Lagatar24 Desk
Milwaukee: During his address at the Republican National Convention, former US President Donald Trump recounted the harrowing assassination attempt he survived at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania last week. Trump, who had just accepted his nomination as the official Republican presidential candidate, described feeling safe during the attack, attributing his survival to divine intervention.
“I am not supposed to be here tonight. I am not supposed to be here,” Trump told the crowd, which responded with chants of “Yes, you are.” He continued, “I stand before you in this arena only by the grace of almighty God,” noting that many have referred to his survival as “divine intervention.”
Trump detailed how the incident unfolded, explaining that the bullet missed him by inches as he leaned forward to view a screen displaying immigration data. “In order to see the chart, I started to turn to my right. I began to turn a little bit further, which I am very lucky I did not do,” he said. “If I had not moved my head at the very last instant, the assassin’s bullet would have perfectly hit its mark, and I would not be with you tonight.”
The bullet grazed Trump’s ear, and the 78-year-old Republican nominee was quickly whisked off the stage by Secret Service agents. Describing the moment, Trump said, “I heard a loud whizzing sound and felt something hit me very, very hard on my right ear. I said to myself, ‘Wow, what was that – it can only be a bullet’ – and moved my right hand to my ear, brought it down, and my hand was covered with blood.” Despite the injury, Trump felt a sense of safety, stating, “There was blood pouring everywhere, and yet, in a certain way, I felt very safe because I had God on my side.”
Trump initially shared his reaction to the attack on Truth Social, stating the incident was “too painful to tell” and that he would not recount the details again. The shooter, identified as 20-year-old nursing aide Thomas Matthew Crooks, was shot dead by Secret Service snipers. The motive behind the attack remains unknown.