One of the most shocking assassination attempts in recent history was against Donald Trump, the 45th US President and a candidate for re-election in November. While speaking at a rally on Saturday, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks opened fire on his roof from 130 meters away with an AR-15. Trump was wounded and covered in blood, and screams rose from the crowd. Coming face to face with death, Trump described the odds of his survival as one in a thousand.
HE REVEALED A STRIKING DETAIL ABOUT THE ATTACKER
The speed with which the Secret Service agents shot the assailant was controversial. Trump did not enter into the debate, instead using words of praise, explaining how the agents shot Crooks. Speaking to the New York Post after the assassination attempt, Donald Trump said that they killed Crooks “right between the eyes” while pointing to his nose. Praising the speed and strength of the Secret Service agents, Trump said, “They did a great job. This is extraordinary for all of us.”
THE MOVE THAT SAVED HIS LIFE: IF I HAD NOT DONE THIS AT THAT MOMENT, WE WOULD NOT BE TALKING TODAY
Trump has described how turning his head away from the crowd to look at a video screen at a rally may have saved his life and how he wanted to continue speaking after gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks shot him in the right ear.
Trump, who stated that he turned slightly to the right to read a chart about illegal immigrants, said:
“The most incredible thing was that I not only turned, but I turned at the exact moment and at the exact right time. Either by luck or by the grace of God I’m alive. I rarely look at the crowd. If I hadn’t done that at that moment, we wouldn’t be talking right now, would we? If I had only turned halfway, it would have hit me in the back of the brain. If I had turned the other way, it would have gone right through my skull. The chances of me making a perfect turn were one in a thousand, so I shouldn’t be here. I should be dead. It’s quite astonishing that I turned at that exact second, that the attacker didn’t stop firing. It’s astonishing. I really shouldn’t be here.”
THAT’S WHY HE WANTED HER SHOES
It was also recorded that Trump insistently asked for his shoes after the attack. Explaining the reason for this for the first time, Trump said, “The agents jumped on me so hard to save me that my shoes came off my feet. Believe me, my shoes were very tight.”
“YOU USUALLY HAVE TO DIE FOR AN ICONIC PHOTO”
After Trump turned his head and was injured, Secret Service agents tried to remove him from the stage. At that moment, he saluted his supporters with a clenched fist, shouted “War” and the footage captured at that moment went down in history. Trump spoke about this moment as follows:
“A lot of people say this is the most iconic photo they’ve ever seen. They’re right, I didn’t die. You usually have to die to get an iconic photo. The energy from the people there at that moment, just standing there; it’s hard to describe what it felt like, but I knew the world was watching. I knew history would judge this, and I knew I had to show them we were good.”
Trump also said of the attack and the chaos that followed, “Reality is just starting to sink in.”
