At one point during the rally, Austyn Crites, a registered Republican who is supporting Hillary Clinton, made his way towards the front of the crowd. He then silently held up a sign that read, "Republicans against Trump." A scuffle broke out as Trump supporters began pummeling him and attempted to rip the sign away. During the melee, someone yelled, "gun!" This prompted Trump's Secret Service protective squadron to immediately rush the candidate off-stage.
The Secret Service quickly handcuffed Crites and led him away. But, after searching him, they found no weapon, and he was released after brief questioning. The Secret Service also noted that those attending the rallies of major presidential candidates must go through metal detectors.
The agents brought Trump back on stage and the rally continued. Thanking the Secret Service, Trump said, "Nobody said it was going to be easy for us. But we will never be stopped."
Yet, several of his supporters went further, tweeting that their candidate had just survived an attempt to kill him.
That night, Dan Scavino, the candidate's social media aide and Trump's son, Donald, Jr, retweeted this from a Trump supporter: "Hillary ran away from rain today. Trump back on stage minutes after assassination attempt."