Former President Donald Trump said “God alone” spared his life at a campaign rally Saturday where a 20-year-old gunman attempted to assassinate him.
Just minutes into his speech at Butler Farm Show in Butler, Pennsylvania, Thomas Matthew Crooks of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, climbed on top of a building some 130 yards away where he found an unobstructed line of sight, shot and pierced the upper part of Trump’s right ear.
The shooter killed rally attendee Corey Comperatore, who was hailed a “hero” by Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro because he used his body to shield his daughters from harm.
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Comperatore, 50, was known as a devoted father of two daughters and a former Buffalo Township Volunteer Fire Department fire chief. Comperatore’s daughter Allyson Comperatore wrote on Facebook, “He shielded my body from the bullet that came at us. He truly loved us enough to take a real bullet for us.”
The shooter also severely wounded two audience members, who Pennsylvania state police have identified as David Dutch, 57, of New Kensington, Pennsylvania, and James Copenhaver, 74, of Moon Township, Pennsylvania. Both have been reported as now being in stable condition.
In a message shared on Truth Social at 7:36 a.m. Eastern time on Sunday, Trump, the presumptive 2024 Republican presidential nominee, expressed gratitude for those who prayed for him and who continue to pray for Comperatore’s family and for the men who were wounded:
“Thank you to everyone for your thoughts and prayers yesterday, as it was God alone who prevented the unthinkable from happening. We will FEAR NOT, but instead remain resilient in our Faith and Defiant in the face of Wickedness. Our love goes out to the other victims and their families.
“We pray for the recovery of those who were wounded, and hold in our hearts the memory of the citizen who was so horribly killed. In this moment, it is more important than ever that we stand United, and show our True Character as Americans, remaining Strong and Determined, and not allowing Evil to Win. I truly love our Country, and love you all, and look forward to speaking to our Great Nation this week from Wisconsin.”
Following Trump’s post on Truth Social, former first lady Melania Trump released an official statement recounting how her life could have been irrecoverably changed if the shooter had succeeded in assassinating her husband.
“I am thinking of you now, my fellow Americans,” she began.
“When I watched the violent bullet strike my husband, Donald, I realized my life, and Barron’s life, were on the brink of devastating change.
“To the families of the innocent victims who are now suffering from this heinous act, I humbly offer my sincerest sympathy. Your need to summon your inner strength for such a terrible reason saddens me.
“A monster who recognized my husband as an inhuman political machine attempted to ring out Donald’s passion — his laughter, ingenuity, love of music, and inspiration. The core facets of my husband’s life — his human side — were buried below the political machine. Donald, the generous and caring man who I have been with through the best of times and worst of times,” she wrote in part.
Minutes into the former president’s speech at the campaign rally in Butler, the 20-year-old shooter took several shots at Trump, piercing through the top of his right ear (watch the video here). Trump instinctively ducked for cover after realizing a gunman was shooting at him.
The former president has supported a GoFundMe page for the victims, organized by Meredith O’Rourke, the national finance director for his 2024 election campaign, which has already raised over $3.9 million as of Monday morning.
