ''The Spectator'' is politically conservative, and its principal subject a ...

'' wrote that "

ny critic NY most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the Northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York NY, Ny or ny may also refer to: Places * North Yorkshire, ...

would have instantly recognised" Vucci's photos as "a once-in-a-generation photograph—an image that will become one of the most potent in American politics and history" and "be remembered as one of the most important political photographs ever taken." He called Vucci's work photojournalism at its most powerful". In ''

The Atlantic ''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher based in Washington, D.C. It features articles on politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science. It was founded in 185 ...

'', Tyler Austin Harper said Vucci's photos "became immediately legendary", and that "However you feel about the man at its center, it is undeniably one of the great compositions in U.S. photographic history." He said that it was not "an exaggeration to say that the photo is nearly perfect, one captured under extreme duress and that distills the essence of a man in all his contradictions." Jonathan Jones, an art critic writing for ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'', compared the photographs to "timeless patriotic images" including ''Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima'' and ''

Washington Crossing the Delaware Washington Crossing the Delaware may refer to: * George Washington's crossing of the Delaware River George Washington's crossing of the Delaware River, which occurred on the night of December 25–26, 1776, during the American Revolutionary ...

'' (1851) by

Emanuel Leutze Emanuel Gottlieb Leutze (May 24, 1816July 18, 1868) was a German-born American history painter, best known for his 1851 painting '' Washington Crossing the Delaware''. He is associated with the Düsseldorf school of painting. Biography Leutze w ...

. Drawing similarities to religious works, including ''

Descent from the Cross The Descent from the Cross (, ''Apokathelosis''), or Deposition of Christ, is the scene, as depicted in art, from the Gospels' accounts of Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus taking Christ down from the cross after his crucifixion (John 19, ). I ...

'' () and '' The Entombment of Christ'' (1603–1604), he wrote: "There is something genuinely uncanny, not quite explicable, about this image: how a scene with such deep meanings and a positively religious suggestiveness can happen spontaneously." Philipp Kennicott said the pictures "could change America forever", predicting that it would encourage further political violence by "creat nga reality more real than reality, transforming the chaos and messiness of a few moments of peril onstage in Pennsylvania into a surpassing icon of Trump's courage, resolve and heroism."

Timothy Garton Ash Timothy Garton Ash (born 12 July 1955) is a British historian, author and commentator. He is Professor of European Studies at the University of Oxford. Most of his work has been concerned with the contemporary history of Europe, with a special ...

wrote that the photograph would "change the course of history of the world", and commentators suggested it could help Trump win the 2024 election. British journalist

Piers Morgan Piers Stefan Pughe-Morgan (; O'Meara, born 30 March 1965) is an English journalist and media personality. He began his career in 1988 at the tabloid ''The Sun (United Kingdom), The Sun''. In 1994, at the age of 29, he was appointed editor of ...

wrote that Vucci's work was "Already one of the most iconic photographs in American history". Many other journalists expressed similar sentiments; ''The Washington Post'' writer Jeremy Barr also said Vucci's photos were "sure to go down in the pantheon of American photography", while Geordie Gray wrote in ''

The Australian ''The Australian'', with its Saturday edition ''The Weekend Australian'', is a broadsheet daily newspaper published by News Corp Australia since 14 July 1964. As the only Australian daily newspaper distributed nationally, its readership of b ...

'' that the photos were "destined to become one of the defining images of our time". Writing for ''

The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. It was founded on February 21, 1925, by Harold Ross and his wife Jane Grant, a reporter for ''The New York T ...

'', Benjamin Wallace-Wells said the pictures were "already the indelible image of our era of political crisis and conflict." Discussing how the photographs depicted Trump, he concluded: "It is an image that captures him as he would like to be seen, so perfectly, in fact, that it may outlast all the rest."

Legacy

Trump went on to win the U.S. presidential election in November 2024; after his victory, ''The New York Times'' said that the "images of him bleeding after a failed assassination attempt became the symbol of what supporters saw as a campaign of destiny." ''

CNN Cable News Network (CNN) is a multinational news organization operating, most notably, a website and a TV channel headquartered in Atlanta. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable ne ...

'' wrote that the image "became an emblem of strength" in Trump's presidential campaign. During Trump's presidential campaign, the photographs of him were featured on T-shirts, mugs, and other merchandise. In December 2024, ''The Guardian'' named Vucci's photograph of Trump after the assassination attempt one of the "photographs that defined 2024". Regarding the legacy of his photographs, Vucci said: Ahead of the second inauguration of Trump on January 20, 2025, American sculptor

Alan Cottrill Alan Cottrill is an American sculptor and entrepreneur who created the statue of Thomas Edison, on display in the United States Capitol's National Statuary Hall, and '' Don Colossus'', a bronze statue of Donald Trump Donald John Tr ...

unveiled ''Don Colossus'', a bronze statue of Trump modeled after Vucci's raised-fist photographs of Trump during the assassination attempt. The statue was commissioned by a group of Trump's supporters in August 2024, who paid Cottrill around $400,000 for the project; it is intended to "tour the country" before being permanently placed at the future

Donald J. Trump Presidential Library The Donald J. Trump Presidential Library is a website administered by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) and launched on January 20, 2021, when Donald Trump left office as the 45th president. It serves as a placeholder u ...

. During Trump's second presidency, Marc Lipp created a canvas painting of Trump based on the photographs taken by Vucci and Mills, which was donated to the

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest (Washington, D.C.), NW in Washington, D.C., it has served as the residence of every U.S. president ...

by Andrew Pollock. On April 11, 2025, the Lipp's painting was hung in the Grand Foyer of the State Floor in the White House's

East Wing The East Wing of the White House is a two-story structure that serves as office space for the First Lady of the United States, first lady and her staff, including the White House Social Secretary, White House social secretary, White House Graphics ...

. Lipp's painting displaced a painting of former President

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...

, whose painting was moved to the opposite wall to replace one depicting former President

. The painting of Bush was moved to a nearby staircase, next to one of his father

George H. W. Bush George Herbert Walker BushBefore the outcome of the 2000 United States presidential election, he was usually referred to simply as "George Bush" but became more commonly known as "George H. W. Bush", "Bush Senior," "Bush 41," and even "Bush th ...

. White House press secretary

Karoline Leavitt Karoline Claire Leavitt ( ; born August 24, 1997) is an American spokesperson who, since 2025, has served as the 36th White House press secretary. She was the Republican Party (United States), Republican candidate for New Hampshire's 1st congr ...

said Trump had decided to "temporarily" display the painting. In May 2025, Doug Mills of ''The New York Times'' was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Photography for his photographs of the assassination attempt on Trump, including the photograph in which a bullet can be seen in the air near Trump.

References

External links

Gallery of photos taken during and after the attempted assassination of Trump
by the