Salena Zito, a veteran political reporter with more than 20 years of storytelling experience, is telling her own story in her book, «Butler: The Untold Story of the Near Assassination of Donald Trump and the Fight for America’s Heartland.»

Zito’s novel, released Tuesday, takes readers back to July 13, 2024, when a young shooter unleashed gunfire into the crowd at President Donald Trump’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. 

«I didn’t get down,» Zito told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview ahead of the release. «There was this inner voice that told me, ‘You have a job to do, continue doing it.’»

When 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks began firing toward Trump, Zito found herself in the Secret Service’s secure perimeter, right by the stage where Trump was delivering his remarks.  

FOX NATION REVEALS NEVER-BEFORE-SEEN FOOTAGE FROM TRUMP ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT IN BUTLER

«Time has these layers that happen,» Zito said. «It’s not remembering them. It’s experiencing them. It’s this interesting thing that happens. I see a sea of navy blue suits immediately surround him. Then, I hear the second four shots. I still didn’t get down.»

PHOTOGRAPHER WINS PULITZER FOR ICONIC PHOTO OF BULLET SPEEDING BY TRUMP’S HEAD DURING ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT

As a gun owner, Zito recognized the sound of the gunshots right away. But as a journalist, she quickly began to commit the historic moment to memory as it was unfolding. 

In an interview with Fox News Digital, Zito described the scene she saw first-hand, that was caught on video by the network pool camera and watched across the world.

Just over eight minutes into Trump’s speech, Zito was standing in the «buffer» with her daughter, her son-in-law and a Trump campaign aide, Michel Picard. It was Picard who finally brought Zito to the ground. 

«Michel Picard takes me down and lies on top of me and covers me,» Zito explained. «This young man didn’t have to do this. He will always be a hero in my heart. He lies on the top of my daughter. My son-in-law has already taken my daughter down.»

A shoe is left on stage after then-former President Donald Trump was assisted offstage during a campaign rally at Butler Farm Show Inc. on Saturday, July 13, 2024 in Butler, Pa.  (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

Zito said, even from that vantage point, she could still see and hear the situation unfolding as Trump shouted out for his shoes, someone called out for a medic and a woman screamed. 

«I had my recorder on my phone because I thought I was going to be recording the rally, his speech. I wanted to make sure I got the nuance. I always do that. I could see, and I could hear everything that was happening.»

She said Trump was saying, «USA,» from the ground as the crowd began to chant. When the Secret Service helped Trump onto his feet, he shouted, «Fight! Fight! Fight,» Zito said she saw a different side of Trump, which is revealed in her book. 

The journalist, who is a political reporter for the Washington Examiner, is a special contributor for the Washington Post and has been a columnist for the New York Post, said Trump must have called her seven times in the 24 hours after the shooting. 

Members of the crowd duck under chairs after then-former President Donald Trump was assisted offstage during a campaign rally at Butler Farm Show Inc. on Saturday, July 13, 2024 in Butler, Pa.  (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

Zito was slated to interview Trump ahead of his rally in Butler, but such is the case with presidential campaign schedules, the interview time kept slipping. Zito was planning to fly with Trump to Bedminster, N.J., to interview him after the rally. 

Trump recovered from his near assassination with little more than a bullet graze to the ear, thanks to the immigration chart he was turning his head to face. One rally attendee, firefighter Corey Comperatore, was killed, and two others were critically injured by Crooks’ gunshots. 

Comperatore shielded his wife and daughters from the shots, saving his family. Trump honored their family when he returned to Butler to finish the rally later that year. 

«This book is for everyone,» Zito told Fox News Digital. «First of all, it was a witness to history. And it’s told in a way that is very conversational and told in way that’s very real and authentic. I tell the story exactly the way that it happened.»

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«But it’s also a book about understanding why place and rootedness [are] so important in American politics. There have been very few Republicans or Democrats that have understood that. It is part of America’s experience, no matter what happens next, that there’s a light shining on it, so that you understand people better.»

Mamonas Assassinas conquistó rápidamente la escena musical brasileña con una propuesta basada en el humor irreverente y un estilo osado. Considerados un fenómeno del rock alternativo, su trayectoria fue breve pero intensa. Conformaron la banda en 1995 y consiguieron un impresionante éxito nacional con su único álbum, que superó los 3 millones de copias vendidas.

Sin embargo, la historia del grupo llegó a un abrupto final a los nueve meses de su creación, cuando un accidente aéreo se llevó la vida de todos sus integrantes en 1996. Pese al trágico desenlace, permanecen en la memoria colectiva como un referente insustituible de la música brasileña de los noventa.

