“I’m not supposed to be here; I’m supposed to be dead,” former U.S. President Donald Trump told the New York Post in an interview published Monday morning, his first since narrowly escaping an assassination attempt during an election rally in Pennsylvania.
Trump described the experience as "very surreal" and noted that the doctor who examined him in the hospital said he "never saw anything like this" and "called it a miracle."
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Donald Trump seen injured after an assassination attempt in Pennsylvania
(Photo: Evan Vucci/AP)
"I'm supposed to be dead," Trump repeated throughout the interview. “By luck or by God—many people are saying it’s by God—I’m still here," he added.
The Republican candidate, who hopes to return to the White House in January, believes the viral photos of him after the assassination attempt, in which he is seen bloodied and raising a clenched fist triumphantly as he is whisked off the stage by Secret Service agents, have bolstered his chances.
"A lot of people say it’s the most iconic photo they’ve ever seen. They’re right, and I didn’t die. Usually, you have to die to have an iconic picture," Trump remarked.
Trump told the Post that he wanted to continue his speech after the shooting, but his Secret Service security detail insisted he be taken to the hospital. “I just wanted to keep speaking, but I just got shot," he said.
He also said that he appreciated his rival President Joe Biden calling him after the attempt on his life to inquire about his well-being. Trump hinted that the campaign between them, which has so far seen both candidates trading personal jabs at each other, might become more civil, according to the Post.
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Cover of the New York Post the day after an assassination attempt against Donald Trump
The shot hit Trump in the upper part of his right ear, tearing off a small part. The Post noted that the interview was conducted while Trump's ear was still bandaged, but his staff insisted that it not be photographed. The interview took place on his private plane en route to Milwaukee, where the Republican National Convention opens Sunday and where he will be officially announced as the party's presidential candidate.
Trump said he believed he would have been killed if he hadn't turned his head slightly to the right on stage at the Pennsylvania rally to read from a screen displaying data on illegal immigration.
Trump thanked the Secret Service agents who rushed on stage to shield him from the bullets with their bodies and quickly eliminated the assassin, Thomas Matthew Crooks, whose motives remain unclear. He described their actions as heroic.
During the chaotic moments, Trump was heard saying, "Let me take my shoes," explaining later in the interview that his shoes flew off as the agents dove to protect him. “The agents hit me so hard that my shoes fell off, and my shoes are tight,” he said, showing the reporter a large bruise on his right arm as evidence.
Watch the moment Trump gets shot at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania
(Video: From Fox News)
The former president noted that the Secret Service agents eliminated the assassin "with one shot between the eyes. They did a fantastic job. It's surreal for all of us."
The assassination attempt took place Saturday evening during an election rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. Trump was seen taking cover behind the podium as gunshots could be heard ringing in the background.
A commotion ensued, and Secret Service agents rushed to cover him. Trump then stood up, bleeding from his ear, and pumped his fist at the crowd in a victory gesture. His team later confirmed he had been shot in the ear.
One member of the crowd was killed and two others were seriously injured before the shooter had been killed by the Secret Service.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) identified the shooter as Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania. The motive has not yet been determined. The Washington Post reported that Crooks was a registered Republican, while CNN noted that he donated $15 to a Democratic-affiliated organization in 2021. A former classmate described Crooks as "a loner, he didn't have many friends."