Politics & Government

Trump Shooting Investigation, Disinformation and Extremism, RNC

Details emerge about the person who allegedly tried to assassinate Donald Trump. Conspiracy theories abound over the event that left Trump hurt. And the attempted assassination will impact the tenor of the Republican National Convention and speeches there.

Want more comprehensive analysis of the most important news of the day, plus a little fun? Subscribe to the Up First newsletter.

Today's episode of Up First was edited by Krishnadev Calamur, Padma Rama, Brett Neely, Andrew Sussman, Olivia Hampton and Alice Woelfle. It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Ben Abrams and Mansee Khurana. We get engineering support from Arthur Laurent. And our technical director is Carleigh Strange.

A would-be assassin targets Trump. What it could mean for America.

Shortly after 6pm on Saturday, a would-be assassin took aim at former President Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.

Trump and two others were injured and one person was killed before the Secret Service shot and killed the alleged gunman, identified as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks.

Crooks was a registered Republican but gave $15 to a progressive Political Action Committee in 2021. Law enforcement has yet to identify a motive or an ideology.

For the first time in decades, a presidential candidate has been the target of an assassination plot. How might Saturday's events affect an already divided America?

Author and historian Doris Kearns Goodwin discusses what history can teach us about this moment.

For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.

Email us at considerthis@npr.org.