Supporters of President Donald Trump are slamming the Pulitzer Prize board for what they see as a glaring omission in this year’s awards: the exclusion of Evan Vucci’s now-iconic photograph capturing the dramatic moment Trump stood bloodied but defiant after narrowly surviving an assassination attempt at a campaign rally last summer.
Taken on July 13, 2024, in Butler, Pennsylvania, the image shows Trump raising a clenched fist and shouting “Fight! Fight! Fight!” with blood on his face moments after being grazed by a bullet fired by 20-year-old gunman Thomas Crooks. The photo, snapped by Associated Press photographer Evan Vucci, instantly became a historic symbol of resilience to Trump’s base — but it was not awarded the Pulitzer for Breaking News Photography, sparking accusations of political bias from conservative figures.
“Evan Vucci’s photograph of Donald Trump after last summer’s assassination attempt is iconic — maybe the single most famous photo of the past decade,” conservative commentator Charlie Kirk wrote on X. “Because it made Trump look good, the Pulitzer Prize committee just refused to give it the award… Total joke.”
Instead, the Pulitzer was awarded to New York Times photographer Doug Mills for a series of images taken during the same event, including a shot that captured the split-second a bullet zipped past Trump’s head.
While Mills’ technical timing and compositional skill were widely praised, the decision to pass over Vucci’s emotionally charged image fueled criticism that the Pulitzer committee was motivated by political optics. Utah Sen. Mike Lee joined in the criticism, calling the snub “so telling and tragic.”
Behind the scenes, concerns about the photo’s potential political impact appear to have influenced editorial decisions. According to a report from Axios, one photo editor at a major media outlet feared Vucci’s image could be weaponized as “propaganda” by the MAGA movement. “It’s dangerous for media organizations to keep sharing these photos, despite how good they are,” the editor reportedly said.
The Pulitzer’s rejection of Vucci’s shot further deepens distrust among conservatives who believe mainstream institutions reflexively oppose any narrative that portrays Trump positively — even in moments of historical significance.
“It wasn’t just a powerful photo,” wrote a Trump supporter on X. “It was history unfolding. And they buried it.”
Vucci, a veteran AP photographer, has not commented publicly on the award snub. Doug Mills, meanwhile, described to Fox News how he captured his winning image with a wide-angle lens just below Trump as the attack unfolded, saying, “Then I saw him reach for his ear… and I thought, ‘Dear God, he’s been shot.’”
Despite being denied formal recognition, Vucci’s image has already become a visual touchstone for Trump’s 2024 campaign and will likely outlast its Pulitzer-winning counterpart in the public consciousness.
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The Pulitzer Prize and the Nobel Prize used to mean something. Now they just show that the judges are in the bag for the leftists who hate America.