In the chaos following the July 13 assassination attempt at his rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, Donald Trump was rushed to a hospital, where he underwent a CT scan to check for a concussion. According to an excerpt from Revenge, a new book by Axios reporter Alex Isenstadt, Trump wasn’t just concerned about his health—he saw an opportunity to make a statement.
“Can you give me a copy of these?” Trump reportedly asked a nurse. “Because I want to make sure I can show reporters that my cognitive function is 100 percent. You can’t say the same about Joe Biden.”
Hospital staff offered to provide the results on a CD. Trump replied, “OK. We’ll release that at a later date.”
Meanwhile, misinformation was spreading rapidly. A news outlet contacted Trump’s spokesperson, Steven Cheung, claiming they were about to report that Trump had died at the hospital. Cheung, realizing the need for a swift response, quickly sent out a statement confirming Trump was “fine.”
Back in his hospital room, Trump watched President Joe Biden’s address about the shooting on an aide’s phone, as there was no television available. Afterward, he asked to see the photos taken during the attack.
One, from The New York Times’ Doug Mills, captured a bullet flying past his head. Another, by the Associated Press’ Evan Vucci, showed a bloodied Trump raising his fist in front of the American flag.
“Wow, that’s iconic,” Trump reportedly said. “That’s the most American picture I’ve ever seen.”
Before being discharged, Trump was handed back his blood-stained clothes. “This is going into the museum,” he said.
As investigators worked to piece together what had happened, authorities identified the shooter as 20-year-old Thomas Crooks from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania.
