Donald Trump detailed the brutal shooting to Republican National Convention attendees for the first time since his Pennsylvania rally, saying we’ll never hear from him about it again because it’s “too painful to talk about.”
“I was never supposed to be here tonight,” Trump said, “and assassin’s bullets came very close to taking my life, as you all know.”
The Republican candidate gave a graphic account of how he was shocked when he heard a “loud whoosh” while discussing immigration at a campaign rally last weekend.
“I said to myself, ‘Wow, what was that? Must be a bullet,’ and I put my right hand over my ear and put it down,” he said. “My hand was covered in blood. There was blood everywhere, anyway.”
The former president described his initial reaction and praised the Secret Service agents who intervened after the gunman opened fire, calling them “very brave.”
“These are great people in great danger. They came at me to make sure I was protected. There was blood everywhere, but in a way I felt very safe because God was on my side,” Trump said.
The assassination attempt came when a gunman, identified by the FBI as Thomas Matthew Crooks, opened fire at a Trump rally outside Pittsburgh, wounding Trump in the right ear, killing one spectator and seriously wounding two others. The gunman, who was on the roof, was shot and killed by Secret Service agents.
In the end, Trump’s speech was unified and in keeping with the atmosphere of the party convention.
“Despite this heinous attack, we stand together tonight, more determined and united than ever before. Our resolve remains unwavering. Our purpose remains the same: to deliver a government that serves the American people.”
