Photographer who took epic image of Trump’s reaction to assassination attempt isn’t ready to call it ‘iconic’

The photojournalist who captured the image of former President Trump’s defiant reaction to an assassination attempt Saturday says he was just doing his job and "history will judge whether it is iconic."

Moments after a bullet grazed Trump’s right ear on Saturday, he raised a fist to the crowd of supporters as he was rushed off the stage with blood smeared across his face, Secret Service flanking him, an American flag flying above his head. Associated Press photographer Evan Vucci captured the image that immediately went viral and landed on newspaper front pages across the world. 

"I was literally just thinking about doing the best possible job I could, because I knew that this was a moment in American history that I had to be at the top of my game for," Vucci told Fox News Digital on Monday from Milwaukee, where he was preparing to photograph the Republican National Convention. 

Vucci, a Pulitzer winner who has covered thousands of similar events for the AP since 2003, said the Butler, Pennsylvania rally was "just like any other" until he heard popping sounds over his left shoulder. 

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"I knew immediately it was gunfire. I trained my lens on the stage, and I saw Secret Service agents going to run to the president, covering him up. And from that moment, I ran to the stage and I got my wide angle lens, and I started making photographs. I went into work mode," Vucci said. 

"I knew immediately that it was going to be one of the most important things I'll ever photograph, and that I needed to do the best job possible," Vucci continued. "So I just immediately started thinking about, ‘OK, what do I need to do? How do I compose this? What's going to happen next?’"

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Vucci switched to a wide angle to ensure the flag flying above got in his shot. He noticed an SUV parked to the side of the stage as Secret Service agents covered Trump and chaos erupted around him. Vucci said he "sprinted" to the side of the stage, assuming it was where Trump would exit, and got in position to snap photos as Trump pumped his fist toward the crowd. 

"That’s where I was when he was coming down… and that's the photo a lot of people are sharing," he said. 

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The photo hasn’t merely been shared. It has also been praised as both iconic and instantly historic, and it will be on the next print cover of TIME Magazine. it's also one that could change some people's perceptions forever of Trump, one of the most controversial, beloved and loathed political figures in American history.

The Washington Post’s art critic Phillip Kennicott said it "is a photograph that could change America forever."

"It has the concentrated power that the Zapruder film of John F. Kennedy’s 1963 assassination lacks, and its impact on the fate of American politics probably transcends the infamous 1988 image of then-candidate Michael Dukakis in a tank, which changed only the course of a single political campaign," Kennicott wrote. "Vucci’s photograph distills and refines the basic themes of Trump’s political career into a single, explosive image. America is a dangerous place, and this image confirms that." 

Kennicott wasn’t alone in his awe of the photo.

"The bloodied face and American flag backdrop, serves as a ‘brochure cover’ for the Trump campaign moving forward," public relations expert Steve Turner told Fox News Digital. "It has strong impact as a tool to solidify the Republican base and motivate others who may have written off Mr. Trump as unelectable. The implication is that not even a bullet can stop the ex-President, and it won’t stop his vision of America moving forward."

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Psychotherapist Jonathan Alter feels the image "encapsulates the essence" of what Americans want from its leaders.

"The image and the preceding event perfectly capture the raw vulnerability of a powerful former leader at his most vulnerable moment likely ever in his life, only to be followed by that of perseverance, strength, and defiance in the face of evil," Alter told Fox News Digital. 

"This image very well encapsulates the essence of what most Americans have come to admire in our heroes  --both in fiction and in real life -- and in those we look towards to lead: emerging from chaos with resilience and authority, and unwavering toughness," he continued. "Frankly, one that might change the narrative on ‘toxic masculinity.’"

Vucci said he wasn’t concerned for his own safety when taking the shot despite chaos unfolding all around him. He heard law enforcement officials screaming at people to get down, and saw other journalists take cover, but said he was going to proceed with his job no matter what. 

"The curse of the still photographers, you never get a second chance. Like, if I don't get it in the moment, and it's gone, it's gone forever, and there's no way to get it back," he said. 

Vucci said he blocked out thoughts about what was happening on the periphery, and even if there was a second shooter, as he focused on capturing history. 

"The job of a photojournalist is to document what's in front of my lens. And I try to do that fairly and accurately, professionally, and that's what I did that day," Vucci continued. "You never know how people are going to respond to things. I just wanted to create as much imagery from that event as I could."

While Trump survived the attack, one of his supporters, Corey Comperatore, was killed while protecting his family from the bullets. Two others were critically wounded. 

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Trump reflected on the picture in an interview on Sunday.

"A lot of people say it’s the most iconic photo they’ve ever seen," Trump told the New York Post. "They’re right and I didn’t die. Usually you have to die to have an iconic picture."

Asked for reaction to Trump complimenting the shot, Vucci said he "doesn’t get caught up" in what other people think of his work.

"I don’t pay attention to those things. I pay attention to what’s in front of my lens," he said. 

"History will judge whether it is iconic … time will tell," he added. 

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Fox News Digital’s Hanna Panreck contributed to this report.