Coroner releases heartbreaking update on Trump shooting victim Corey Comperatore's cause of death

Former volunteer firefighter Corey Comperatore's exact cause of death at Donald Trump's deadly July 13 rally in Bulter, Pennsylvania, has been disclosed.

The Butler County corner's office revealed that Corey, 50, died due to a single gunshot wound to the head, and ruled his death a homicide.

He was killed by 20-year-old would-be assassin Thomas Matthew Crooks.

A bullet hit Trump's ear, while Comperatore, a father-of-two sitting behind the former president, was killed. 

He died a hero as his family revealed he was shielding his young daughter and wife from the gunfire when he was struck himself.

In July, the same coroner detailed exactly how Crooks was quickly 'neutralized' by a countersniper onsite.

He was shot in the head after he fired off eight rounds during the rally.

By Nikki Schwab, Chief Campaign Correspondent in Washington, D.C.

President Joe Biden returned to Wilmington Thursday night to speak to his campaign staff.

It will mark the first in-person meeting with campaign aides since he dramatically dropped out of the race on July 21, handing over his campaign infrastructure to Vice President Kamala Harris, who is now the Democratic nominee.

Harris' first order of business once it became clear she was going to take Biden's place was visiting campaign headquarters in Delaware and she did so on July 22.

At that event, Biden called in.

'I'm watching you kid,' the president cheekily said.

On Thursday, press wasn't invited inside what's expected to be a more somber meeting.

Reporters were held nearby Wilmington's Queen Theatre, where Biden held a number of events during his 2020 campaign and amid the 2021 presidential transition.

By Emily Goodin, senior White House correspondent

Kamala Harris agreed to one debate with Donald Trump but did not mention the other two that her Republican rival proposed.

'I hear that Donald Trump has finally committed to debating me on September 10. I look forward to it,' she wrote on X.

Trump's campaign proposed three debates for September: Fox News hosting one on September 4; ABC hosting one on September 10; and NBC on September 25.

The ABC debate was on the calendar back when Joe Biden was the Democratic nominee. He and Trump had agreed to it as their second meeting.

Harris had agreed to that debate once she replaced Biden on the ticket. Trump later cancelled it - proposing a debate on Fox News instead - before agreeing to it again on Thursday.

Former President Donald Trump revisited his attacks on Kamala Harris' racial identity, saying in a Thursday press conference, saying the burden was on her to explain it and claiming she was being 'disrespectful' to Blacks and people of Indian descent.

Trump got asked in his hour long presser Thursday how he could have said the Demoratic presidential nominee 'happened to turn Black' – a comment he made during a contentious interview at a Black journalists association event.

A reporter noted that Harris' father is Jamaican-American and that she went to a historically black college – Howard University – wondering why it was accurate to say she recently decided to be Black. (Her mother is an immigrant to the U.S. from India.)

By Nikki Schwab, Chief Campaign Correspondent at the White House

President Joe Biden couldn't resist telling members of the Texas Rangers baseball team that he was a fan of a rival, the Philadelphia Phillies, at an event at the White House Thursday.

If I didn't root for the Phillies, I'd be sleeping alone.'

First lady Jill Biden grew up in Philadelphia and is a huge Phillies fan, traveling to Citizens Bank Park in November 2022 to watch her team lose to the Houston Astros during that World Series bid.

The Phillies fell to the Astros during that series, whereas the Astros went on to win the World Series.

In 2023, the Phillies were ousted from the playoffs by the Arizona Diamondbacks - the team that was taken down by the Texas Rangers.

By Charlie Spiering Senior Political Reporter

Former President Donald Trump held a free-wheeling 77 minute press conference at Mar-a-Lago on Thursday, accusing Vice President Kamala Harris of being unable to do the same.

‘She doesn’t know how to do a news conference. She’s not smart enough to do a news conference,’ Trump said.

A solo press conference is not common for a vice president, but happens on occasion during travel overseas.

Harris last held a solo press conference from a multitude of reporters during a trip to the United Arab Emirates on December 2, 2023, according to a source knowlegeable of her schedule.

That solo press conference lasted 12 minutes as she made opening remarks and took six different questions from reporters.

Since she won the Democratic nomination for president, Harris has shied away from news interviews and press conferences for 17 days, as DailyMail.com reported.

Tennessee Republican Rep Tim Burchett wrote to TSA Administrator David Pekoske asking him, 'What on earth is [TSA] doing putting [Tulsi Gabbard] on a terror watchlist???'

He requested a meeting with the administrator.

Gabbard, former congresswoman and Democrat presidential candidate, has reportedly been placed under surveillance at airports and on planes.

