Behind the Iconic Image: Photographer Recounts Trump Assassination Attempt

New York Times photographer Doug Mills offers a chilling eyewitness account of the moment he captured the bullet that grazed former President Trump's ear at a Pennsylvania rally, providing a glimpse into the chaos and fear that engulfed the crowd.

New York Times photographer Doug Mills' iconic image of a bullet whizzing past former President Trump's ear after grazing his ear at a Pennsylvania rally has etched itself into the collective memory of Americans. In a recent interview with Fox News, Mills shared his firsthand account of the shocking ordeal that unfolded before his lens.

"I was shooting with a wide-angle lens just below the president when he was speaking," Mills said, recalling the moment. "There was a huge flag waving right above his head, and I just happened to be taking pictures at the same time."

Behind the Iconic Image: Photographer Recounts Trump Assassination Attempt

As Trump addressed the crowd, Mills' attention was drawn to the sound of pops. "I guess I kept hitting on the shutter, and then I saw him reach for his [ear]. He grimaced and grabbed his hand and looked. It was blood," Mills said. "And then he went down."

In that instant, a wave of panic washed over Mills and the crowd. "I thought, 'Dear God, he's been shot,'" he said.

Behind the Iconic Image: Photographer Recounts Trump Assassination Attempt

Mills, like many others present, initially failed to realize that the sounds were gunshots. As Secret Service agents swarmed the former president, Mills witnessed the chaos and fear that gripped the crowd.

"All I could see was them, and [they're] holding their guns and guns are out everywhere and everybody's yelling, 'Get down, get down, get down! Active shooter, active shooter!'" he recalled.

Behind the Iconic Image: Photographer Recounts Trump Assassination Attempt

Driven by a photojournalist's instinct, Mills defied the danger and approached the scene. "I probably did not do the smartest thing by running right at it, but that's what [photojournalists do]," he said.

In the midst of the pandemonium, Mills began capturing images of Trump's defiant fist pump as he was rushed off stage. It was only after he retreated to a tent to transmit his photographs that he discovered he had unwittingly captured an even more powerful image.

Behind the Iconic Image: Photographer Recounts Trump Assassination Attempt

"I was like, 'Oh, hell. I remember taking pictures of him when this happened. Let me go back and look,'" Mills said. As he examined his images, he realized that he had captured a bullet whizzing past Trump's head.

"She called me back like five minutes later and said, 'You won't believe this.' She goes, 'We actually see a bullet flying behind his head, and I was like, 'Oh my gosh.'"

Mills' image has become a symbol of the dramatic events that unfolded that day, a testament to the courage and skill of the photojournalists who document history firsthand. It has been widely reproduced and analyzed, offering a glimpse into the chaos and fear that enveloped the crowd as they witnessed an assassination attempt on a former president.