After the technical issues, Elon Musk’s interview on X (formerly Twitter) began, Donald Trump recounted the details of the assassination attempt he was the victim of. The former president described the experience in detail, emphasizing the importance of faith and criticizing the shortcomings of security protocols.
The location of the attack
Mr. Trump said that as soon as he heard the gunshots, he immediately knew it was a bullet. He recalled hearing people yell “bullet” and called his immediate reaction a “miracle.” “People who don’t believe in God should reconsider,” Mr. Trump said of his survival experience.
In memory of the victims
A firefighter was killed in the attack, an event Mr. Trump described with deep sadness. “We lost a man, a great firefighter,” he said, adding that much money was being raised for his widow and two others who were seriously injured in the attack.
The response to the attack
Mr. Trump praised the sniper’s quick response to the shooting, preventing further casualties. He stressed that despite the seriousness of the situation, no one in the crowd fled in panic, which he called a “miracle.”
Security Review
However, Mr Trump did not hesitate to criticise the security lapses. “There should have been no one on that roof,” he said, referring to the location of the shooter. He explained that some people had seen the shooter and many were shouting that he was armed, but that despite this, communications between local police and the Secret Service were not effective. “The location chosen by the shooter was too obvious, it should have been better controlled,” he added, openly criticising the handling of security by the Secret Service.
Illegal immigration saved my life
In an interview with Elon Musk, Donald Trump shared a surprising detail about the 2024 attack. The former president revealed that, in a way, illegal immigration saved his life. Donald Trump explained that just before the shooting, he turned to a billboard that was showing data about illegal immigration: “I turned to look at the billboard that was showing the illegal immigration data, and that was enough to change the angle of the shooter, a little thing that saved me.”
Trump described how, immediately after the shooting, he wanted to stand up, surprising the crowd present. Finally, he announced his intention to return to Butler, Pennsylvania, the very site of the attack, to hold a rally in October 2024, thus showing his determination not to be intimidated by the incident.
