‘I stand before you in this arena only by the grace of almighty God,’ the former president said.
MILWAUKEE—White lights flashed, music played, and a curtain rose, slowly revealing “TRUMP,” spelled out in golden lights. In the center stood former President Donald Trump, silhouetted, onstage at the Fiserv Forum on July 18.
The Republican National Convention (RNC) erupted in cheers, whistles, and chants of “USA!”
But moments after the dramatic entrance, a hush fell over the packed arena, as the former president said he was about to make a one-time-only disclosure about the assassination attempt he had survived five days prior.
“I will tell you exactly what happened,” he said. “And you will never hear it from me a second time because it’s actually too painful to tell.”
With those words, the former president, who had just accepted his party’s 2024 nomination for the presidency, launched into a somber description of his brush with death.
At a campaign rally on July 13 in Butler, Pennsylvania, “the assassin’s bullet came within a quarter of an inch of taking my life,” he said, still wearing a white bandage over his right ear. Two other people were wounded; a spectator was fatally shot before police killed the man who fired a rifle from a rooftop.
“I began speaking very strongly, powerfully, happily,” he said.
The former president said he was proud of the way his administration had tamped down illegal immigration at the U.S.–Mexico border, so he went off-script just a few minutes into his speech and asked his staff to project an image of a chart showing the number of illegal border crossings.
To look at the chart, he started to turn to his right, he said, demonstrating onstage as he spoke. He said he almost began to turn “a little bit further” but was “very lucky” he didn’t.
If he had not turned his head when the gunman opened fire, “the assassin’s bullet would have perfectly hit its mark,” the former president said. “And I would not be here tonight,” he said.
The former president said that he heard a loud whizzing sound and felt something hit him “really, really hard” on his right ear.
“I said to myself, ‘Wow, what was that? It can only be a bullet,’” he said.
After the bullet hit, his hand instinctively went to his right ear.
“My hand was covered with blood. Just, absolutely, blood all over the place,” he said.
“I immediately knew it was very serious, that we were under attack, and in one movement proceeded to drop to the ground.”
Bullets continued flying as “very brave Secret Service agents rushed to the stage,” he said. “These are great people, at great risk, I will tell you, and pounced on top of me so that I would be protected.”
The agency is facing intense scrutiny over the incident with several Republican lawmakers calling on Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle to resign.
“There was blood pouring everywhere and yet, in a certain way, I felt very safe. Because I had God on my side,” former President Trump said, eliciting one of the loudest cheers of the night.
For him, the most remarkable thing about the shooting was his supporters’ restraint, he said. Tens of thousands of people were there, he said. Even though crowds can be expected to stampede after even a single gunshot rings out, many people at Butler stood their ground.
“Nobody ran, and by not stampeding, many lives were saved,” he said.
“They were just a beautiful crowd; they didn’t want to leave me. And you can see that love written all over their faces.”
The hail of gunfire ceased after a “Secret Service sniper, from a much greater distance and with only one bullet used,” killed the would-be assassin, he said. He “took him out,” the former president added.
Conventioneers cheered at that outcome. The former president then said, “I’m not supposed to be here tonight; not supposed to be here.” The convention’s response: “Yes, you are! Yes, you are!”
He thanked the crowd, and said, “I stand before you in this arena only by the grace of almighty God.”
“The crowd was confused because they thought I was dead,” he said, referring to the moment he rose to his feet in Butler, “and there was great, great sorrow; I could see that on their faces as I looked out. They didn’t know I was looking out.”
After he arose, he reassured the July 13 rally-goers that he was okay. That’s when he raised his right arm, pumped his fist, and yelled, “Fight! Fight! Fight!” The photograph of that moment has been so widely distributed that it has already been hailed by some as iconic.
He heard the crowd “roar with pride for our country” like he’d “never heard before,” he said.
The former president said that he would be grateful for the rest of his life for the Butler audience that showed such concern for him.
Some crowd members were moved to tears during the former president’s detailing of the shooting and as he expressed gratitude to God that he lived to talk about it.
As he spoke, the turnout jacket and helmet of retired firefighter Corey Comperatore, 50, who lost his life at the shooting, was displayed onstage.
The former president said Mr. Comperatore died shielding his wife and daughter from the gunfire. He went over to the firefighter’s uniform onstage and kissed Mr. Comperatore’s helmet. The former president also said $6.3 million was raised for the families of Mr. Comperatore and the wounded supporters. He pulled out a $1 million check from his breast pocket, saying he had just received it from his friend Dan Nuland.
“He lost his life selflessly acting as a human shield to protect them from flying bullets,” the former president said. “He went right over the top of them and was hit. What a fine man.”
Former President Trump then led the convention in a moment of silence for Mr. Comperatore.
T.J. Muscaro contributed to this report.
