Trump Reflects On Butler Assassination Attempt: ‘God Was With Me’
President Donald Trump marked the second anniversary of the assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania, saying he believes divine intervention spared his life and allowed him to continue serving the country.
Speaking during an interview on Fox & Friends, Trump said being president is one of the most dangerous jobs in America and noted that several U.S. presidents have either been assassinated or targeted in attacks throughout the nation’s history.
Recalling the moment shots rang out during the July 13, 2024, campaign rally, Trump said he initially thought he had been bitten by an unusually powerful mosquito before realizing he had been struck by a bullet.
“I got lucky. God was watching,” Trump said. “God was with me.” He added that his sons, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, both familiar with firearms, told him that from the shooter’s distance there was almost no chance the shot should have missed.
The bullet grazed Trump’s right ear after he turned his head moments before the shot. Investigators and security analysts have long said that slight movement likely prevented a fatal wound. The attack killed supporter Corey Comperatore and injured two other rally attendees before Secret Service snipers fatally shot gunman Thomas Crooks.
Trump also reflected on the dangers he has faced since the Butler attack, noting that two additional assassination plots were thwarted in the months that followed, including an armed suspect near his Florida golf club and another attack at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner earlier this year.
The president praised the Secret Service agents who responded during the Butler shooting, crediting them with acting immediately to protect him and prevent further loss of life. He said their actions, combined with what he believes was God’s protection, allowed him to survive one of the closest assassination attempts against an American president in decades.
The Butler shooting remains under investigation, and authorities have never identified a clear motive for Crooks’ attack. The incident prompted major reforms within the Secret Service and remains one of the defining moments of Trump’s political career.