‘I’m Not Supposed to Be Here.’ Trump Gives First Detailed Account of Shooting in RNC Speech

TIME

Just five days after surviving an assassination attempt, former President Donald Trump took to the stage at the Republican National Convention Thursday night to accept his party’s nomination for a third consecutive presidential bid.

Transcript

00:00Friends, delegates, and fellow citizens, I stand

00:05before you this evening with a message of

00:08confidence, strength, and hope.

00:11Four months from now, we will have an incredible

00:14victory, and we will begin the four greatest years in

00:20the history of our country.

00:22Together, we will launch a new era of safety,

00:29prosperity, and freedom for citizens of every race,

00:33religion, color, and creed.

00:36The discord and division in our society must be

00:39healed.

00:40We must heal it quickly.

00:42As Americans, we are bound together by a single

00:45fate and a shared destiny.

00:49We rise together or we fall apart.

00:53I am running to be President for all of

00:57America, not half of America, because there is

01:01no victory in winning for half of America.

01:05So, tonight, with faith and devotion, I proudly

01:12accept your nomination for President of the United

01:16States.

01:17It was a warm, beautiful day in the early evening

01:33in Butler Township in the great Commonwealth of

01:37Pennsylvania.

01:38Music was loudly playing, and the campaign was doing

01:43really well.

01:48I went to the stage, and the crowd was cheering

01:51wildly.

01:52Everybody was happy.

01:54I began speaking very strongly, powerfully, and

01:59happily because I was discussing the great job my

02:05administration did on immigration at the

02:08southern border.

02:09We were very proud of it.

02:12Behind me and to the right was a large screen that

02:22was displaying a chart of border crossings under my

02:27leadership.

02:29The numbers were absolutely amazing.

02:33In order to see the chart, I started to, like this,

02:39turn to my right and was ready to begin a little bit

02:47further turn, which I'm very lucky I didn't do,

02:52when I heard a loud whizzing sound and felt

02:55something hit me really, really hard on my right

03:02ear.

03:04I said to myself, wow, what was that?

03:09It can only be a bullet.

03:12And moved my right hand to my ear, brought it down.

03:16My hand was covered with blood, just absolutely

03:20blood all over the place.

03:23I immediately knew it was very serious that we were

03:26under attack.

03:28And in one movement proceeded to drop to the

03:32ground.

03:34Bullets were continuing to fly as very brave Secret

03:39Service agents rushed to the stage.

03:42And they really did.

03:43They rushed to the stage.

03:44These are great people at great risk, I will tell you.

03:59And pounced on top of me so that I would be

04:03protected.

04:05There was blood pouring everywhere.

04:07And yet, in a certain way, I felt very safe because I

04:11had God on my side.

04:14I felt that.

04:15The amazing thing is that prior to the shot, if I had

04:23not moved my head at that very last instant, the

04:28assassin's bullet would have perfectly hit its mark.

04:33And I would not be here tonight.

04:35We would not be together.

04:38The most incredible aspect of what took place on that

04:41terrible evening in the fading sun was actually

04:46seen later.

04:48In almost all cases, as you probably know, and when

04:53even a single bullet is fired, just a single

04:56bullet, and we had many bullets that were being

04:59fired.

05:00Crowds run for the exits or stampede, but not in

05:05this case.

05:05It was very unusual.

05:07They're incredible people.

05:11Bullets were flying over us, yet I felt serene.

05:16But now the Secret Service agents were putting

05:18themselves in peril.

05:20They were in very dangerous territory.

05:23Bullets were flying right over them, missing them by

05:26a very small amount of inches.

05:29And then it all stopped.

05:32Our Secret Service sniper, from a much greater

05:36distance and with only one bullet used, took the

05:43assassin's life, took him out.

05:45I'm not supposed to be here tonight.

05:50Not supposed to be here.

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