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Journalism of Courage
Former US President Donald Trump, who narrowly escaped an assassination attempt, recounted the moment when he was shot at, attributing his survival to his decision to glance at a screen displaying a chart during his public rally in Pennsylvania. “I’m not supposed to be here, I’m supposed to be dead,” Trump told the New York Post on his way to the Republic Party convention in Milwaukee.
“That reality is just setting in,” he told The Washington Examiner on Sunday. “I rarely look away from the crowd. Had I not done that in that moment, well, we would not be talking today, would we?”
“The most incredible thing was that I happened to not only turn but to turn at the exact right time and in just the right amount… If I only half-turn, it hits the back of the brain… The chances of my making a perfect turn are probably one tenth of one percent, so I’m not supposed to be here,” Trump added.
“That I would turn exactly at that second, where he [the gunman] wouldn’t stop the shot is pretty amazing. Pretty amazing. I’m really not supposed to be here,” Washington Examiner quoted Trump as saying.
Trump was targeted by 20-year-old Pennsylvanian Thomas Matthew Crooks while addressing a campaign event in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday. A bullet grazed the upper part of his right ear.
Underscoring the gravity of the incident, Trump expressed his intention to call for a renewed effort toward national unity, noting that individuals from diverse political backgrounds have reached out to him. “This is a chance to bring the whole country, even the whole world, together. The speech will be a lot different, a lot different than it would’ve been two days ago,” he said, referring to his upcoming address at the Republican National Convention on Monday.
Nearly 2,500 delegates are convening in Milwaukee this week for a roll call vote to officially nominate the Republican presidential candidate, marking the end of the presidential primary.
Posting on his Truth Social account, Trump had said that it was “God alone who prevented the unthinkable from happening”.
The assassination attempt:
As the first shot rang out at his rally in Butler, Trump exclaimed, “Oh!” and grabbed his ear and as two more shots followed, he quickly crouched down.
Amidst the ensuing panic among the crowd, the Secret Service immediately surrounded the Republican nominee. Emerging a minute later, holding his ear, Trump pumped his fist in the air, seemingly mouthing the words “Fight! Fight! Fight!”
Blood could be seen splattered on the right side of his face as he was whisked off the stage by the security personnel.
Who was the man who shot at Trump?
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) on Sunday identified the shooter as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks
Crooks, who narrowly missed fatally injuring a presidential candidate, was shot dead by law enforcement. The incident also resulted in the death of a 50-year-old man, with two other attendees wounded.
According to officials, Crooks gained access to a rooftop location 150 yards (140 meters) from the stage where Trump was speaking and began firing an AR-15-style semiautomatic rifle—a weapon legally purchased by his father.
Authorities are still unclear about his motive; for more details on Crooks, refer to the Indian Express report here.
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