Former First Lady Melania Trump issued a statement calling on the nation to unite following Saturday afternoon’s failed assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Minutes after Trump took the stage in Butler at approximately 6:13 p.m. on Saturday, a suspected shooter – who has since been identified as 20-year old Thomas Matthew Crooks from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania – fired multiple shots toward the stage from an elevated position outside of the venue.
Crooks, who shot and killed one spectator and injured three others including the former president, was fatally shot by Secret Service personnel.
Trump was grazed by a single bullet in his upper right ear.
The former first lady reacted to the shooting, which is officially being investigated as an assassination attempt, by calling on the nation to unite and “ascend above the hate, the vitriol, and the simple-minded ideas that ignite violence.”
In addition to thanking law enforcement who “risked their lives” to protect her husband, the former first lady also addressed the shooter, branding him as a “monster” who saw the former president as “an inhuman political machine.”
— MELANIA TRUMP (@MELANIATRUMP) July 14, 2024
Former First Lady Trump’s statement, posted to social media on Sunday morning, reads:
I am thinking of you, now, my fellow Americans.
We have always been a unique union. America, the fabric of our gentle nation is tattered, but our courage and common sense must ascend and bring us back together as one.
When I watched that violent bullet strike my husband, Donald, I realized my life, and Barron’s life, were on the brink of devastating change. I am grateful to the brave secret service agents and law enforcement officials who risked their own lives to protect my husband.
To the families of the innocent victims who are now suffering from this heinous act, I humbly offer my sincerest sympathy. Your need to summon your inner strength for such a terrible reason saddens me.
A monster who recognized my husband as an inhuman political machine attempted to ring out Donald’s passion – his laughter, ingenuity, love of music, and inspiration. The core facets of my husband’s life – his human side – were buried below the political machine. Donald, the generous and caring man who I have been with through the best of times and the worst of times.
Let us not forget that differing opinions, policy, and political games are inferior to love. Our personal, structural, and life commitment – until death – is at serious risk. Political concepts are simple when compared to us, human beings.
We are all humans, and fundamentally, instinctively, we want to help one another. American politics are only one vehicle that can uplift our communities. Love, compassion, kindness and empathy are necessities.
And let us remember that when the time comes to look beyond the left and the right, beyond the red and the blue, we all come from families with the passion to fight for a better life together, while we are here, in this earthly realm.
Dawn is here again. Let us reunite. Now.
This morning, ascend above the hate, the vitriol, and the simple-minded ideas that ignite violence. We all want a world where respect is paramount, family is first, and love transcends. We can realize this world again. Each of us must demand to get it back. We must insist that respect fills the cornerstone of our relationships, again.
I am thinking of you, my fellow Americans.
The winds of change have arrived. For those of you who cry in support, I thank you. I commend those of you who have reached out beyond the political divide – thank you for remembering that every single politician is a man or a woman with a loving family.
Former President Trump also issued an updated statement on Sunday morning, writing in a Truth Social post, “Thank you to everyone for your thoughts and prayers yesterday, as it was God alone who prevented the unthinkable from happening. We will FEAR NOT, but instead remain resilient in our Faith and Defiant in the face of Wickedness.”
Trump added, “Our love goes out to the other victims and their families. We pray for the recovery of those who were wounded, and hold in our hearts the memory of the citizen who was so horribly killed. In this moment, it is more important than ever that we stand United, and show our True Character as Americans, remaining Strong and Determined, and not allowing Evil to Win. I truly love our Country, and love you all, and look forward to speaking to our Great Nation this week from Wisconsin.”
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X / Twitter.
Photo “Melania Trump” by The White House.