Whistleblowers told the Air Marshal National Council that Gabbard's name appears on the Quiet Skies program.

Under the program federal air marshals follow U.S. citizens who pose an 'elevated risk to aviation security' through airports and on flights.

As a result, there's at least five agents stalking her on every flight she takes.

Donald Trump said during his freewheeling press conference that North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un like him ‘a lot’.

During and after his presidency Trump frequently referred to ‘love letters’ the two men exchanged, even after warning to bring down ‘fire and fury’ if attacked.

‘We need smart people to lead this country because our country has never been in this danger before, both economically and from an outside,’ Trump said. They he reeled off three U.S. adversaries. ‘Russia doesn't respect us anymore. China doesn't respect us anymore. North Korea – Kim Jong-un liked me a lot. He doesn't like this group. We are in great danger with great danger of being in World War III,’ he said.

The U.S. has struggled with North Korea and its nuclear program for decades. Pyongyang is currently defying the U.S. and its allies by providing weapons to Russia for its war on Ukraine, the White House says.

Donald Trump repeatedly insulted the intelligence of Kamala Harris during his extended press conference Thursday.

He compared her unfavorably to Hillary Clinton, and once again pointed out her failure to pass her legal bar exam on the first try. ‘I would say that Hillary was smart. She was her own worst enemy in many ways, but she was smart.’ Then he attacked Harris again: ‘And she’s actually not as smart, okay? She’s actually not as smart.’

‘She doesn’t know how to do a news conference. She’s not smart enough to do a news conference,’ Trump said, once again trying to goad her into doing one. Trump, who has frequently vouched for his own intelligence, also sought to sow discord by saying President Joe Biden was angry with people who nudged him out of running for reelection ‘like he was a child.’ Trump called it unfair and said Biden had a chance.

'And he’s a very angry man right now, I can tell you that. He's not happy with Obama. And he's not happy with Nancy Pelosi – crazy Nancy,’ Trump said.

As of Thursday, it's been 18 days since Harris has dodged doing a media interview or press conference since Biden dropped out of the race and handed her the reins.

By Katelyn Caralle, Senior U.S. Political Reporter

Thomas Matthew Crooks joined a gun club less than a year before shooting Donald Trump.

The would-be assassin visited the range 43 times and through 2024 went to target practice three to six times per month, according to bombshell new records obtained by Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa).

Clairton Sportsmen's Club turned over to Grassley the logs revealing the staggering amount of the times Crooks practiced his sharpshooting before he attempted to kill former President Donald Trump.

The records obtained by DailyMail.com indicate he spent 80 percent of his time at the range doing rifle practice with long guns rather than handguns.

And the obsession even overshadowed the holidays as he spent Christmas Day, Valentine's Day and Halloween at the club in Clairton, Pennsylvania.

Despite a number of new national surveys that show former President Donald Trump slipping behind Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris the Republican denied Thursday that he was falling behind in the polls.

'I see it right now. I see her going way down in the polls now,' Trump said.

Trump initially said Harris' rise could be attributed to her being a 'woman.'

'She represents certain groups of people,' he said. 'But I will say this, when people find out about her I think she'll be much less.'

By Charlie Spiering, Senior Political Reporter

Former President Donald Trump described Kamala Harris as a terrible presidential candidate, pointing out her decision to end her 2020 presidential campaign before the Iowa caucuses.

'She was the first one to quit, she quit,' Trump said, recalling her failed campaign.

Despite a strong start in the Summer of 2019, Harris fell into the single digits in public polling until she ended her campaign in December.

'She had no votes no support and she was a bad debater by the way, a very bad debater. She never made it to Iowa,' Trump said.

Harris was the first significant Democratic candidate to end her presidential campaign, but many other Democrats ended their long-shot campaigns earlier in the year such as Rep. Eric Swalwell who ended his campaign in July.

Trump said he was surprised that Biden chose Harris to be his running mate and claimed the vice president turned on the president by forcing him out of his reelection campaign.

'I know he regrets it, you do too, she turned on him too, she was working with the people that wanted him out,' he said.

Former President Donald Trump muttered, 'oh give me a break,' when asked Thursday if he was concerned about the size of Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris' crowds.

Listen, I had 107,000 people in New Jersey. You didn't report it. I'm so glad you asked. What did she have yesterday? 2000 people. If I ever had 2000 people you'd say my campaign is finished. It's so dishonest the press and here's a great example. I had in Michigan recently 25,000 people and 25,000 people we just couldn't get them in. We had in Harrisburg 20-25,000 people and 20,000 people couldn't get in. We had so many - nobody ever mentions that. When she gets 1,500 people, and I saw it yesterday on ABC, where they said, "Oh the crowd was so big." I have 10 times, 20 times, 30 times the crowd size and they never say the crowd was big.

