Donald Trump said he is “supposed to be dead” and went on to describe the attempt on his life as a “surreal” experience.
“I’m not supposed to be here, I’m supposed to be dead,” he said in one of his first interviews after a gunman opened fire at his rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday, killing a spectator and wounding two.
The former president’s right ear was grazed by a bullet in the shooting.
“The doctor at the hospital said he never saw anything like this, he called it a miracle,” Trump told the New York Post en route to Milwaukee for the Republican National Convention.
He also praised the secret service agents responsible for killing the shooter. “They took him out with one shot right between the eyes…They did a fantastic job,” he said. “It’s surreal for all of us.”
Speaking about the moment he raised his fist in the air after the gun attack, he said: “I just wanted to keep speaking, but I just got shot.”
The former president suffered a bloody ear but is otherwise ‘fine’, his campaign said, after shots were fired at his rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
The FBI identified the attacker as 20-year-old registered Republican Thomas Matthew Crooks, who was shot dead by police at the scene.
Speaking on his Truth social platform, Trump said it was God alone who saved him and that he remained ‘resilient’.
“We will FEAR NOT, but instead remain resilient in our Faith and Defiant in the face of Wickedness. Our love goes out to the other victims and their families.
“We pray for the recovery of those who were wounded, and hold in our hearts the memory of the citizen who was so horribly killed. In this moment, it is more important than ever that we stand United, and show our True Character as Americans, remaining Strong and Determined, and not allowing Evil to Win. I truly love our Country, and love you all, and look forward to speaking to our Great Nation this week from Wisconsin.”
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