Mills was able to capture photographic evidence of a bullet streaking towards Trump a fraction of a second before it pierced his ear.

The Pulitzer Prize board highlighted the achievements of the Times photographer through his “award-winning series of photos capturing the attempted assassination of then-presidential candidate Donald Trump.”

“The photograph depicts a bullet narrowly missing Trump’s head, an incredible shot that encapsulated the immediate peril during one of the most intense days in an extraordinary political year,” the board noted.

This image just won a Pulitzer. pic.twitter.com/zeiMPcicaQ

— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) May 5, 2025

The President was the target at the Butler campaign rally in July 2024, where he was shot and injured. The assailant’s bullet grazed Trump’s ear, narrowly avoiding a fatal impact, which could have potentially led an already deeply divided nation into further turmoil.

Corey Comperatore, a retired volunteer fire chief, was attempt as he protected his wife and daughter, and two other men were seriously injured. 

Trump would later say the brush with death “changed something” within him, causing him to “feel much more strongly” about God.

The image of a bullet heading towards Trump was one of a series of eight photographs  at the Butler tragedy that were nominated in a series for the Pulitzer.