Donald Trump said that he knows, Willie Brown, Kamala Harris' 90-year-old ex-boyfriend and the former mayor of San Francisco 'very well' and the two had a near-death experience together.

“I know Willie Brown very well. We went down in a helicopter together. We thought it was the end,' Trump revealed during a press conference. 'He told me terrible things about her [Harris].'

The relationship must not have ended on the best of terms - Brown recently joked Harris would 'deport' him if elected.

Former President Donald Trump claimed Thursday that it was 'unconstitutional' for Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris to become the Democratic nominee.

'It seems to me actually unconstitutional, perhaps it's not,' Trump said.

Primary elections are run by political parties and the rules permit delegates to back different candidates at the convention - especially if a candidate is no longer in the race.

At the Republican National Convention, delegates originally bound to Trump's rival Nikki Haley voted for Trump during the roll call vote.

In a similar fashion, President Joe Biden's delegates were free to back Harris in this week's virtual roll call vote.

Donald Trump said he'd love to see his relationship with Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp repaired.

'I’d love to see it get repaired,' he said, while adding, 'When you get somebody elected, they’re supposed to like you.'

The pair fell out over the 2020 election when Trump focused his sights on Georgia for overturning the election results.

Former President Donald Trump had some choice words for Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris during his press conference at Mar-a-Lago on Thursday.

She should not be in a position because if she becomes president, our country is going to be a giant fail. It's going to fail.

By Nikki Schwab, Chief Campaign Correspondent in Washington, D.C.

Former President Donald Trump pitched three general election debates during his press conference Thursday at Mar-a-Lago.

Trump said he would participate in a Fox News debate on September 4, an NBC News debate on September 10 and an ABC News debate on September 25.

'So we have those three dates and those networks. They are very anxiously awaiting that date and those dates. We have September 4th, September 10th, and September 25th,' Trump said.

The Biden and Trump campaigns previously agreed to an ABC News debate on September 10, which would have been the second and final debate after the June 27 showdown in Atlanta.

Once it was apparent that Harris would become the Democratic nominee, Trump started pushing for there to be a Fox News debate instead of an ABC News debate, calling out ABC's George Stephanopoulos, a former Clinton aide, as being too liberal to moderate.

'I just look forward to these debates. I think it's very important that we have them. I hope she agrees,' Trump said.

ABC News' Rick Klein said that the ABC News debate will take place on September 10 not September 25 'with Trump and Harris now both confirmed.'

Former President Donald Trump kicked off his free-wheeling press conference Thursday by deploying a number of attack lines against Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.

Among the charges Trump made of Walz, he said the governor is 'heavy into the transgender world.'

The campaign website for Vice President Kamala Harris has updated its online bio of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.

They removed reference to Walz as a 'retired command sergeant major' and now say he once served at the command sergeant rank.

Walz retired from 24 years in the National Guard in 2005 to run for Congress. He did serve as a command sergeant major but was reverted back to master sergeant as he left the military because he had not completed the coursework for the higher rank.

He brought 'brain worm' into the political vernacular and denied eating dog.

On Sunday he decided to get in front of a New Yorker story about him by releasing a video where he detailed how he ditched a dead bear cub in New York's Central Park ten years ago.

Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has been in court this week in Albany fighting a residency challenge.

There he told reporters about a hobby related to the dead bear:

A 73-year-old Florida man will be thrown in prison for two years for calling Rep. Eric Swalwell's office and threatening to kill him and his children.

Federal prosecutors said Michael Shapiro left five threatening messages at the California Democrat's Capitol Hill phone line on December 19, 2023.

'I'm gonna come after you and kill you [expletive],' the messages said. 'I'm gonna come and kill your children you mother-[expletive]. I'm gonna kill your children,' said one call.

In another call Shapiro called him a 'Chinese spy' and invoked his involvement with suspected Chinese spy 'Fang Fang.'

Nancy Pelosi revealed the 'goal in life' that was behind her push for Joe Biden to exit the presidential race and why she now cries over her decision.

The Speaker Emerita, in a series of interviews to promote her memoir, 'The Art of Power,' addressed her relationship with the current president and her thoughts on the former one, Donald Trump.

It was her concern that Trump would win in November that led to her urging Biden to step down as the Democratic nominee, she's said.

'My goal in life was that that man would never set foot in the White House again,' she said of Trump, pounding the table nine times for emphasis, the Washington Post reported.

