Donald Trump told the Republican National Convention (RNC) Thursday that, despite the pain and near-death experience of Saturday’s assassination attempt, he felt “serene” because “I had God on my side.”
President Trump began by thanking Americans for their love and support. “As you already know, the assassin’s bullet came within a quarter of an inch of taking my life. So many people have asked me what happened,” he said. “And therefore, I will tell you exactly what happened, and you’ll never hear it from me a second time because it’s actually too painful to tell.” Yet he said he felt God’s presence that day, even as the blood spurted from his ear. Trump also paid tribute to Corey Comperatore, who died at the rally, and the men injured there. It was truly a message of love, unity, and inspiring courage.
It was a beautiful rally with music and a “happy” crowd. “Behind me and to the right was a large screen that was displaying a chart of border crossing under my leadership,” Trump said. “I started to — like this, turn to my right and was ready to begin to turn a little bit further, which I’m very lucky I didn’t … when a loud whizzing sound, and felt something hit me really, really hard on my right ear.”
He said to himself, “Wow, what was that? It can only be a bullet."
"And [I] moved my right hand to my ear, brought it down. My hand was covered with blood, just absolutely blood all over the place. I immediately knew it was very serious—that we were under attack.”
He praised the “brave Secret Service agents” who “rushed” to protect him.
“There was blood pouring everywhere,” Trump said. “In a certain way, I felt very safe because I had God on my side. I felt that. The amazing thing is that, prior to the shot, if I had not moved my head at that very last moment, the assassin’s bullet would have perfectly hit its mark.” In the Bible (see Leviticus 14), interestingly, blood on the right ear is a sign of God's anointing.
“Crowds usually run for the exit or stampede,” but not at that rally, Trump emphasized. There, “thousands of people stood by and did not move [an inch]. In fact, many of them bravely but automatically stood up and began looking for the sniper.” And “by not stampeding, many lives were saved … the reason is that they knew I was in very serious trouble, they saw that, they saw me go down, they saw the blood…they knew it was a shot to the head.”
Ears bleed more than any other body part, Trump said. But as his ear bled from the bullet, "this beautiful crowd, they didn’t want to leave me. They knew I was in trouble. You could see that love written all over their faces.”
He went on, “Bullets were flying over us, yet I felt serene…the Secret Service agents were putting themselves in peril…and then it all stopped.” A Secret Service sniper took out the assassin. “I’m not supposed to be here tonight,” Trump stated. “I stand before you in this arena only by the grace of Almighty God. And watching the reports over the last few days, many people say it was a Providential moment. It probably was.” The “great, great sorrow” he saw in their faces struck Trump so that he "wanted to do something to let them know I was okay. I raised my right arm. I looked at all the thousands of people…and started shouting, 'Fight! Fight!'”
The RNC crowd erupted into chants of “Fight! Fight!” Trump stated, “Once my clenched fist went up, and it was high into the air, the crowd realized I was okay and roared with pride for our country, like no crowd I’ve ever heard before. For the rest of my life, I will be grateful for the love shown by that crowd of patriots.”
But Trump remembered that even though he survived, a patriot did not. “Tragically, the shooter claimed the life of one of our fellow Americans, Corey Comperatore…and seriously wounded two other great warriors,” who are “great people." "I also spoke to all three families of these tremendous people.”
Corey, the “highly respected former fire chief,” lost “his life selflessly, acting as a human shield to protect [his family] from flying bullets…what a fine man he was.” Corey’s fireman jacket and helmet were on the stage, and Trump took a moment to walk over and kiss the helmet.
The former president said he was proud to have raised millions of dollars for the injured men, “warriors,” as he called them, and asked for “a moment of silence in honor of our friend Corey.” After that moment, he used biblical language: “There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for others; this is the spirit that forged America in her darkest hours, and this is the love that will lead America back to the summit of human achievement and greatness.”
Despite “such a heinous attack, we unite this evening more determined than ever. I am more determined than ever,” Trump stated. “Our resolve is unbroken, and our purpose is unchanged…nothing will stop me in this vision because our vision is righteous and our cause is pure.”
He vowed, “I will never stop fighting for you, for your family, or for our magnificent nation. And promised to give "everything I have to give, with all the energy of my heart and soul."
“This election should be about the issues facing our country” and about “how to make America great again.”
As Trump said, “I am running to be president of all of America,” and not just half of America. This is the moment to rally around the man Tucker Carlson and Eric Trump called a “true leader,” the man who took a bullet and returned to fight for us, Donald J. Trump.
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