La historia de la banda comenzó en 1990, cuando cinco jóvenes se unieron para ejecutar una de sus pasiones: la música, que combinaron con humor. Así fue como Dihno (vocalista), Bento Hinoto (guitarrista), Samuel Reoli (bajista), Júlio Rasec (tecladista) y Sérgio Reoli (baterista) conformaron Mamonas Assassinas.

El grupo se caracterizaba por fusionar géneros como el rock, pop, funk y música brasileña. Los jóvenes crearon un sonido único y pegadizo, pero, más allá de estas características, sus letras sarcásticas y su energía los hicieron destacar.

En 1995, lanzaron su primer álbum de estudio, titulado Mamonas Assassinas. El disco se consolidó con gran éxito en Brasil. Canciones como “Vira-Vira”, “Pelados em Santos” y “Robocop Gay” se posicionaron con fuerza en radios y programas televisivos.

Según consignó la revista Rolling Stone, en Argentina, Mamonas Assassinas fue un grupo de culto. Sus canciones, coreografías y humor habían atravesado la frontera y llegado a países vecinos, donde comenzaban a corear sus melodías.

La carrera de la banda fue breve. En marzo de 1996, a tan solo nueve meses de su lanzamiento en el mundo de la música, los jóvenes abordaron un avión privado con destino a Guarulhos, destino al que nunca llegarían. De acuerdo con CNN Brasil, durante el vuelo, la aeronave se estrelló en la Serra da Cantareira y murieron todos los pasajeros.

Horas antes del accidente que acabó con la vida de los miembros de Mamonas Assassinas, uno de ellos dejó registrada una escalofriante premonición. Según reveló la revista Veja, Júlio Rasec, conocido por el tono rojizo-anaranjado de su cabello y su papel como tecladista del grupo, acudió a la peluquería dirigida por su amigo Nelson de Lima antes del siniestro.

En ese encuentro, quedó grabado un video donde Rasec mencionó la posibilidad de una tragedia inminente. Lima le preguntó sobre el viaje del grupo, en el que darían una serie de conciertos, y el artista respondió: “No sé, anoche soñé con algo… Parecía que el avión se iba a estrellar. No sé. No sé qué significa eso”. El registro se convirtió en parte del legado que acompaña el mito de la banda.

Los informes iniciales revelaron que hubo una maniobra equivocada por parte del piloto, Jorge Germano Martins. No obstante, el avance de la investigación identificó otros factores, como las condiciones climáticas y la fatiga de la tripulación.

Según el informe final, el piloto habría estado agotado. Martins había superado el límite máximo de horas de vuelo permitidas. En total, voló durante 16 horas y 30 minutos, cuando el máximo autorizado era de 11 horas.

A más de 30 años del trágico suceso, el legado de la banda continúa. Según datos recogidos por CNN, en Spotify, las canciones tienen más de 50 millones de reproducciones. Además, más del 66% de los usuarios de la plataforma escucha a la banda. Las tres ciudades que más reproducen su música son São Paulo, Belo Horizonte y Río de Janeiro.

El 28 de junio de 2024, la plataforma Max lanzó la biopic de la banda, titulada Nada es imposible. La película, protagonizada por Ruy Brissac, Rhener Freitas, Adriano Tunes, Robson Lima, Beto Hinoto, Fefe Shneider y Guta Ruiz, entre otros, sigue el viaje de los músicos de Guarulhos, su ciudad de origen, hasta alcanzar un éxito que sigue vigente.

El filme fue dirigido por Edson Spinello, producido por Total Entertainment, coproducido por Mamonas Produções y Claro, y distribuido por Imagem Filmes.

A más de tres décadas de su desaparición, la figura de Mamonas Assassinas aún genera interés en nuevas producciones, investigaciones y testimonios que reconstruyen su historia desde distintos ángulos. Su corta existencia inspira relatos y homenajes que amplían el entendimiento de su lugar en la cultura brasileña y el modo en que conectaron, en tan poco tiempo, con una audiencia masiva y diversa.

Donald Trump has just had the best few weeks of his presidency. 

No question. No argument. Period, end of paragraph. 

It began with a bold gamble to send pilots to destroy Iran’s nuclear sites. 

Then Trump managed to broker a cease-fire between Israel and Iran. 

TRUMP’S ACHIEVEMENTS EMBOLDEN HIM TO BE EVEN MORE AGGRESSIVE

Meanwhile, as Trump delayed his sky-high tariffs, the stock market hit record highs. 

And he won a $16-million settlement from CBS’s parent company in his lawsuit against unfair editing by «60 Minutes.» That means he has now beaten two of the three broadcast networks, having won the same sum from ABC in a suit involving a crucial mistake by George Stephanopoulos. 

