--- title: Interview With the Photographer of Trump Image description: Early Saturday evening, a series of photos and videos depicting a shocking moment appeared across our digital screens– the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump at a Pennsylvania campaign rally. canonical: https://time.com/6998896/behind-the-cover-interview-evan-vucci-trump-photorgraph/ author: Kara Milstein article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2024-07-15T22:35:48.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:45:02.196Z article:section: Politics og:title: Interview With the Photographer of Trump Image og:description: It was Evan Vucci’s past experiences that prepared him to capture theiconic image, he said. og:url: https://time.com/6998896/behind-the-cover-interview-evan-vucci-trump-photorgraph/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5fe9161393363331/698a58bd929fad59c9bfcbc2/TIM240805-Trump-Cover-social.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2400 og:image:height: 1350 og:image:alt: TIM240805-Trump-Cover-social og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Interview With the Photographer of Trump Image twitter:description: It was Evan Vucci’s past experiences that prepared him to capture theiconic image, he said. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5fe9161393363331/698a58bd929fad59c9bfcbc2/TIM240805-Trump-Cover-social.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 --- # Behind the Cover: Interview With the Photographer of the Trump Image > Sponsored content. 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Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=1a436999-4517-4a5f-96b8-61871a8acc09&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Shots Fired at Trump Rally; Prosecutor Says Gunman and 1 Attendee Are Dead [Watch (HLS stream): Shots Fired at Trump Rally; Prosecutor Says Gunman and 1 Attendee Are Dead](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/HsAxMG4G.m3u8) (2:22)  _Published 2024-07-13. Donald Trump's campaign said in a statement that he was “fine” after being whisked off the stage at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania after apparent gunshots rang through the crowd._ Jul 15, 2024 10:35 PM UTC  Evan Vucci—AP  by [Kara Milstein](https://time.com/author/kara-milstein/)  ## Kara Milstein Jul 15, 2024 10:35 PM UTC Early Saturday evening, a series of photos and videos depicting a shocking moment appeared across our digital screens– the attempted assassination of [former President Donald Trump](https://time.com/6998557/thomas-matthew-crooks-trump-rally-shooter-fbi-motive/) at a Pennsylvania campaign rally. Frame-by-frame, we saw Trump, 78, first grab his head with an expression of confusion as gunshots rang out. Then, photos of Secret Service agents piling on top of Trump behind the podium in front of a crowd of confused onlookers. Followed by images of the swift movement of Trump, blanketed by personnel, off the stage. And then the now-iconic images of Trump with his fist raised, blood smeared on his face, and an American flag rippling behind him. Various iterations of these images, taken by several photojournalists, continue to be shared. One of those photographs, taken by _Associated Press_ photojournalist Evan Vucci, was chosen to appear on the cover of TIME. The historical significance, the clear composition, the undeniable tension, all appearing in a singular image of an event that stunned the world. Here’s what Vucci has to say about the moment. The interview has been lightly edited for clarity.  Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump arrives for a campaign rally in Butler, Pa., on July 13, 2024. Evan Vucci—AP ## **On the preparation** It was Vucci’s past experiences that prepared him to capture this iconic image, he said. Vucci, who has been with the AP for almost 21 years, has covered everything from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, to the Trump presidency, to Super Bowls, to the protests following the death of George Floyd, in which his team was awarded the 2021 Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Photography. “It was a situation where that vast experience absolutely does \[prepare you\]. To have that experience behind you sort of allows you to remain calm. It wasn't the first time I was in that situation. So I was able to keep my head, I was able to think. I was able to compose pictures. I think all of us were there and we just stayed in the moment, stayed on the story. In my head, I just kept saying to myself, ‘slow down, slow down. Compose, compose.’ Okay, what's gonna happen next? What's going on here? What's going on there? Just trying to get every angle on it.’” ## **On the moments after the shots were fired** Initially, Vucci was photographing from the back of the photographer buffer area in front of the rally stage with his long lens. As soon as he heard gunshots, he sprang into action. “I knew right away what it was. So my first thing is like, ‘Okay, I gotta get to the stage.’” Vucci moved closer with his wide angle lens and captured pictures while thinking ahead, including anticipating what route the Secret Service would take to remove Trump from the situation. As Vucci sprinted to the other side of the stage, Trump started to stand and pump his fists. Vucci ran to the corner of the stairs while Trump and his team were preparing to exit the stage and took the photos that have now been shared widely.  