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4 months ago
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Blake Marnell was in his usual brick-patterned suit and his usual position in the center of the front row on Saturday evening to hear Donald Trump speak.
It meant he was barely 10 yards from the former president when he heard what he thought were firecrackers at the back of the crowd.
His close-up eye witness account, told exclusively to DailyMail.com, reveals the terror, anger and then finally relief that coursed through the Pennsylvania crowd as a gunman tried to assassinate the 45th president of the United States and the front return to return to power next year.
'I instinctively looked to the left,' he said, searching for the source of the sound. 'The next time I turned back to look at the president, he was being taken to the ground by the Secret Service agents.'
As he watched agents use their bodies to shield Trump on the ground, he could hear more gunshots targeted at the shooter.
He crouched to protect himself from getting caught in crossfire. Around him other flung themselves to the ground. He could hear some attendees beginning to pray for the former president.
Suddenly the area was bristling with firearms. In front of him suddenly every agent and law enforcement officer had drawn their weapons, eyes scanning the crowd.
From his vantage point he could hear the agents with Trump getting themselves organized. It brought a small measure of relief.
'They weren't calling for medical support. They were getting ready to move him,' he said. 'That made me more optimistic.'
As he watched, Trump got to his feet. He could see the blood trickling from a point just about his right ear.
'He stood on the corner of the stage and put his fist up in the air and shook it a few times, said Marnell, his voice shaking with adrenaline. 'It was a very defiant gesture. And when I saw that, I was really hopeful that he'd be okay.'
Marnell is best known as 'Brick Suit guy' for his outfit designed to replicate Trump's wall.
He is a regular beside the 'Front Row Joes' as they call themselves, traveling the country to attend events. He reckons he has been to about 40 rallies and plans to be in Milwaukee this week for the Republican National Convention where he will be a delegate for California.
Blake Marnell is a regular sight at Trump rallies in his brick suit. He was in the front row on Saturday and posted this image hours before Trump took the stage
A Secret Service agent and members of the crowd take cover as gunshots are heard
Marnell described the profound relief he felt when he saw Trump rise to his feet and give a clenched fist salute to his supporters in the crowd
He said it would inevitably make Trump stronger politically.
'You know it's hard to see how that doesn't garner him some sympathy at a time like this,' he said.
It would not make him bow out, he said, just days before he was due to accept the party nomination in Milwaukee on Thursday.
Things will never be the same again, he said, describing how he saw first responders race to treat multiple casualties in the grandstands either side of Trump's podium.
'We may not see a rally like this in the future,' he said. 'There will be rallies, but they'll be tightly controlled, perhaps more tightly controlled indoors, more thorough screening.'
Video shows the moment the drama unfolded. A shot can be heard and Trump raises his hand to his face before crouching.
Secret Service agents arrive from all sides to shield him.
Screams can be heard from the crowd all around.
English (US)