By Katelyn Caralle, Senior U.S. Political Reporter

Rep. Nancy Mace accused outgoing Rep. Cori Bush of wanting to join terrorist group Hamas after she gave an anti-Semitic concession speech on Wednesday night.

The South Carolina Republican poosted to X:

If she wants to be in Hamas that bad she should just say it.

Bush, a member of the progressive squad, lost her Democratic primary in Missouri to a more pro-Israel member of the left.

After her loss on Wednesday, the lawmaker delivered remarks where she said stepping out of Congress will removed 'strings' and allow her to act more freely.

Bush said she is now more 'radicalized' and Jewish people and Republicans should 'be afraid.'

American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) worked hard to get anti-Israel squad members out of Congress. Their campaigns were sucessful in defeating Bush and Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.) who lost his June primary.

Bush said on Wednesday:

They about to see this other Cori, this other side... AIPAC, I'm coming to tear your kingdom down.

President Joe Biden commemmorated the one-year anniversary of the devastating Maui wildfires with a statement posted to X on Thursday.

Around lunchtime, the president will speak over the phone with Hawaii Gov. Josh Green and Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen.

By Katelyn Caralle, Senior U.S. Political Reporter

Donald Trump thinks media are still giving Kamala Harris a boost by inflating the enthusiasm for the vice president.

The former president often boasts massive crowds of several thousands supporters, filling up stadiums and other venues.

But Trump claims when Harris is even able to attract a fraction of his crowd, 'press goes crazy' and he accused her of 'paying' for people to attend her events.

In a Truth Social post, the Republican candidate wrote:

If Kamala has 1,000 people at a Rally, the Press goes “crazy,” and talks about how “big” it was - And she pays for her “Crowd.” When I have a Rally, and 100,000 people show up, the Fake News doesn’t talk about it, THEY REFUSE TO MENTION CROWD SIZE. The Fake News is the Enemy of the People!

Hundreds of supporters attend a rally for Harris and her new running mate Gov. Tim Walz in Romulus, Michigan on Wednesday.

From Rob Crilly, Chief U.S. Political Correspondent in Cincinnati

I spent yesterday aboard 'Trump Force Two' with J.D. Vance, Donald Trump's running mate. We visited Wisconsin and Michigan as he took the fight to Kamala Harris.

His aides call this 'bracketing,' turning up where she is in order to hijack the day's headlines.

At one point it even seemed as if there might be a literal hijacking. Our plane arrived in Wisconsin just after Air Force Two, and Vance took off across the apron to get a closer look and see if he could speak to Harris. (No he couldn't!)

In between, he proved to be an open and engaging interviewee. We chatted aboard his campaign plane about everything from how he lost 30lb to the philosophical lessons of J.R.R. Tolkien.

By Katelyn Caralle, Senior U.S. Political Reporter

Republicans are dwarfing Democrats' spending in the 2024 presidential race, an Axios analysis reveals.

Across digital, broadcast, cable, radio and other forms of advertisement avenues, Democrats have spent $325 million from January 1 through August 2, 2024.

In the same time period, Republicans have only spent $179 million on the same times of ads.

Democrats pumped the most money into digital, while Republicans by far spent the most on broadcast ads.

Kamala Harris has shifted three critical battleground states back into play, a top political prognosticator announced on Thursday.

The Cook Political Report shifted Arizona, Nevada and George from favoring Republican candidate Donald Trump to ‘toss up’ status.

'For the first time in a long time, Democrats are united and energized, while Republicans are on their heels. Unforced errors from both Trump and his vice presidential nominee J.D. Vance have shifted the media spotlight from Biden’s age to Trump’s liabilities.

In other words, the presidential contest has moved from one that was Trump’s to lose to a much more competitive contest,' writes Amy Walter in her analysis.

Harris has been making gains on Trump in the polling in the three states, causing the ratings’ change in her favor. Joe Biden won all three states in 2020 but was trailing Trump.

'Bottom line: Things look a lot better for Democrats today than they did a few weeks ago, but Trump is looking stronger now than he did in 2020. This is a Toss Up,' Walter says.

The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter provides independent, non-partisan analysis of elections and campaigns. It is often cited as a reliable predictor of how contests are trending.

A favorite event for aspiring politicians and local lawmakers, the Iowa State Fair is kicking off Thursday.

Senator Chuck Grassley, 90, the reigning king of the several week event, shared a video to mark the start.

By Emily Goodin, senior White House correspondent

Donald Trump announced he will be holding a press conference at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach at 2 p.m. ET today.

He made the announcement Thursday morning via his Truth Social account.

