The 2024 election autopsy commissioned by the Democratic National Committee (DNC) neglects to mention the multiple assassination attempts aimed at President Donald Trump.
The autopsy, obtained by CNN and published Thursday, does not reference the two confirmed assassination attempts on Trump’s life during the 2024 presidential campaign. (RELATED: ‘He Was Calling To See If I Was Okay’: ABC’s Jonathan Karl Recounts Call With Trump After Assassination Attempt)
The first attempt occurred at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, 2024. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) identified Thomas Matthew Crooks, then 20, as the shooter. One rally attendee, 50-year-old firefighter Corey Comperatore, was killed. Two other attendees were injured. Trump himself was nicked by a bullet to his ear.
As Trump emerged from a huddle of secret service members, he raised his right fist, blood streaking down his face, his mouth open as he chanted, “Fight! Fight! Fight!”
The moment was captured by photojournalist Evan Vucci, resulting in one of the most iconic photos in recent memory. Trump’s defiance in the face of death became a defining image for his campaign. Like his mug shot, it quickly appeared on merchandise.
US President Donald Trump is pictured backdropped by a painting depicting his 2024 assassination attempt in Pennsylvania, as he participates in a Small Business Summit in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC on May 4, 2026. (Photo by Kent NISHIMURA / AFP via Getty Images)
As Southern Methodist University political science professor Cal Jillson told Fox News shortly after the attack, “Having survived an assassination attempt, that gives great momentum into the [Republican National Convention] and if they can build on that, they will be entering the late stages of this race with a lot of power.”
The second assassination attempt occurred Sept. 15, 2024, at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida. A man was lying in wait for Trump from a “sniper’s hide concealed in a fence line bordering the golf course,” according to the Department of Justice (DOJ). A secret service agent saw the man and fired at him. The alleged would-be assassin fled the scene but was later apprehended.
Ryan Routh, then 58, was arrested and charged for the attempted assassination. Routh was found guilty of attempted assassination of a major presidential candidate, assault of a federal law enforcement officer, and multiple firearms offenses, according to the DOJ. Routh was sentenced to life plus seven years in federal prison in February.
One would think these events — particularly the Butler shooting — warrant at least a quick mention in a 192-page analysis of the 2024 election. Then again, the report commissioned by the DNC fails to include a great many relevant details. (RELATED: Leaked DNC 2024 Autopsy Is A Case Study In Stunning Incompetence)
An anonymous source described the report to Crooked Media journalist Matt Berg as “gobbledygook.”
SCOOP: I got new details about the DNC’s autopsy, per people familiar with the report.
The autopsy doesn’t dive deep into the electoral impact of Biden administration’s handling of Gaza, despite speculation that it might.
One person described the report as “gobbledygook.”
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— Matt Berg (@mattberg33) May 7, 2026
DNC Chairman Ken Martin issued an apologetic statement regarding the report, writing he is “not proud of this product; it does not meet my standards, and it won’t meet your standards.”
“I don’t endorse what’s in this report, or what’s left out of it. I could not in good faith put the DNC’s stamp of approval on it. But transparency is paramount. So, today I am releasing the report as I received it – in its entirety, unedited and unabridged – with annotations for claims that couldn’t be verified.”