Presumptive 2024 Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump reflected Sunday on his “very surreal experience” being shot during a Saturday campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Trump was the target of an assassination attempt, during which he was grazed in the ear. Trump, reportedly wearing a large white bandage over his right ear remarked to the New York Post he was “supposed to be dead” in one of the first interviews since the near-death experience.
“The doctor at the hospital said he never saw anything like this, he called it a miracle,” Trump said, the New York Post reported.
“I’m not supposed to be here. I’m supposed to be dead,” the former president continued. “I’m supposed to be dead.”
EXTENDED CLIP: Moment President Trump apparently escaped assassination attempt in Pennsylvania
🇺🇸🙏🇺🇸🙏 pic.twitter.com/ok4XCX47z5
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) July 13, 2024
Trump explained to the outlet his life was spared because he turned his head just in time to read a chart about illegal immigrants. Instead, a small part of his ear was reportedly blown off, leaving blood on his forehead and cheek.
Seconds after being shot, Trump asked United States Secret Service agents protecting his body to let him get his shoes. Trump told the New York Post that Secret Service “hit” him “so hard” that his “tight” shoes fell off. The Republican candidate praised the agents for neutralizing the attempted assassin, who shot at Trump from atop a nearby building.
“They took him out with one shot right between the eyes,” Trump told the outlet, pointing to bridge of his nose.
“They did a fantastic job,” he added. “It’s surreal for all of us.”
The gunman was identified as Thomas Matthew Crooks, according to the FBI. The 20-year-old would-be assassin was a resident of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania — located roughly 35 miles south of the rally.
An AR-15 semiautomatic rifle was recovered from the scene beside the suspects body, two law enforcement officials told The New York Times. The gun was reportedly purchased by Crooks’s father and explosive devices were found in a vehicle driven by the suspect, according to the Wall Street Journal. (RELATED: ‘The Luckiest Motherf*cker’: Bill Maher Says ‘It Doesn’t Matter’ Who Dems Run After Trump Assassination Attempt)
Trump also claimed his doctor at Butler Memorial Hospital never saw someone survive getting struck by an AR-15, the outlet reported.
“By luck or by God — many people are saying it’s by God I’m still here,” Trump said to the outlet.
Trump claimed he wanted to continue speaking despite being shot.
The former president also addressed the photo of himself raising his fist and shouting “Fight!” in front of an American flag, saying “usually you have to die to have an iconic picture.”
— Tucker Carlson (@TuckerCarlson) July 13, 2024
As Trump sat for the interview, he reportedly watched footage of the assassination attempt for the first time.
Former Buffalo volunteer firefighter Corey Comperatore died as he used his body to shield his family from gunfire at the rally, according to a Facebook post by his family. Trump has thought about attending Comperatore’s funeral, the New York Post reported.
The heartbreak of Mr. Comperatore’s family is only eclipsed by their love for the man, the husband, the father, the brother, and the friend he was. RIP, Corey. pic.twitter.com/PZgPIAATXe
— Laura Ingraham (@IngrahamAngle) July 14, 2024
Trump thanked his crowd of 55,000 supporters for remaining calm, noting that shootings at large events often cause chaos and stampedes.
“A lot of places, especially soccer games, you hear a single shot, everybody runs. Here there were many shots and they stayed,” Trump told the outlet.
Trump said he “threw away” his prepared policy-based speech for the Republican National Convention after being shot, the Washington Examiner first reported. The presumptive GOP nominee explained he changed his planned remarks because he wants to “unite our country.”
President Joe Biden called Trump on Saturday evening after the assassination attempt, which the Republican candidate said was “fine” and “very nice.” Trump also claimed that “we hear” Biden will order the Department of Justice to drop its two prosecutions against him; however, there are not yet any public signs of that, the New York Post reported.
First lady Jill Biden also called Melania Trump, NBC News reported Sunday, citing White House officials.
The Republican National Convention begins Monday in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. President Trump departed his Bedminster, New Jersey club for Milwaukee as scheduled Sunday afternoon.
