Former President Donald Trump opened up about the assassination attempt on his life Saturday shortly after his rally in Butler, Pa., began, calling it a “surreal” experience that nearly ended in tragedy.
As he prepared to travel to Milwaukee, Wis., on Monday to attend the Republican National Convention, which lasts until Thursday, Trump told the New York Post that divine intervention is the only reason he’s alive.
“The doctor at the hospital said he never saw anything like this. He called it a miracle,” Trump told the outlet.
“I’m not supposed to be here. I’m supposed to be dead,” the former president added. “I’m supposed to be dead.”
Trump also discussed some confusion about his shoes. Video of the immediate aftermath of the unsuccessful attack showed agents attempting to rush him off the stage to safety while he said, “Wait, I want to get my shoes.”
“The agents hit me so hard that my shoes fell off, and my shoes are tight,” Trump explained before going on to praise the agents in his detail.
“They took him out with one shot right between the eyes,” he said. “They did a fantastic job. It’s surreal for all of us.”
He talked about the image of him raising his fist and shouting “Fight” three times as the agents attempted to quickly move him off-stage after a bullet nicked his right ear and blood could be seen on his face.
“A lot of people say it’s the most iconic photo they’ve ever seen,” Trump told the NYP. “They’re right and I didn’t die. Usually, you have to die to have an iconic picture.”
Meanwhile, the volunteer firefighter who died while protecting his family from sniper bullets aimed at former President Donald Trump during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, is being honored as a selfless “girl dad” and devout churchgoer. Known for consistently prioritizing others, he is remembered as a dedicated family man.
Corey Comperatore, 50, died on Saturday night while shielding his wife and family from gunfire when a 20-year-old man sneaked onto a roof and started shooting at Trump during a rally in a Pennsylvania town.
“It’s just so typical of him, the way it all happened, with protecting his wife and his daughter and just throwing himself on top of them when they hear the shooting,” said Eileen Shamanski, whose children grew up playing soccer with Comperatore’s daughters.
“He was an all around good guy that was always there to lend a hand and support not just his own children but all the other kids who were friends of their girls and on the team,” she told Fox News Digital. “He had a just give it your all attitude, [and] a lot of kids respected him for that, just always being there supporting, giving those pep talks to get them going. It’s going to be a big loss.”
Their families have been close for years due to their daughters’ shared interest in travel soccer. Despite Comperatore’s long work hours and volunteer firefighting commitments, he never missed a game or a practice.
“We didn’t think it was true at first, when my daughters called me crying,” she said. “Then we saw his wife and daughter on the news, when they were tending to him – it was just a sad thing to see, so sad, but I know he would’ve done it again in a heartbeat if it came down to it.”
Trump has made a point of expressing his condolences to Comperatore’s family as well as to the two other people shot in the stands behind him.
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