AP Photographer Behind Iconic Trump Photo Speaks Out on Outlet’s ‘Legacy of Documenting the Presidency’
AP Photo/Evan Vucci
Associated Press photographer Evan Vucci spoke out Tuesday against the White House’s ongoing dispute with his outlet, defending the AP’s legacy and voicing his hope to once again be able to cover President Donald Trump along with the other members of the White House press corps.
The Trump administration has been publicly sparring with the White House press corps and specifically the AP, barring the AP from the Oval Office and Air Force One over a dispute about the name of a body of water and taking control of the press pool from the White House Correspondents’ Association.
On July 13, 2024, Vucci took a series of pictures that captured not just a major historical event but also immediately became a rallying cry for Trump’s campaign, as he was right in front of the stage during a gunman’s attempt to assassinate the presidential candidate at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. The combination of the blood and defiant expression on Trump’s face, the clear blue sky and American flag in the background, and the Secret Service agents surrounding him, made a compelling image that soon emblazoned campaign merchandise and social media profiles of Trump’s supporters. Vucci’s photographs, along with several others by photographers covering the rally that day, gained international press coverage and were compared to other notable historical photographs like the Pulitzer Prize-winning photo Raising the Flag at Iwo Jima by Joe Rosenthal, also with the AP.
The White House News Photographers Association announced Monday that it was awarding Vucci the “Political Photo of the Year” in the organization’s annual photojournalism contest “The Eyes of History” for one of the photos he took at Trump’s Butler rally.
Vucci shared a tweet from the WHCA congratulating him for the winning photograph, and added his own comment.
“This photo underscores the importance of eyewitness journalism and AP’s legacy of documenting the presidency,” wrote Vucci. “I look forward to the day I can once again cover President Trump alongside my colleagues. Now more than ever, independent, nonpartisan photojournalism is essential.”
The Butler rally photos were not Vucci’s first viral images. He was a part of the AP photography team awarded the 2021 Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Photography “[f]or a collection of photographs from multiple U.S. cities that cohesively captures the country’s response to the death of George Floyd.” Vucci also captured the moment during a 2008 press conference when an Iraqi journalist threw his shoes at President George W. Bush.
The WHNPA has staunchly defended the AP during this dispute with the White House, sharing photos and updates of AP reporters being denied entry on Air Force One or access to the press pool area. The organization also issued a public statement pointing out that WHNPA members, including AP photographers like Vucci, were in Butler on July 13, 2024 and “document[ed] the historic moment when President Donald Trump survived the attempt on his life and told his supporters to ‘Fight! Fight! Fight!’ Those images have been seen worldwide and are striking examples of the important work made possible by the fundamental rights of press freedom and access to the president.”
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