‘The job is all about anticipation’: behind the lens of the defining photo of the Trump rally shooting

Photographer Evan Vucci has been covering Trump for eight years. When he heard gunshots at a Pennsylvania rally he ran towards the stage

It is a photograph that seems almost impossible: moments after a bullet grazes his ear, a former US president stands with his fist raised defiantly. The sky behind him is clear blue and an American flag flies overhead, fully in frame. The expressions on the faces of each secret service agents are clear and a smear of blood runs from Donald Trump's ear to his cheek.

The photograph was taken by Evan Vucci, chief Washington photographer for the Associated Press. Vucci has been covering Trump since his candidacy eight years ago and in 2020 won a Pulitzer for a photograph of protests after George Floyd's death.