Trump on the assassination attempt: "I should be dead"

The day after the assassination attempt, Donald Trump has arrived in Milwaukee, where he is expected to become the Republicans' official presidential candidate. I shouldn't be here, I should be dead, says Trump to New York Post.

» Updated:

» Published:

Trump on the assassination attempt: "I should be dead"
Photo: Alex Brandon/AP/TT

Share this article

The day after the assassination attempt, Donald Trump has arrived in Milwaukee, where he is expected to become the Republican Party's official presidential candidate.

I shouldn't be here, I should be dead, says Trump to the New York Post.

On Sunday evening local time, barely 24 hours after the assassination attempt at his campaign meeting in Pennsylvania, Trump landed at Milwaukee's airport. On Monday, the Republican Convention begins.

On his way to the convention in his private plane, Trump tells the New York Post reporter about his thoughts after the attack.

The doctor at the hospital said he had never seen anything like it before, he called it a miracle, says Trump, who according to the New York Post reporter had a large white bandage over his right ear.

I shouldn't be here, I should be dead.

He also took the opportunity to praise the Secret Service, who killed the suspected shooter.

They got him with a shot right between the eyes. They did a fantastic job.

In an interview with the Washington Examiner, Trump says he has now completely rewritten the speech he will give on Thursday.

Had this not happened, it would have been an incredible speech. But honestly, it's going to be a completely different kind of speech now, says Donald Trump.

According to the former president himself, the speech will live up to the gravity of the moment.

It's a chance to unite the country. I've got that chance, he says.

The Rescue: A Screen

It was at a campaign meeting on Saturday in Butler, Pennsylvania, that a shooter opened fire in what the police are investigating as an assassination attempt on Trump. Trump was injured in the ear and was led bleeding from the stage by his bodyguards – but first, he stopped and raised a clenched fist in the air. The images of this have already been described as iconic.

The gesture was a way to show the audience that he was okay, says Trump.

I knew the world was watching. I knew history would judge this moment, and I knew I had to let them know that we're okay.

According to Trump himself, he was saved by the fact that he momentarily looked away from the audience to look at a screen with statistics, which he used in his speech.

Reality starts to sink in. I rarely look away from the audience. Had I not done it just then, yeah, we wouldn't be sitting here today, or would we? he says to the Washington Examiner.

No Motive

A spectator in the audience, 50-year-old Corey Comperatore, was killed. Two other men, a 57-year-old and a 74-year-old, were seriously injured but are reported to be in stable condition.

The shooter was identified as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, who lived in a suburb of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania. He was shot dead on the spot.

According to the FBI, Crooks acted alone, but his motive remains unclear.

Currently, we have not identified an ideology associated with the shooter, but I want to remind everyone that it's still very early in this investigation, said Kevin Rojek of the FBI, reports ABC News.

Tags

Author

TTT
By TTEnglish edition by Sweden Herald, adapted for local and international readers

More news

Main Suspect in Madeleine McCann Case Released from Prison

Main Suspect in Madeleine McCann Case Released from Prison

Ukraine Claims Russian Losses Near 1.1 Million Since 2022 Invasion

Ukraine Claims Russian Losses Near 1.1 Million Since 2022 Invasion

Trump Receives Royal Welcome in England During Second State Visit

Trump Receives Royal Welcome in England During Second State Visit

Israel Opens Temporary Transit Route for Gaza City Evacuees

Israel Opens Temporary Transit Route for Gaza City Evacuees

Iran Executes Man Accused of Spying for Israel After Zelenskyj Letter

Iran Executes Man Accused of Spying for Israel After Zelenskyj Letter

NATO Urged to Enhance Defense Against Russian Drone Threats

NATO Urged to Enhance Defense Against Russian Drone Threats

Guterres Proposes 15% Cut to UN Budget for 2026

Guterres Proposes 15% Cut to UN Budget for 2026

Bolsonaro Hospitalized in Brasília for Severe Hiccups and Vomiting

Bolsonaro Hospitalized in Brasília for Severe Hiccups and Vomiting

Four Arrested for Projecting Trump and Epstein Images on Windsor Castle

Four Arrested for Projecting Trump and Epstein Images on Windsor Castle

Aid Groups Urge Global Intervention in Gaza Crisis

Aid Groups Urge Global Intervention in Gaza Crisis

Spain Records Deadliest Heatwave Amid Hottest Summer on Record

Spain Records Deadliest Heatwave Amid Hottest Summer on Record

UNICEF: 26000 Children in Gaza Suffer Acute Malnutrition

UNICEF: 26000 Children in Gaza Suffer Acute Malnutrition

Putin Observes Zapad Military Exercise with 100,000 Troops

Putin Observes Zapad Military Exercise with 100,000 Troops

Charlie Kirk Murder Suspect Faces Death Penalty Charges

Charlie Kirk Murder Suspect Faces Death Penalty Charges

Gaza Residents Flee Amid Israel's Powerful Offensive

Gaza Residents Flee Amid Israel's Powerful Offensive

EU Plans New Sanctions Against Israel Over Gaza Conflict

EU Plans New Sanctions Against Israel Over Gaza Conflict

Farc Leaders Sentenced for Kidnappings in Landmark Colombia Verdict

Farc Leaders Sentenced for Kidnappings in Landmark Colombia Verdict

Nato Praises Joint Efforts in Eastern Sentry Operation

Nato Praises Joint Efforts in Eastern Sentry Operation

Judge Drops Terror Charge Against Luigi Mangione in CEO Murder Case

Judge Drops Terror Charge Against Luigi Mangione in CEO Murder Case

Missile Fired at Israel from Yemen After Port Attack

Missile Fired at Israel from Yemen After Port Attack