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Former US President Donald Trump revealed in an interview with the New York Post on Sunday that he survived an assassination attempt, describing the experience as “very surreal.”
“I’m not supposed to be here, I’m supposed to be dead,” Trump told the New York Post while on his plane en route to Milwaukee for the Republican National Convention, where he is set to be confirmed as the party’s presidential candidate. With a white bandage covering his right ear, Trump recounted the incident that occurred on Saturday.
A gunman targeted Trump in a chaotic and shocking event that is expected to heighten political tensions ahead of the polarizing US presidential election. Trump detailed the experience, saying, “It is incredible that such an act can take place in our country.” He shared that he immediately knew something was wrong when he heard a whizzing sound and felt the bullet rip through his skin, leading to significant bleeding.
Trump later walked without any support from his plane, although his wounded ear was not visible in video footage posted by his deputy communications director. The New York Times reported that he spent the night in New Jersey.
Police confirmed that one spectator was killed and two others were critically injured in the shooting, all of them male adults. The 78-year-old former president was rushed off stage with blood streaked across his face after the incident in Butler, Pennsylvania. The shooter and a bystander were killed, and two spectators were critically injured.