Former President Donald Trump shared a recollection on Saturday about the moment his wife, former First Lady Melania Trump, and their 18-year-old son, Barron, found out about the attempt on his life.
Thomas Matthew Crooks had fired a shot at Trump, hitting the upper right part of his ear during a rally held on July 13 in Butler, Pennsylvania. Shortly after, a sniper shot Crooks fatally.
Trump explained to Fox News’ Mark Levin that Melania witnessed the incident live on television, whereas Barron was attending his tennis lesson at the time.
“[Melania] was watching it on television and Barron was outside having a tennis lesson. He’s a good tennis player, he was outside playing tennis and somebody ran up, ‘Barron, Barron, your father’s been shot,” Trump said. “He went, and he loves his father, he’s a good kid, good student, good athlete, actually. And he ran, ‘Mom, what’s going on?’ She couldn’t believe it. She was actually watching it live, can you imagine? And I got up, and let people know I was okay.”
Trump described his survival as a “miracle,” attributing it to the fact that he turned his head to look at an immigration numbers chart during the rally, which he believes ultimately saved his life.
“The amazing thing about the chart, I rarely use it in a speech. I just said ‘put out the chart.’ And then I turned around,” the former president said. “If I turned around just a little bit less, or a little bit more, if I turned around more or less, it would still the end.”
Trump recalls the moment Melania and his son, Barron, learned of the assassination attempt on his life pic.twitter.com/ZILkiUj85I
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) September 2, 2024
The incident resulted in the death of 50-year-old Corey Comperatore, who was protecting his daughters at the time. Two other rally attendees, James Copenhaver and David Dutch, were critically injured during the attack.
Nearly six weeks after the assassination attempt, at least five Secret Service agents were placed on leave on August 23. Reports indicate that Thomas Matthew Crooks was seen on the roof of the American Glass Research building, situated 130 yards from the rally site. Surveillance footage from July 31 showed a person walking across the roof almost three minutes before the shots were fired.
Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle stepped down from her role on July 23, following the conclusion of the House Oversight Committee that she “failed to provide answers” regarding the “stunning operational failure” during her testimony at a hearing on July 22.
