Republican nominee Donald Trump opened his acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention by recounting for the first time the attempt on his life at the Butler, Pennsylvania rally on July 13.
Trump told the convention crowd that this would be the only time he would talk about the experience, saying it was “too painful” for him to recount.
An uncharacteristically subdued Trump said he believed that he survived an assassin’s bullet by the “grace of almighty God” and repeatedly told the delegates that he was “not supposed to be here.”
According to Trump, he had just started speaking about the steps his administration took to curb illegal immigration when he turned to his right to look at a graphic displayed on the screen. At that moment, he heard a “whizzing sound” and felt something strike his ear, Trump said.
Knowing he had been hit by a bullet, Trump reached up to touch his ear, saw the blood, and then immediately dropped to the ground.
The former president expressed nothing but praise for his Secret Service detail that rushed to the stage to surround him. He said despite the attack, he felt “very safe” because he knew he had “God on my side.”
He told the delegates that if he had not turned his head in that moment, the bullet would have “perfectly hit its mark” and he would not be there in Milwaukee.
Trump also praised the rally crowd for preventing a stampede and further loss of life by remaining calm after the shooting. He suggested that the crowd stayed where they were in part because they were concerned that he had been hurt and did not want to leave him.
Trump recounted being hauled away by the Secret Service detail and described the moment he raised his fist into the air to let the crowd know he was all right. He said he would always be grateful for “the love shown” by the supporters at the rally.
Trump also paid tribute to the Pennsylvania firefighter who was killed in the shooting, calling for a moment of silence.
Trump said that even in the face of the attempted assassination, he would not stop his mission for the American people, saying his vision was “righteous” and his cause was “pure.”
