In a moment etched into modern political history, New York Times photographer Doug Mills was awarded a Pulitzer Prize for a photo that stunned the world — an image capturing the split-second a bullet tore through the air beside President Donald Trump during an assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania.
The shocking event occurred on July 13, when Trump was addressing a crowd in the swing state. What unfolded next was chaos — and defiance. As gunfire rang out, Trump was struck, visibly bloodied, yet still rose to his feet and delivered a powerful rallying cry: “Fight, fight, fight,” before being shielded and rushed offstage by Secret Service agents.
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But it was the camera lens of Doug Mills that froze that horrifying moment in time. His image of the bullet flying past Trump’s head wasn’t discovered until hours later — and it became one of the most iconic political photographs in American history.
“I just happened to be down, shooting with a wide-angle lens just below the president when he was speaking. There was a huge flag waving right above his head, and I just happened to be taking pictures at the same time,” Mills said in a Fox News interview during the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.
