Former US President Donald Trump said he believes that God protected him at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania, preventing him from being assassinated. Several Republican officials also expressed a similar sentiment.
In a post on his social media platform “Truth Social” on Sunday, Trump wrote, “It was God who prevented the unimaginable from happening. We will fear nothing but remain steadfast in our faith, unwavering in the face of evil.”
He then expressed his compassion for the families of other shooting victims, including a deceased former firefighter and two other injured participants. “At this moment, more than ever, it is crucial for us to unite, to demonstrate our true American character, to remain strong and unwavering in the face of evil,” Trump wrote in the post.
Some Republican officials echoed his sentiments.
Florida Republican Senator Marco Rubio, who is likely to be Trump’s running mate in the 2024 election, wrote on social media, “God protected President Trump,” along with a photo of the former president with blood on his face, raising his fist towards the sky.
Florida Republican Congressman Carlos Antonio Giménez agreed with this view and told Fox News that it was by “the grace of God” that the former president was not seriously injured or killed. Congressman Cory Mills explicitly stated that he believes it was “divine intervention” and the “protective hand of God” that thwarted the assassination attempt.
House Speaker Mike Johnson said on Sunday that “God protected President Trump yesterday” and expressed his hope to NBC News that politicians could temper their political rhetoric after the failed assassination attempt.
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, in an interview with Fox News on Sunday, said, “A miracle happened yesterday, and I believe God’s hand was there too.” The Republican leader noted that he himself had been shot during a congressional baseball team event in 2017, adding, “Just see an extra centimeter, and we’re having a very different conversation right now.”
Video footage from the scene showed Trump speaking at the rally, and just before being hit on the right ear, he slightly turned his head. Some Republicans, including Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, pointed out that Trump’s slight head turn may have saved his life and suggested that divine intervention was at play.
Patrick wrote on social media, “In just a split second, you turned your head slightly, or perhaps the prompter shielded you, you were spared by the mercy and sacred grace of God.”