Former President Trump is now breaking his silence on the assassination attempt against him during a rally on Saturday in Butler, Pennsylvania.
“I’m not supposed to be here, I’m supposed to be dead,” Trump told the New York Post. “I’m supposed to be dead.”
“The doctor at the hospital said he never saw anything like this, he called it a miracle,” Trump also told the newspaper onboard his private plane while heading to Milwaukee, Wisconsin for this week’s Republican National Convention. “By luck or by God, many people are saying it’s by God I’m still here.”
Trump said to the New York Post that had he not turned his head slightly to the right to read a chart on illegal immigration, the bullet that grazed him would have been fatal.
WHO WAS THOMAS MATTHEW CROOKS? WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT TRUMP’S ATTEMPTED ASSASSIN
Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump is moved from the stage at a campaign rally, Saturday, July 13, 2024, in Butler, Pa. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
He described the Secret Service agents that rushed at him like “linebackers,” mentioning another one eliminated the gunman with “one shot right between the eyes.”
“They did a fantastic job,” he told the New York Post. “It’s surreal for all of us.”
Trump, reacting to images of him raising his fist and being surrounded by Secret Service agents in the seconds following the shooting, said “A lot of people say it’s the most iconic photo they’ve ever seen.”
REPUBLICAN CONVENTION GETS UNDERWAY 2 DAYS AFTER TRUMP SURVIVED AN ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT
Trump is seen with blood on his face surrounded by Secret Service agents as he is taken off the stage at a campaign event in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday, July 13. (Rebecca Droke/AFP via Getty Images)
“They’re right and I didn’t die. Usually you have to die to have an iconic picture,” he added. “I just wanted to keep speaking, but I just got shot.”
Trump also told the New York Post that he appreciated the “fine” and “very nice” call he received from President Biden in the aftermath of the event, noting – without specifics – that the race between them could be more civil going forward.
He praised his rally audience for staying calm during the entire incident.
Trump is describing photos of him raising his fist following the shooting as “iconic.” (Rebecca Droke/AFP via Getty Images)
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“A lot of places…. you hear a single shot, everybody runs. Here there were many shots and they stayed,” Trump told the New York Post. “I love them. They are such great people.”
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