Former US President Donald Trump, in one of his initial interviews since the event, expressed that he believes he “shouldn’t be alive” following the assassination attempt during a rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday night.
He conveyed to conservative US media that he feels he was spared “by chance or by divine intervention.”
“The most incredible thing was that I happened to not only turn [my head] but to turn at the exact right time and in just the right amount,” he said, adding that the bullet that grazed his ear could have easily killed him.
“I’m supposed to be dead, I’m not supposed to be here,” he said.
A spectator was killed in the attack, while two other people were seriously injured. The gunman, who also died, has been named as Thomas Matthew Crooks.
Mr Trump described the moment he looked up at the crowd after realising he had been shot.
“The energy coming from the people there in that moment, they just stood there. It’s hard to describe what that felt like, but I knew the world was looking.
“I knew that history would judge this, and I knew I had to let them know we are OK,” he told the Washington Examiner.
Speaking as he prepared to board a flight to the upcoming Republican National Convention (RNC) in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he is expected to be confirmed as the party’s candidate for president, Mr Trump said he now had a “chance to bring the country together”.
He said his speech would now be completely different instead of the “humdinger” aimed mostly at current President Joe Biden’s policies he had previously planned.
“Had [Saturday’s attack] not happened, this would’ve been one of the most incredible speeches.
“Honestly, it’s going to be a whole different speech now. It is a chance to bring the country together.”
Earlier, Mr. Trump shared on his social media platform, Truth Social, that he had initially planned to delay his trip to Wisconsin by two days.
However, he decided to adhere to his original schedule, stating, “I cannot allow a ‘shooter’ or potential assassin to force a change in scheduling.”
Mr. Trump acknowledged that the assassination attempt “has had an impact” on him.
Little is known about the motivation behind the actions of Crooks, the 20-year-old would-be assassin who was shot dead by the Secret Service at the scene. The FBI has indicated that while their investigation suggests Crooks acted alone, they will continue to examine whether he had any assistance.
The spectator who was killed in Saturday’s attack has been identified as Corey Comperatore, a 50-year-old volunteer fire chief who died while trying to protect his family.
In a televised address following the attack, President Biden called for the “temperature of politics” to be lowered.
“We cannot, must not, go down this road again. We’ve travelled it before in our history,” said Mr Biden, listing off a growing number of violent political acts that had taken place in the US in recent years.
“In America we resolve our differences at the ballot box,” he added. “At the ballot box. Not with bullets.”
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