And after days of pressure and arm-twisting, he managed to pass the Big Beautiful Bill. 

Make no mistake, the bill was always going to pass. What were Republicans going to say, never mind, we just tanked the president’s main legislative priority because we didn’t like this or that? 

They didn’t need Democratic votes, under so-called reconciliation. And Trump controls the GOP. So its members fell into line. 

Now the question is why, through this successful stretch, has Trump continued to draw such negative coverage?

TRUMP SIGNS ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL’ BILL IN SWEEPING VICTORY FOR SECOND TERM AGENDA, OVERCOMING DEMS AND GOP REBELS

For starters, many in the media just can’t stand the guy. And this has largely been true since 2015. So anything that helps him must be wrong and must be denigrated. 

Even the successful strike on Iran drew only scattered instances of grudging praise, when under any other president there would have been standing ovations. 

The press immediately reframed this as a debate over whether the bunker-busting bombs had only set back Iran’s nuclear program by a few months. 

The press’ scant praise over Trump’s Iran strikes quickly devolved into debate over how far they really set back Tehran’s nuclear program. (Planet Labs PBC via AP)

In fairness, that’s what the preliminary, classified Intel report leaked to the press said. And there’s nothing wrong with reporting that accurately, even though the assessment was made with low confidence. 

But Trump wants reporters for CNN and the New York Times, which broke the story, fired over this, and with an FBI leak probe under way, says he may force journalists to reveal their confidential sources. 

Once the White House could no longer blame anonymous sources, there is nothing wrong with quoting a government report – even if if turns out to be wrong. 

The cease-fire between Israel and Iran was fine, but that quickly morphed into chatter about why Trump couldn’t pull off an end to the fighting between Israel and Hamas, a far more difficult task. 

AFTER SETBACK TO IRAN’S NUCLEAR PROGRAM, TRUMP EXPECTED TO LEVERAGE MILITARY SUPPORT IN NETANYAHU MEETING

Not to mention his freezing of weapons shipments to Ukraine, when despite his «very disappointing» call with Vladimir Putin, who promptly unleashed the biggest drone and missile attack against Kyiv since the illegal invasion of its sovereign neighbor. 

Perhaps the president is learning what has been obvious to the rest of us: Putin has no conceivable interest in peace. 

Everyone had to report the stock market surge, though not with the enthusiasm of the earlier plunge, and Trump yesterday announced that he’d hit Japan and South Korea, two allies, with a 25 percent hike in tariffs. But they don’t take effect till Aug. 1, so this could just be another negotiating tactic. 

There was also next to zero coverage of Trump’s $16 million settlement with Paramount. (Yuki Iwamura/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

There was almost no television coverage of Trump’s $16 million settlement with Paramount, which is nothing more than the news business protecting its own. If this had been any other kind of company – with the backstory that someone like Shari Redstone needed administration approval to sell the company and pocket $2 billion – the press would have gone haywire. 

Now there’s a new twist. Fox’s Charlie Gasparino, writing for the New York Post, reported the Paramount settlement includes a side deal between Trump and for the buyer David Ellison, son of tech mogul Larry Ellison, for him to run $15 to $20 million in advertising supporting causes backed by the president. 

And Trump confirmed it. 

«We did a deal for about $16 million plus $16 million, or maybe more than that in advertising,» he told reporters. 

Paramount denied any knowledge of the side deal. 

SUBSCRIBE TO HOWIE’S MEDIA BUZZMETER PODCAST, A RIFF ON THE DAY’S HOTTEST STORIES

The president has also been drawn into a war of words with Elon Musk, calling him a «train wreck» who’s gone «off the rails» in forming a third party and raising the Epstein files again. Musk says the lack of an Epstein client list is the «final straw» – he had once apologized for raising it – and there’s no difference between the Republican and Democratic parties. 

But there was one moment, in my view, that was a misstep by Trump.

The president had no need to negotiate with Democrats, who strongly opposed a tax cut tilted toward the wealthy while making deep cuts to Medicaid.

«Every Democrat in Congress voted against the ‘Big, Beautiful Bill…They wouldn’t vote only because they hate Trump, but I hate them, too, you know? I really do. I hate them. I cannot stand them, because I really believe they hate our country.»

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I don’t believe the overwhelming majority of Democrats hate their country. And that was hardly a unifying message on July 4 weekend. Maybe many in the media hate him and he was just counterpunching. But he didn’t need to go there.

On the other hand, Donald Trump has been getting terrible coverage since 2015, and he’s clearly grown tired of it.