‘I’m Not Supposed to Be Here.’ Trump Gives First Detailed Account of Shooting in RNC Speech
Just five days after surviving an assassination attempt, former President Donald Trump took to the stage at the Republican National Convention Thursday night to accept his party’s nomination for a third consecutive presidential bid.
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00:00Friends, delegates, and fellow citizens, I stand
00:05before you this evening with a message of
00:08confidence, strength, and hope.
00:11Four months from now, we will have an incredible
00:14victory, and we will begin the four greatest years in
00:20the history of our country.
00:22Together, we will launch a new era of safety,
00:29prosperity, and freedom for citizens of every race,
00:33religion, color, and creed.
00:36The discord and division in our society must be
00:39healed.
00:40We must heal it quickly.
00:42As Americans, we are bound together by a single
00:45fate and a shared destiny.
00:49We rise together or we fall apart.
00:53I am running to be President for all of
00:57America, not half of America, because there is
01:01no victory in winning for half of America.
01:05So, tonight, with faith and devotion, I proudly
01:12accept your nomination for President of the United
01:16States.
01:17It was a warm, beautiful day in the early evening
01:33in Butler Township in the great Commonwealth of
01:37Pennsylvania.
01:38Music was loudly playing, and the campaign was doing
01:43really well.
01:48I went to the stage, and the crowd was cheering
01:51wildly.
01:52Everybody was happy.
01:54I began speaking very strongly, powerfully, and
01:59happily because I was discussing the great job my
02:05administration did on immigration at the
02:08southern border.
02:09We were very proud of it.
02:12Behind me and to the right was a large screen that
02:22was displaying a chart of border crossings under my
02:27leadership.
02:29The numbers were absolutely amazing.
02:33In order to see the chart, I started to, like this,
02:39turn to my right and was ready to begin a little bit
02:47further turn, which I'm very lucky I didn't do,
02:52when I heard a loud whizzing sound and felt
02:55something hit me really, really hard on my right
03:02ear.
03:04I said to myself, wow, what was that?
03:09It can only be a bullet.
03:12And moved my right hand to my ear, brought it down.
03:16My hand was covered with blood, just absolutely
03:20blood all over the place.
03:23I immediately knew it was very serious that we were
03:26under attack.
03:28And in one movement proceeded to drop to the
03:32ground.
03:34Bullets were continuing to fly as very brave Secret
03:39Service agents rushed to the stage.
03:42And they really did.
03:43They rushed to the stage.
03:44These are great people at great risk, I will tell you.
03:59And pounced on top of me so that I would be
04:03protected.
04:05There was blood pouring everywhere.
04:07And yet, in a certain way, I felt very safe because I
04:11had God on my side.
04:14I felt that.
04:15The amazing thing is that prior to the shot, if I had
04:23not moved my head at that very last instant, the
04:28assassin's bullet would have perfectly hit its mark.
04:33And I would not be here tonight.
04:35We would not be together.
04:38The most incredible aspect of what took place on that
04:41terrible evening in the fading sun was actually
04:46seen later.
04:48In almost all cases, as you probably know, and when
04:53even a single bullet is fired, just a single
04:56bullet, and we had many bullets that were being
04:59fired.
05:00Crowds run for the exits or stampede, but not in
05:05this case.
05:05It was very unusual.
05:07They're incredible people.
05:11Bullets were flying over us, yet I felt serene.
05:16But now the Secret Service agents were putting
05:18themselves in peril.
05:20They were in very dangerous territory.
05:23Bullets were flying right over them, missing them by
05:26a very small amount of inches.
05:29And then it all stopped.
05:32Our Secret Service sniper, from a much greater
05:36distance and with only one bullet used, took the
05:43assassin's life, took him out.
05:45I'm not supposed to be here tonight.
05:50Not supposed to be here.