'I will be doing a General News Conference at 2:00 P.M. at Mar-a-Lago, Palm Beach. Thank you!'

Trump and his running mate J.D. Vance have been slamming Kamala Harris for not taking questions from the media.

In the 18 days since Joe Biden exited the presidential race Harris has not sat down for an interview or held a press conference. She will talk to reporters traveling with her but those are deemed 'off the record,' meaning journalists cannot report what she says.

As most Republicans readied their attack lines about Kamala Harris' 'extreme progressive' pick for a running mate in Minnesota Gov Tim Walz, Republican ex-Gov. Larry Hogan offered genuine praise.

In the eyes of some irate conservatives, he has some explaining to do. But the former governor is not letting it bother him.

'I think [Walz] is a nice guy. I always got along well with him, and I think he was a good pick,' the Maryland Senate GOP hopeful exclusively told DailyMail.com.

'He's gonna add some things to the ticket. He brings a little bit of perspective.'

Hogan said he worked closely with Walz when he chaired the National Governors' Association.

He went on: 'I thought [Pennsylvania Gov. Josh] Shapiro was a good pick as well, but I thought picking a governor was really smart. I think they've got the best experience.'

By Katelyn Caralle, Senior U.S. Political Reporter

Kamala Harris has opened up an eight-point lead over Donald Trump, according to a stunning new poll.

Among likely voters Harris is on 50 percent and Trump 42 percent, the Marquette Law School Poll published on Wednesday found.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is on 6 percent, Libertarian Party candidate Chase Oliver on 1 percent and  Green Party candidate Jill Stein 1 percent.

Among the youngest voting block of 18-29-year-olds, Harris has a massive 42-point lead with 71 percent preferring her candidacy compared to 29 percent who say they will vote for Trump.

The poll was conducted July 24 through August 1, meaning the results did not include opinions on Harris’ new running mate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, who joined her campaign on Tuesday.

Results also indicate that Harris has not necessarily given Democrats a higher chance of victory in November.

When registered voters were asked who they would have cast their ballots for if Joe Biden remained in the race, 43 percent said the president to 47 percent who said Trump and another 11 percent said they did not know.

Both Harris and Biden are 4 percentage points ahead of Trump among registered voters in this poll.

A Trump supporter who was shot twice during the ex-president's assassination attempt last month has spoken for the first time since he left the hospital.

David Dutch, a 57-year-old Marine, issued a statement Wednesday evening through his attorney expressing his gratitude to everyone for their support since he was shot while standing behind the stage where the former president was speaking on July 13.

He had initially been placed in a medically-induced coma for the gunshot wounds to his chest and liver.

'David and his wife, Sheree, and the rest of the Dutch family wish to express their sincerest gratitude for the enormous level of support that they have received from their friends, their fellow Americans and everyone else, whether domestic or abroad, that have kept David and his family in their prayers,' the statement to Fox News said.

The family also thanked 'the brave men and women that saved his life, including, but not limited to, the police officers, the medics, the life flight crew and the medical professionals of Allegheny General Hospital, as well as those who continue to care for him as he navigates the road to recovery.

Joe Biden has predicted that Donald Trump will refuse a peaceful transfer of power if the 2024 race doesn't go in his favor.

Biden sat down with CBS' Robert Costa for his first interview since dramatically dropping out of the presidential race on July 21.

The first clip that was released featured Biden's now-trademark mumbles.

'If Trump wins - no I'm not confident at all - I mean if Trump loses I'm not confident at all,' the 81-year-old president replied when asked by Costa if he was confident there would be a peaceful transfer of power.

When Trump lost the 2020 election to Biden he encouraged his supporters to march on the Capitol Building where the Democrat's win was being certified on January 6, 2021.

The crowd got wild at the biggest rally thus far of Kamala Harris' campaign and the Democratic nominee snapped when it got out of hand.

In Detroit on Wednesday night, the raucous gathering sang along to Beyonce and screamed to 'lock up' Donald Trump while the speakers dropped obscenities and f-bombs as they spoke in Harris' favor, only pausing to direct medics after multiple people fainted in the heat.

Even vice presidential nominee Tim Walz felt the mood. 'Holy h***, can you throw a party here in Michigan,' he told them.

The mood ramped up another notch when he introduced Harris. She came out to a sustained, minute-long screaming ovation but then struggled to regain control of the unruly rally.

There were 15,000 people spilling out of a hanger at the Detroit airport, the biggest crowd yet of Harris' presidential campaign.

And when a group of Gaza protesters started yelling at her, Harris snapped.

'If you want Donald Trump to win then say that. Otherwise I am speaking,' she told them as her supporters cheered her on.