Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump today addressed his first major public address since surviving an assassination attempt last week.
Donald Trump Recounts Assassination Bid. Top Quotes
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“I’m not supposed to be here tonight,” Donald Trump said in his first speech since he was injured by a 20-year-old gunman at a rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday.
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He said he heard a “loud whizzing sound” and “felt something hit me really, really hard on my right ear”. “I said to myself, ‘Wow, what was that? It can only be a bullet,'” he said.
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Trump said he moved his hand to his ear and brought it down, and it “was covered with blood, just absolutely blood all over the place. I immediately knew it was very serious, that we were under attack.”
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He also recalled how Secret Service agents rushed to the stage as bullets flew, pouncing on top of him to keep him safe.
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“The amazing thing is that prior to the shot, if I had not moved my head at that very last instant, the assassin’s bullet would have perfectly hit its mark, and I would not be here tonight. We would not be together,” he said.
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He also praised his supporters at the rally, saying they turned to look for the sniper instead of breaking into a stampede. “They knew I was in trouble. They didn’t want to leave me. And you can see that love written all over their faces. Incredible people,” Trump said.
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“I wanted to do something to let him know I was okay. I raised my right arm, looked at the thousands and thousands of people that were breathlessly waiting, and started shouting, ‘Fight, fight, fight!,” he said.
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“For the rest of my life, I will be grateful for the love shown by that giant audience of patriots that stood bravely on that fateful evening,” he said.
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Trump insisted he would never recount the moment when he nearly lost his life again.
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“So many people have asked me, ‘What happened? Tell us what happened, please,” he said. But “you’ll never hear it from me a second time, because it’s actually too painful to tell.”