Former President Donald Trump told the crowd at the Republican National Convention on Thursday that he is only here today by the “grace of Almighty God” as he recounted the moments when he was shot at his rally in Pennsylvania last week.
Trump thanked the American people for their love and support following the tragic event.
“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, please?’ and, therefore, I’ll tell you what happened,” Trump said.
“And you’ll never hear it from me a second time because it’s too painful to tell.”
“It was a warm, beautiful day in the early evening in Butler Township in the great Commonwealth of Pennsylvania,” he began, describing the loud music and happy crowd that day.”
He detailed how he was discussing what his administration did on illegal immigration before looking at a screen displaying a chart.
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“In order to see the chart, I started to, like this, turn to my right and was ready to begin a little bit further turn, which I’m very lucky I didn’t do, when I heard a loud whizzing sound and fell something hit me really, really hard on my right ear,” he said.
“I said to myself, ‘Wow, what was that? It can only be a bullet.'”
“Just absolutely blood all over the place,” he said, describing how he touched his ear with his hand and saw the blood.
“I immediately knew it was very serious, that we were under attack and, in one movement, proceeded to drop to the ground,” he said, noting that bullets were continuing to fly as Secret Service agents rushed to him.
“There was blood pouring everywhere, and, yet, in a certain way, I felt very safe because I had God on my side,” Trump said of the Lord.
“The amazing thing is that prior to the shot, if I had not moved my head at that very last instant, the assassin’s bullet would have perfectly hit his mark,” Trump added.
“And I would not be here tonight; we would not be together,” he said.
“Nobody ran, and by not stampeding, many lives were saved. But that isn’t the reason that they didn’t move.”
“The reason is that they knew I was in very serious trouble; they saw they saw me go down. They saw the blood and thought, actually, most did, that I was dead,” he continued,
“And you can see that love written all over their faces,” he said, calling them incredible people.
“Bullets were flying over us. Yet, I felt serene. But, now, the Secret Service agents were putting themselves in peril.”
“They were in very dangerous territory. Bullets were flying right over them, missing them by a very small amount of inches, and then it all stopped,” he said.
“Our Secret Service sniper, from a much greater distance and with only one bullet used, took the assassin’s life,” he said, adding, “I’m not supposed to be here tonight.”
The crowd then began chanting, “Yes, you are.”
Trump then attributed his survival to the grace of God.
“Thank you, but I’m not, and I will tell you, I stand before you in this arena only by the grace of Almighty God,” Trump proclaimed.
The former president described the moment he put his arm in the air, signaling to the American people that he was okay.
“I raised my right arm, looked at the thousands and thousands of people that were breathlessly waiting, and started shouting, ‘Fight, fight, fight.'”
“Once my clenched fist went up and it was high into the air — you’ve all seen that,” he said.
Trump recalled how the crowd “roared with pride for our country like no crowd I have ever heard before” after he realized he was okay.
“Never heard anything like it,” he said, adding he was grateful to the “giant audience of patriots that stood bravely on that fateful evening in Pennsylvania.”
Trump also had a moment of silence for the attendee killed, Corey Comperatore, whose firefighter uniform was on stage.
Trump then went up to the uniform and kissed his helmet.
“What fine man he was,” Trump said.
“There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for others,” he said, quoting scripture.
“This is the spirit that forged America in our darkest hours, and this is the love that will lead America back to the summit of human achievement and greatness. This is what we need.”
“Despite such a heinous attack, we unite this evening more determined than ever. I am more determined than ever, and so are you — so is everybody,” Trump added.
“Just a few short days ago, my journey with you nearly ended. And, yet, here we are tonight, all gathered together, talking about the future, promise, and renewal of America. We live in a world of miracles.”
“But if the events of last Saturday make anything clear, it is that every single moment we have on earth is a gift from God,” Trump’s prepared remarks read.
