‘I’m supposed to be dead’: Trump describes split-second moment that saved his life as he vows to ‘unite the country’

Donald Trump has said that he’s “supposed to be dead” as he spoke out about the split-second moment that saved his life when a would-be assassin opened fire during a campaign rally at the weekend.

In one of his first interviews since the shooting in Butler, Pennsylvania, the former president described his survival as a “miracle” and claimed that it had given him new perspective heading into the Republican National Convention to “unite the country”.

“The doctor at the hospital said he never saw anything like this, he called it a miracle,” Mr Trump told the New York Post while traveling to the event in Milwaukee. “I’m not supposed to be here, I’m supposed to be dead. I’m supposed to be dead.”

He added that turning his head to read a chart on immigration off the jumbotron saved his life.

On Monday, just two days after the attempt on Mr Trump’s life, he was handed a stunning victory by US District Judge Aileen Cannon — a relatively inexperienced jurist Mr Trump appointed to the bench after he lost the 2020 election — who threw out charges that the former president illegally hoarded a trove of classified documents at his private Florida club. He is also expected to announce his long-awaited VP pick on Monday, as the Republican National Convention kicks off in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where Trump is set to be formally nominated as the GOP as the party’s presidential candidate.

Follow our live blog for updates on the aftermath of the assassination attempt on Donald Trump

In a moment that will forever go down in history, the former president was the target of an assassination attempt as he took to the stage in Butler for a rally on Saturday evening.

Just minutes into his campaign speech, gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks opened fire on the former president from the rooftop of a building just outside of the rally security perimeter. Mr Trump was struck in the ear by a bullet and leaped to the ground behind the podium as shots continued to ring out. Secret Service agents returned fire on the gunman, shooting him dead at the scene.

Corey Comperatore, a 50-year-old former fire chief attending the rally with his family, was killed as he threw his body over his loved ones to protect them from the shooter’s spray of bullets.

Two other rallygoers – David Dutch, 57, and James Copenhaver, 74 – were injured and rushed to the hospital in critical condition. By Sunday afternoon, their conditions had been updated to stable.

Mr Trump meanwhile escaped the attack largely unscathed, with the bullet grazing his ear. As the agents surrounded the former president for protection, Mr Trump – blood pouring down his face – raised his fist to the crowd and chanted “fight, fight, fight”.

The image wasn’t lost on Mr Trump, who told the Post: “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.”

Mr Trump claimed that the near-death experience had prompted him to tear up his RNC speech lashing out at Joe Biden, to instead refocus his efforts on a need to “unite the country”.

“I had all prepared an extremely tough speech, really good, all about the corrupt, horrible administration,” he said. “But I threw it away.”

Instead, his new speech — which is set to close out the event on Thursday — will focus on a very different agenda: “I want to try to unite our country.”

In the meantime, Mr Trump will announce his choice for vice-president on Monday. The shortlist of contenders includes Florida Senator Marco Rubio, who Mr Trump has repeatedly denigrated as “Liddle Marco,” Ohio Senator JD Vance, the author of the successful but controversial memoir Hillbilly Elegy, and Gov Doug Burgum of North Dakota, a hard-right “anti-woke” Republican who has made hay of his fierce opposition to abortion and LGBT+ rights.

Mr Trump’s vow for unity marks a rare moment of agreement between the former president and his Democratic rival President Joe Biden, who called on Americans to “lower the temperature” of politics as he delivered a powerful address to the nation from the Oval Office on Sunday night.

Mr Biden and Mr Trump spoke by phone on Saturday night after the former president left the hospital, with both men describing the call as cordial.

Still, on Monday morning, hours before he is set to “unite” the nation, Mr Trump took to Truth Social and lashed out at the Justice Deparmtent.

“As we move forward in Uniting our Nation after the horrific events on Saturday, this dismissal of the Lawless Indictment in Florida should be just the first step, followed quickly by the dismissal of ALL the Witch Hunts,” Mr Trump posted. “The Democrat Justice Department coordinated ALL of these Political Attacks, which are an Election Interference conspiracy against Joe Biden’s Political Opponent, ME. Let us come together to END all Weaponization of our Justice System, and Make America Great Again!”

While the nation reels from the attack, coming just over 100 days before Americans cast their votes in the November election, many questions remain unanswered about the events of the day.

The motive for the attack remains unclear, with authorities saying on Sunday that they are combing through Crooks’s background including trying to access his cellphone.

Explosive devices were discovered in both the gunman’s car, which was parked close to the rally, and his home.

Online records reveal that Crooks had been registered to vote as a Republican. That said, federal campaign finance reports show that he had also made a $15 contribution to a Democratic-aligned political action committee called Progressive Turnout Project on 20 January, 2021.

For Crooks’s family members, the motive for the horrific attack also remains a mystery with his uncle, Mark Crooks, telling The Independent on Sunday morning that he had “no idea” why it happened.

Meanwhile, the Secret Service is coming under fierce scrutiny as to whether adequate security precautions were taken before the political rally — and whether law enforcement responded rapidly enough to reports of a “suspicious person” on the day.

On Sunday, Mr Biden announced that he had directed Secret Service director Kimberly Cheatle to carry out an “independent review” into the security at the rally, and also review security plans for the RNC.

But Trump only had positive words for the Secret Service.

“They took him out with one shot right between the eyes,” the former president said of the gunman.

“They did a fantastic job. It’s surreal for all of us.”