Donald Trump suggested that his survival of two assassination attempts might be part of a higher plan for him to be president again, speaking during an interview on X Space Monday night.
“There’s something going on,” said Trump, the 2024 Republican nominee. “I mean, perhaps it’s God wanting me to be president, to save this country. Nobody knows.”
This marked Trump’s first public appearance following the recent attempt on his life, where a gunman targeted him at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida. The former president was unharmed.
“It was quite something, but it worked out well, and Secret Service did an excellent job, and they have the man behind bars, and hopefully, he’s going to be there for a long time,” Trump said. “Dangerous person, very, very dangerous person.”
Recalling the incident, Trump shared how a peaceful day of golf was interrupted by gunfire. “Everything was beautiful, nice place to be, and all of a sudden we heard shots being fired in the air, and I guess probably four or five, and it sounded like bullets,” he said.
The Secret Service quickly acted, evacuating Trump from the course. Authorities identified the would-be assassin as Ryan Wesley Routh, who managed to flee but was later apprehended after a high-speed chase. A civilian who witnessed suspicious activity helped track the gunman by photographing his vehicle’s license plate.
“Amazingly, a civilian in that area saw something, and it looked very suspicious, and in the car, drove their car to the back of his truck of some kind, and took pictures of the license plate, and gave them to the sheriff’s office,” Trump said.
Trump also connected the assassination attempts to the intense rhetoric from Democrats labeling him a “threat to democracy,” suggesting this language incited violence against him.
Both assailants, according to Trump, were members of the radical left. Reflecting on the first assassination attempt in July, Trump praised the bravery of those at the rally, especially volunteer fire chief Corey Comperatore, who was killed.
“I love the people of this country, people like Corey, who was just this massive Trump fan, and he got hit,” Trump said. He also pointed out issues like border security, accusing the current administration of allowing dangerous individuals into the U.S.
He criticized Vice President Kamala Harris for her handling of the border crisis, referring to her as “the comrade” for her Marxist leanings.
Trump also addressed foreign policy, arguing that his leadership would prevent global conflicts like Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the recent Hamas attacks on Israel. He emphasized that American military strength is vital but needs competent leadership to prevent further escalation.
Regarding the political landscape, Trump claimed that Harris replacing Biden as the Democratic nominee would be akin to a coup, adding urgency to his call for re-election.
“I love the country,” he concluded. “We’re going to make America great again, and we’ll be able to do it. We did it once, and we’ll do it again, and much easier this time.”
