Chidanand Rajghatta
WASHINGTON: Coming within one-eighth of an inch of death from a gunman’s bullet has made Donald Trump reflective and conciliatory, words not typically associated with him.
Mostly combative and forceful, Trump turned contemplative about the narrow escape he had while speaking to two journalists on Sunday, signaling what could be a profound, life-changing moment in his turbulent career.
“I’m not supposed to be here, I’m supposed to be dead,” Trump told the journalists, speaking about the fortuitous turn in his life. “The most incredible thing was that I happened to not only turn but to turn at the exact right time and in just the right amount.”
“If I only half-turn, it hits the back of the brain. The other way goes right through [my skull]. And because the sign was high, I’m looking up (he was reading data from a jumbotron). The chances of my making a perfect turn are probably one tenth of one percent, so I’m not supposed to be here,” he mused.
“Because the thing was an eighth of an inch away. That I would turn exactly at that second, where he [the gunman] wouldn’t stop the shot is pretty amazing. Pretty amazing. I’m really not supposed to be here,” he reflected, adding that he had survived “by luck or by God.”
The journalists from the New York Post and Washington Examiner, who flew with him to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where the Republican National Convention began on Monday, said Trump spoke to them with his ear bandaged, but they were not allowed to take photos.
Examiner’s Selena Zito, who was within a few feet of Trump when the attack took place, said Trump called her after the incident to inquire about her and her daughter, a photojournalist, both of whom were scheduled to fly with him to interview him. She said Trump realized at the moment of the attack that “everything has changed…for the country and for him.”
Trump also commended the Secret Service in the interview although there are raging questions about security lapses that led the armed gunman to get within 400 feet of the former president and position himself to shoot. He marveled at how the agents came flying in like they were “linebackers” as soon as the shooting started and unbuttoned his white long sleeve shirt to show a large bruise on his right forearm, the journalists said.
He also praised his audience, speaking about how they reacted to the situation. “A lot of places, especially soccer games, you hear a single shot, everybody runs. Here there were many shots and they stayed. I love them. They are such great people,” he said.
During the interview, he asked aides to get him the phone number of other shooting victims so he could speak to their families.
Trump also reflected on the iconic photo that emerged from the moments after the shooting, saying, “A lot of people say it’s the most iconic photo they’ve ever seen. They’re right and I didn’t die. Usually you have to die to have an iconic picture.”
Speaking about the moment he broke out of the huddle Secret Service agents had cloistered him in after the shots rang out, Trump, explaining the moment of the raised fist, said he wanted his fans to know he was alright “and that America goes on, we go forward, that we are strong.”
“The energy coming from the people there in that moment, they just stood there; it’s hard to describe what that felt like, but I knew the world was looking. I knew that history would judge this, and I knew I had to let them know we are OK,” he added.
“I said, I’ve got to walk out, I have to walk out. I did not want to be carried out. I’ve seen people being carried out, and it’s not good. And I had no problem with walking,” he said.
The Secret Service has been criticized, including by many former members, for allowing Trump to emerge from the huddle and expose his upper body when the status of the gunman was still uncertain and it had not been determined of there were other attackers.
Trump supporters have panned the Secret Service for lack of planning, awareness, and poor deployment, including of women agents, raising questions about their physical size and reaction time.
But Trump praised the speed and strength of the security team, pulling down his shirt sleeve to show a bruise on his arm from a secret service agent forcing him to the floor.
“That’s just from a guy grabbing me. You know how strong you have to be to do that?” he said, adding that “They did a fantastic job…It’s surreal for all of us.”
He also explained the moment when he asking for his shoes during the melee, saying the agents brought him down so hard that his shoes detached. He also said after he surfaced from the huddle, he wanted to return to the podium and keep speaking
“I wanted to keep speaking – I wanted to keep speaking, but I just got shot. It’s a very surreal experience, and you never know what you’re going to do until a thing like that happens,” he said.
In the first indication that the attempted assassination would temper his approach to the election campaign, Trump said he intended to deliver unifying speech at the RNC, putting aside one a tough one that had already been prepared.
“I think it would be very bad if I got up and started going wild about how horrible everybody is, and how corrupt and crooked, even if it’s true. Had this not happened, we had a speech that was pretty well set that was extremely tough. Now, we have a speech that is more unifying,” he said, adding, “the speech will be a lot different, a lot different than it would’ve been two days ago.”