U.S. Secret Service agents converge to cover Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump. Evan Vucci—AP  Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump is covered by U.S. Secret Service agents. Evan Vucci—AP ## **On Trump throwing his fists in the air** “In the moment it's weird because your brain is basically shut off. You're just thinking about, ‘Okay, what's my composition, or where’s light coming from? Is my exposure good?’ Do I need to move to the right? Do I need to move to the left?’ Because you got to be able to see his face. So when he started pumping his fist, I was surprised. And then I saw the blood on his face. And then I knew once I saw that, I knew I had at least a news storytelling image. I knew I had something. So I felt good. At least something was in the bag.” ## **On the technical process** Vucci’s cameras were tethered to a hotspot connection, so while all of this was happening, he’s able to click a button and instantly send photos from his camera to his editors. “Today, the \[media\] landscape is all about speed, so all still photographers that shoot news are doing the same sort of process. Something will happen in front of my lens, and it'll be on the AP wire within a minute or two.” Once Trump left, the media were pulled into a tent, and Vucci finally had a chance to look through his photos and send everything he took to his editors.  Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump is surrounded by U.S. Secret Service agents. Evan Vucci—AP  Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump is helped off stage by U.S. Secret Service agents. Evan Vucci—AP ## **On whether this changes his approach this election season** “The job always remains the same. You're just trying to make different pictures, just trying to keep pushing the story forward. I think maybe the news value of this \[Republican National\] Convention may have increased a little bit or the interest might have increased a little bit, but it doesn't change, I don't think, a photographer’s approach to it.” ## **On his photos being widely seen** Vucci’s images, and the images of several other photojournalists, have been shared widely across the globe. Numerous news organizations have already started assessing the impact of these photographs. “It's crazy, because everyone keeps asking me about it. But I've been so busy, I haven't really been paying attention to it. My social media is basically just turned off, because it's like, thousands of messages. I can't keep up with any of it. And I'm just getting a bunch of interview requests and stuff. I’m trying to do the convention right now, so I don’t have time to do any of this. “I haven't had a chance to really think about any of that stuff. But apparently, the photo is pretty viral.”  Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump is surrounded by U.S. Secret Service agents. Evan Vucci—AP ## **On seeing his photo on TIME’s cover** “I work for AP. You know, we have a long history of photojournalism. And so I think when you're at this level, and something like this happens to you, you're able to react a certain way and expect\[ed\] to produce. I was just thankful that I was able to hold that standard.” _Click here_ _to order_[ _this cover_](https://timecoverstore.com/collections/donald+trump) _or_ [_a copy of this issue_ ](https://magazineshop.us/products/preorder-time-magazine-08-05-24-edition-attack-on-trump-former-president-survives-shooting-with-nation-on-edge/?utm%5Fsource=TIME&utm%5Fmedium=TIME-Marketing&utm%5Fcampaign=240714%5FTIME-Marketing&utm%5Fcontent=TIME-Marketing%5FLanding-TIME-08-05-24-Attack-on-Trump-Product-Page&handle=trumpattack&handle=oy41i)_of TIME_ ## **On the public’s reactions to his images** “That’s the other thing that's awesome about photography, is two people can look at the exact same image and have completely different reactions to it. My job as a photojournalist is to show you the world through my eyes. I try to do it to the best of my ability, I try to be professional, I try to be as fair as I can be. So as far as how people view the images and how they market it, and how they use it for their own point of views, that's none of my concern. My concern is that when that incident happened, I felt like I did a really good job showing you a key moment in American history.  Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump is surrounded by U.S. Secret Service agents as he is placed into his vehicle. Evan Vucci—ap  A campaign rally site for Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump is empty and littered with debris. Evan Vucci—AP ## Transcript [00:05] And you know, that's a little bit old that chart. [00:08] That chart's a couple of months old, [00:10] and if you want to really see something that's said, [00:13] take a look at what happened. [00:25] Sorry. [00:40] Hold. [00:41] Are you ready on you. Ready. Move. Move. H. [00:50] Ready? [00:58] Good. Down. Shooters down. [01:01] Are we good to move. Move. [01:02] Clear. C. [01:06] A come up. Let me get my shot. [01:15] Let me get my shoes. I'm sorry I got you. [01:17] Let me get my shoes. Hold that in your head, body. [01:19] So we got to move to cut. [01:22] Let me get my shoes. Okay. Ho. 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