Senator Banks Reflects on Trump Shooting Anniversary
INDIANAPOLIS — U.S. Senator Jim Banks says his phone started ringing on the afternoon of July 13, 2024, shortly after a bullet grazed then-presidential candidate Donald Trump’s ear. That day, during a campaign event, several people were shot and one person was killed.
“I was at my home in Columbia City when I started getting calls from my staff,” Banks told WIBC in a phone interview on Sunday. “Later that evening, I went to dinner with my wife, and I remember thinking there’s no way President Trump is going to lose. He’s going to be president again.”
During the rally, Trump stood at the podium with supporters behind him holding signs that read “Joe Biden, you’re fired.” He pointed to a chart showing a drop in illegal immigration at the end of his first term and an increase during President Biden’s time in office.
He began to speak: “That chart’s a couple of months old, and if you want to really see something that’s sad, take a look at what happened,” he said, just before gunfire interrupted his remarks.
Police say 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks fired eight shots at Trump from a rooftop. One bullet grazed Trump’s ear. Crooks also shot and killed Corey Comperatore, a 50-year-old firefighter, husband, and father, and injured two other people.
A Secret Service sniper shot and killed Crooks during the incident. The FBI is still investigating and has not announced a motive.
“The Secret Service agent who was on stage with the president, in the photo where Trump is holding his fist in the air, is the same agent he later chose to lead the agency,” Banks said.
In January, Sean Curran was named the new director of the U.S. Secret Service. Trump announced the decision on Truth Social, saying Curran had protected his family for years and that he trusted him to lead the agency.
The Secret Service later suspended six employees without pay while facing questions about security failures related to the shooting.
“One year later, we still do not have enough information about the man who tried to kill Donald Trump or whether others were involved,” Banks said. “There has not been enough transparency, but President Trump remains focused on the country and the future.”
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