Mostly combative and forceful, Trump turned contemplative about the narrow escape he had while speaking to two journalists on Sunday, signaling what could be a profound, life-changing moment in his turbulent career.
“I’m not supposed to be here, I’m supposed to be dead,” Trump told the journalists, speaking about the fortuitous turn in his life. “The most incredible thing was that I happened to not only turn but to turn at the exact right time and in just the right amount.”
“If I only half-turn, it hits the back of the brain. The other way goes right through [my skull]. And because the sign was high, I’m looking up (he was reading data from a jumbotron). The chances of my making a perfect turn are probably one tenth of one percent, so I’m not supposed to be here,” he mused.
“Because the thing was an eighth of an inch away. That I would turn exactly at that second, where he [the gunman] wouldn’t stop the shot is pretty amazing. Pretty amazing. I’m really not supposed to be here,” he reflected, adding that he had survived “by luck or by God.”
The journalists from the New York Post and Washington Examiner, who flew with him to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where the Republican National Convention began on Monday, said Trump spoke to them with his ear bandaged, but they were not allowed to take photos.
Examiner’s Selena Zito, who was within a few feet of Trump when the attack took place, said Trump called her after the incident to inquire about her and her daughter, a photojournalist, both of whom were scheduled to fly with him to interview him. She said Trump realized at the moment of the attack that “everything has changed…for the country and for him.”
Trump also commended the Secret Service in the interview although there are raging questions about security lapses that led the armed gunman to get within 400 feet of the former president and position himself to shoot. He marveled at how the agents came flying in like they were “linebackers” as soon as the shooting started and unbuttoned his white long sleeve shirt to show a large bruise on his right forearm, the journalists said.
He also praised his audience, speaking about how they reacted to the situation. “A lot of places, especially soccer games, you hear a single shot, everybody runs. Here there were many shots and they stayed. I love them. They are such great people,” he said.
During the interview, he asked aides to get him the phone number of other shooting victims so he could speak to their families.
Trump also reflected on the iconic photo that emerged from the moments after the shooting, saying, “A lot of people say it’s the most iconic photo they’ve ever seen. They’re right and I didn’t die. Usually you have to die to have an iconic picture.”
Speaking about the moment he broke out of the huddle Secret Service agents had cloistered him in after the shots rang out, Trump, explaining the moment of the raised fist, said he wanted his fans to know he was alright “and that America goes on, we go forward, that we are strong.”
“The energy coming from the people there in that moment, they just stood there; it’s hard to describe what that felt like, but I knew the world was looking. I knew that history would judge this, and I knew I had to let them know we are OK,” he added.
“I said, I’ve got to walk out, I have to walk out. I did not want to be carried out. I’ve seen people being carried out, and it’s not good. And I had no problem with walking,” he said.
The Secret Service has been criticized, including by many former members, for allowing Trump to emerge from the huddle and expose his upper body when the status of the gunman was still uncertain and it had not been determined of there were other attackers.
Trump supporters have panned the Secret Service for lack of planning, awareness, and poor deployment, including of women agents, raising questions about their physical size and reaction time.
But Trump praised the speed and strength of the security team, pulling down his shirt sleeve to show a bruise on his arm from a secret service agent forcing him to the floor.
“That’s just from a guy grabbing me. You know how strong you have to be to do that?” he said, adding that “They did a fantastic job…It’s surreal for all of us.”
He also explained the moment when he asking for his shoes during the melee, saying the agents brought him down so hard that his shoes detached. He also said after he surfaced from the huddle, he wanted to return to the podium and keep speaking
“I wanted to keep speaking – I wanted to keep speaking, but I just got shot. It’s a very surreal experience, and you never know what you’re going to do until a thing like that happens,” he said.
In the first indication that the attempted assassination would temper his approach to the election campaign, Trump said he intended to deliver unifying speech at the RNC, putting aside one a tough one that had already been prepared.
“I think it would be very bad if I got up and started going wild about how horrible everybody is, and how corrupt and crooked, even if it’s true. Had this not happened, we had a speech that was pretty well set that was extremely tough. Now, we have a speech that is more unifying,” he said, adding, “the speech will be a lot different, a lot different than it would’ve been two days ago.”