Surviving an Assassination Attempt: Trump Opens Up to NYP
Former US President Donald Trump told the New York Post on Sunday that he was “supposed to be dead” after surviving an assassination attempt, describing it as a “very surreal experience.”
“I’m not supposed to be here, I’m supposed to be dead,” Trump told the New York Post during an interview aboard his plane en route to Milwaukee for the Republican National Convention, where he is expected to be certified as the party’s presidential nominee.
He described it as a “very surreal experience” while wearing a white bandage over his right ear, according to the newspaper.
A gunman shot him on Saturday in a chaotic and horrifying episode that is expected to exacerbate political tensions ahead of the divisive US presidential election.
Hours later, the Republican candidate claimed he felt the bullet rip through his skin.
“It is incredible that such an act can take place in our country,” Trump stated on his Truth Social network hours later, escalating the already raging political enmity in the United States.
“I knew something was wrong when I heard a whizzing sound, gunfire, and felt the bullet rip through my skin. Much bleeding occurred, and I recognized what was going on.”
He was then seen stepping unaided from his jet, however his injured ear was not facing the camera in video footage shared by his deputy communications director.
The New York Times claimed that he was spending the night in New Jersey.
Police stated that the incident killed one spectator and badly injured two others, all of whom were male adults.
The 78-year-old former president was carried off stage with blood splattered over his face following the shooting in Butler, Pennsylvania, which killed the shooter and a bystander and badly injured two onlookers.
Assassination attempt
The FBI announced in a press conference that the gunshot was being investigated as “an assassination attempt against our former President, Donald Trump.”
The shooter, a registered Republican, was thought to be acting alone.
His father, Matthew Crooks, told CNN that he is investigating “what the hell is going on” and will not comment until he speaks with law officials.
Butler police stated that they had “responded to a number of reports of suspicious activity” after multiple witnesses claimed to have seen the gunman prior to the shooting.
Trump was later shown stepping independently from his jet, however his injured ear was not facing the camera in video footage released by his deputy communications director. The New York Times claimed that he was spending the night in New Jersey.
Police stated that the incident killed one spectator and badly injured two others, all of whom were male adults.
The incident sent shockwaves around the world, with leaders from Britain, Israel, China, and many other countries expressing horror.
AFP
