(DailyVantage.com) – A gunman attempted to kill former President Donald Trump during a rally on July 13th, which almost resulted in the former president’s death on national television. The gunman opened fire at Trump while Trump gave a speech and hit Trump’s ear before members of the Secret Service engaged him and put an end to the shooting.
Secret Service members quickly ushered Trump away from the event after they subdued the shooter and took Trump to a local hospital to treat his ear and search for other injuries. Trump described his hospital visit during an interview with the New York Post, where the former president claims the doctor said his survival constituted a “miracle.”
When explaining why the doctor considered his survival a miracle, Trump referred to the moments before the shooting and how he could have died if he acted differently. The would-be assassin, Thomas Matthew Crooks, opened fire at Trump just minutes after the former president began speaking to the rally’s attendees about various issues like illegal immigration. Just moments before Crooks started shooting at Trump, Trump turned his head to look at a visual aid. Crooks hit Trump’s ear after he turned his head, which many have cited as the only reason for Trump’s survival during the incident. Trump himself has acknowledged the moment he turned his head, claiming that he shouldn’t be alive and got lucky.
Reporters managed to capture the shooting on video and took pictures of the hectic moments following Crooks’s initial volley of gunfire, resulting in an iconic image of an injured Trump pumping his fist in front of an American flag. The photo quickly circulated through mainstream media outlets and social media platforms, with many using the picture to express their support for Trump. Despite the support for the former president growing after his near-death experience, other online commenters have cited the failed assassination as an example of the growing political divide within the United States.
President Joe Biden has discussed the shooting in multiple statements and appeared on prime-time television to ask American citizens to “cool” the heated rhetoric on both sides of the political spectrum. Trump shared a similar sentiment in a statement following the shooting, claiming that he desired unity and wanted Americans to avoid political violence despite their personal beliefs. While many online commenters agree with Trump and Biden that people should use Trump’s close call to ease the political tensions throughout the country, others have openly expressed their disappointment in Trump’s survival.
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