'I’m supposed to be dead': Trump recalls surviving rally attack
6 Min Read
Former US President Donald Trump recalls that the doctor at the local trauma center said he had never seen anyone survive being hit by an AR-15.
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Former US President Donald Trump raised his fist and shouted “fight” after his assassination attempt on July 14, 2024. (AP)
Former US President Donald Trump told The New York Post on Sunday that he feels he was "supposed to be dead" as he recounted the moment when a would-be assassin shot him at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania.
In an interview on his private plane heading to Milwaukee for the GOP National Convention, the former president described the "very surreal experience" that nearly took his life. Trump shared that the hospital doctor was astonished by the incident, calling it a "miracle". He was wearing a large white bandage over his right ear, and his staff requested that no photos be taken.
“I’m not supposed to be here, I’m supposed to be dead,” Trump told The Post. “I’m supposed to be dead.”
He explained that hadn’t he turned his head slightly to the right to look at a chart on illegal immigration, the shot would have been fatal. Instead, the bullet grazed his ear, causing a small piece to be torn off and splattering blood on his forehead and cheek.
Trump recounted that as Secret Service agents escorted him off the stage, he still wanted to address his supporters, but they insisted it wasn’t safe and needed to take him to the hospital.
He was amazed at how the agents moved in swiftly, like "linebackers", as soon as the shooting began. He also unbuttoned his white long-sleeve shirt to reveal a large bruise on his right forearm, as per The Post.
'Wait, I want to get my shoes'
Trump also clarified a detail about his shoes. In the video of the shooting and its aftermath, as the burly agents rushed him off the stage for safety, he can be heard saying, “Wait, I want to get my shoes.”
In the interview, Trump explained with a smile, “The agents hit me so hard that my shoes fell off, and my shoes are tight.”
He lauded the Secret Service for their "heroic actions" and praised them for shooting the assailant, who was stationed on a roof approximately 130 yards from the stage where Trump was speaking.
“They took him out with one shot right between the eyes,” the former president told The Post as he gestured to the bridge of his nose.
“They did a fantastic job,” he stressed. “It’s surreal for all of us.”
'Fight' photo
The former US president also spoke about the striking photo of him raising his fist and shouting “Fight” three times while the agents were trying to get him off the stage and into an armored SUV.
“A lot of people say it’s the most iconic photo they’ve ever seen,” Trump told The Post. “They’re right and I didn’t die. Usually, you have to die to have an iconic picture.”
He stressed, “I just wanted to keep speaking, but I just got shot.”
Trump recalled that the doctor at the local trauma center said he had never seen anyone survive being hit by an AR-15.
“By luck or by God, many people are saying it’s by God I’m still here,” he said.
At the rally, one man was shot and killed and two others were injured. When asked if Trump had considered attending the funeral of Corey Comperatore, the firefighter who was killed while protecting his family from the shooter, the former US president responded affirmatively.
He then turned to his aides and said, "Get the numbers, I want to go the hospital and call all the families.”
Trump also commended the crowd of 55,000 at the rally for staying composed.
“A lot of places, especially soccer games, you hear a single shot, everybody runs. Here there were many shots and they stayed,” he told The Post.
He said, “I love them. They are such great people.”
It is worth noting that GOP Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina spent a significant portion of the flight conversing with Trump and found his optimism to be "unbelievable".
“He feels like he has a new lease on life,” Graham added.
Trump claims near-death experience gas altered his perspective
Trump mentioned that his near-death experience has altered his perspective on the speech he will give on Thursday to accept his party's nomination for the third consecutive time.
“I had all prepared an extremely tough speech, really good, all about the corrupt, horrible administration,” he stressed, then gushed, “But I threw it away.”
The former US President went on to say that a new speech was in the works, because “I want to try to unite our country.”
Trump added, “But I don’t know if that’s possible. People are very divided.”
"Some people want open borders, some don’t. Some want men to be able to play on women’s sport teams, and others don’t,” he detailed.
Trump remains convinced that success will unite the country, although he did not specify what that success would look like.
The former US president expressed gratitude for the call from President Biden, describing it as "fine" and noting that Biden was "very nice".
He hinted, without providing details, that the campaign between him and Biden could become more civil going forward.
Trump also mentioned hearing that Biden might order the Department of Justice to drop its two prosecutions against him, though there is no public indication of this so far.
Regarding the campaign, the former US President is reportedly confident about his path to victory. When the interviewer mentioned that the gambling odds had shifted in his favor overnight, he was already aware of the figures, noting that one oddsmaker had given him an 85% probability of winning.
During the interview, Trump has been especially careful about trying to curb the power of the abortion issue, which Dems see as one of their prime advantages since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade.
In response, Trump has reportedly said he will not support legislation imposing a national ban and changed the GOP platform to reflect his belief that, whatever limits voters in each state decide, there should be exceptions for rape, incest, and the health of the mother.
It is worth noting that former president and current presidential candidate Donald Trump was shot in what was coined an assassination attempt by Rep. Senator Rick Scott while giving a presidential speech at a Pennsylvania rally on Sunday.
Read more: Suspect who tried to assassinate Trump is part of gun club: Report
