Less than one week after a gunman opened fire on him, Donald Trump opened up about the “painful” experience in his first speech since the tragedy.
During the closing night of the Republican National Convention, Donald Trump took the stage to officially accept the Republican nomination for president. He opened his speech by sharing details of the assassination attempt on his life. He told the crowd that it would be the only time he would talk about it because it was too “painful.”
He started by thanking everyone for the outpouring of support following the tragic events of July 13. The shooting, which took place in Butler, Pennsylvania, left the former president injured after a bullet grazed his ear, narrowly missing a fatal target.
“Behind me and to the right was a large screen that was displaying the chart of border crossings under my leadership,” Trump shared. “In order to see the chart, I started to turn to my right, and was ready to begin a little bit further turn, which I’m lucky I didn’t do, when I heard a loud whizzing sound and felt something hit me really really hard on my right ear.”
Trump recalled thinking, “Wow! What was that. It can only be a bullet.” He then touched his ear with his right hand and noticed blood.
“My hand was covered with blood. There was absolutely blood all over the place. I immediately knew it was very serious, that we were under attack.”
Donald Trump then dropped to the ground as bullets continued to be fired. Secret Service agents rushed the stage and covered the presidential candidate with their bodies to protect him from further harm.
Trump recalled looking up and seeing concern on the faces of the crowd, many of whom thought that he was dead. He said that in that moment he felt very safe, “Because I had God on my side.” He further credited God for his safety, saying, “I’m not supposed to be here tonight … I’ll tell you, I stand before you tonight by the grace of Almighty God.”
Donald Trump also paid tribute to Corey Comperatore, a retired fire chief who lost his life in the shooting.
Comperatore’s firefighting uniform was displayed on stage during the speech, and Trump made his way to the uniform and kissed his helmet, marking an emotional moment for everyone watching.
He remembered Corey Comperatore and brought attention to the other two men who suffered serious injuries in the shooting: Jim Copenhaver and David Dutch. Trump announced that more than $6 million dollars had been raised for the victims and their families in recent days.
The news was followed by a moment of silence for Comperatore who is being remembered as a hero for giving his life to protect his family.
Watch Donald Trump recall the terrifying shooting in the video below.