Former President Donald Trump recently shared a harrowing experience from Butler, Pennsylvania, where he narrowly avoided an assassination attempt. This revelation came to light during a phone conversation with independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and it has reignited discussions about the U.S.-Mexico border crisis.
Trump recounted a call from President Joe Biden after the incident. “Biden called me and he said, ‘How did you choose to move to the right?’” Trump recalled. “I said, ‘I was just showing a chart.’ I didn’t have to tell him the chart was on all the people pouring into our country, right?” The chart, which depicted the ongoing immigration crisis, became the focal point of their conversation.
Describing the moment of the attack, Trump said, “I just turned my head to show the chart and something rapped me. It felt like a giant — it felt like the world’s largest mosquito. It was. It was a bullet going … What do they call it? An AR-15 or something. That was a big gun. … Pretty tough guns, right?” This quick movement potentially saved his life, as the bullet only grazed his ear.
In a subsequent interview with the New York Post, Trump provided more details. He explained to columnist Michael Goodwin that a slight last-minute head turn caused the bullet to miss a direct hit. “I’m not supposed to be here, I’m supposed to be dead,” Trump stated. The doctor who treated him remarked on the improbability of surviving an AR-15 hit, underlining the close call.
ICYMI: Grateful, defiant Trump recounts surviving ‘surreal’ assassination attempt at rally: ‘I’m supposed to be dead’ https://t.co/nGWbgbml2C pic.twitter.com/GCajlTTgNa
— New York Post (@nypost) July 15, 2024
“By luck or by God, many people are saying it’s by God I’m still here,” Trump reflected, acknowledging the miraculous nature of his survival.
This incident has underscored the critical nature of the immigration debate. Trump’s near-death experience has brought new urgency to discussions on border security and the measures needed to protect the nation.
