Former President Trump said Thursday that divine providence saved him from being killed by an assassin in his first public remarks since being wounded by a gunman's bullet over the weekend.
“I should not be here tonight,” Trump told the crowd at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. “I stand before you on this stage only by the grace of Almighty God.”
Trump said this was the only night he would speak about the incident — “You’ll never hear it from me a second time, because it’s too painful to talk about” — before accepting the Republican presidential nomination.
In a low voice, Trump recounted what happened during a rally Saturday in Butler Township, Pennsylvania. He was speaking about immigration and turned to point to a screen with a graphic of immigration statistics. Then he heard a “loud buzzing” and “I felt something hit me very, very hard in my right ear. I said to myself, ‘Whoa, what was that? ’”
He cupped her and his hand was covered in blood, Trump said.
“The bullets continued to fly as very brave Secret Service agents rushed onto the stage,” Trump said, praising their actions.
“They pounced on me to protect me. There was blood everywhere. Yet, somehow, I felt very safe because I had God on my side,” he said.
He said the crowd at the rally did not rush him but instead waited to see if he had survived, prompting him to try to reassure them as Secret Service agents whisked him away to safety — an image that has become iconic among Republican voters.
“I wanted to do something to let them know I was OK. I raised my right arm, looked at the thousands of people waiting breathlessly, and started shouting, ‘Fight! Fight! Fight!’” Trump said, prompting delegates to chant the slogan.
“Once I raised my clenched fist and raised it in the air … the crowd realized I was OK and roared with pride for our country like no crowd I’ve ever heard before,” Trump said.
He paid tribute to former fire chief Corey Comperatore, who died while protecting his family members at the demonstration. Other attendees were also injured.
Trump said $6.3 million had been raised for the three families, and walked over to a helmet and jacket he said belonged to Comperatore and kissed the helmet.
