“I shouldn’t be here tonight” | Wilnesh News

During his acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee on Thursday night, former President Donald Trump recounted the assassination attempt that nearly killed him.

“I shouldn’t be here tonight,” Trump said solemnly, his right ear scratched by a bullet and his face bandaged. “As you know, the assassin’s bullet was only a quarter of an inch away from my life.”

“By the grace of Almighty God, I stand before you,” Trump said, before approaching and kissing Fire Chief Corey Comperatore’s helmet. Comperatore was shot and killed by Thomas Crooks at a campaign rally on Saturday in Butler Township, Pennsylvania.

“As Americans, we are bound together by a common destiny and a common destiny. Together we rise. Otherwise we fall apart,” Trump said on the eve of the eighth anniversary of his first presidential nomination.

“Despite such a heinous attack, tonight we are more united than ever before,” Trump said. “Our resolve remains unwavering and our goal has not changed – to build a community that works for the American people.” Government that serves.

Trump also expressed “thank you to the American people for their outpouring of love and support following the assassination attempt.”

Trump told the convention audience, which included his wife Melania, children and partner, “I will tell you what happened and you will never hear it from me a second time because it is too The pain is too much to describe.

Trump said that at the rally in Butler, “I started speaking with great joy because I was discussing the great job my administration is doing on immigration at the southern border.”

“There’s a big screen behind me to the right that shows a chart of border crossings under my leadership,” he said. “In order to read the chart, I started to turn to the right and was about to start turning further, luckily I didn’t do that, when I heard a loud whooshing sound and felt like something hit me, very hard. , On my right ear.

Trump said: “I said to myself, ‘Wow, what is that – it can only be a bullet – and I moved my right hand to my ear and brought it down, and my hand was covered in blood. “I immediately realized the situation was serious, we were under attack and then fell motionless to the ground.”

Trump said his Secret Service protection rushed the stage and covered him.

“There was blood everywhere, but I felt very safe in the sense that God was on my side,” Trump said.

“The amazing thing is, if I had not moved my head at the last moment before shooting, the assassin’s bullet would have hit the target perfectly and I wouldn’t be with you tonight,” he said.

Trump said the “most incredible aspect” of the attack was that rally participants did not stampede to escape the gunfire. The man was injured.

“In fact, many of them bravely but unconsciously stood up and looked for where the sniper was and then started pointing at him,” Trump said.

“Nobody ran away, there was no stampede, and many lives were saved,” he said. “But that’s not the reason they didn’t move – the reason is they knew I was in serious trouble, they saw all the blood and thought I was dead, they just didn’t want to leave me, you could see it written on their faces Full of love.

“When I stood up and was surrounded by Secret Service agents, the crowd was confused because they thought I was dead, their faces filled with sadness until I raised my right arm and looked at the thousands of people waiting with bated breath and started yelling Shout ‘Fight, fight, fight!

“I’m here tonight to lay out a vision for our entire country,” Trump said later in his speech.

“To every citizen, whether you are young or old, male or female, Democratic, Republican or independent, black or white, Asian or Hispanic, I extend my hand of loyalty and friendship to you.”

Throughout the entire speech, Trump did not mention President Joe Biden’s name once — a stunning, intentional omission.

As of Thursday night, Biden remained the presumptive Democratic nominee. But the omission of Biden’s name highlights the possibility that Biden may not vote in November.

Biden faces criticism from key Democrats and Congress over his dismal performance against Trump in a debate last month and growing concerns that his thinking skills are not as sharp as they were a few years ago. There was intense pressure from rank-and-file lawmakers to withdraw from the race.

Although he did not mention Biden by name, Trump lashed out at the president’s performance over the past three and a half years, particularly regarding Biden’s border policies.

“Less than four years ago, I gave this administration the strongest border in American history,” Trump said. “The current administration has terminated every great Trump policy I implemented to seal the border.”

“The worst invasion in history is happening in our country — they’re coming from every corner of the earth, not just from South America, but from Africa, Asia and the Middle East — they’re coming from all over the world, and this administration is doing nothing to stop them,” Trump said.

He said the United States faces an “inflation crisis that makes life unaffordable and hurts the incomes of working and low-income families.”

Trump promised the Republican National Committee that “America will be respected again” if elected.

“No nation will question our strength. No enemy will doubt our strength.”

Trump called for national unity and an end to “discord and division” nearly four years after he refused to accept the results of the 2020 election and falsely claimed he was a victim as a one-term incumbent lost to President Joe Biden. There is widespread voting fraud.

Trump, who has demonized Democrats and other opponents as fascists and communists, led a rally on January 6, 2021, urging followers to march on the U.S. Capitol to oppose recognition of Biden’s victory.

Trump’s followers then stormed the Capitol, breaking into the halls of Congress and injuring more than 100 police officers as they delayed for hours confirmation of Trump’s loss to Biden. Vice President Mike Pence, who was presiding over a joint session of Congress that day, hid for several hours and Trump refused to stop.

In his speech on Thursday, Trump relied on apocalyptic visions, as he has done for years.

“This is an international crisis that the world has rarely seen,” Trump said. “Wars are raging in Europe and the Middle East. Taiwan, South Korea, the Philippines and all of Asia are shrouded in a growing shadow of conflict. Our planet is teetering on the edge. On the brink of World War III, this will be a war like no other.

“It’s time for a change,” Trump said. “We simply cannot sustain this administration for another four years.”