In a newly aired interview, Donald Trump disclosed a conversation he had with President Biden following a narrow escape from an assassination attempt at his Pennsylvania campaign rally.
“He said, ‘You’re lucky you turned to the right,’” Trump, 78, recounted to Fox News host Jesse Watters, referring to his phone call with the 81-year-old president.
Trump narrowly avoided death on July 13 when he turned his head to look at a chart just as 20-year-old Thomas Crooks opened fire during the rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. Reflecting on the incident, Trump described his chat with Biden as a “nice conversation.”
The interview, recorded on Saturday and aired on Monday, also revealed that Trump refused to be carried off stage on a stretcher after the sniper’s bullet grazed his ear. “They wanted to put me on a stretcher,” Trump said. “They had a stretcher, and they wanted to put me on a stretcher. And I said, ‘I’m not going on a stretcher”, told Sky News.
According to Trump, Secret Service agents who shielded him immediately after the shots believed he had been hit in the abdomen. However, Trump felt the bullet had only grazed his ear. Despite significant bleeding, he insisted, “I’m telling you, I’m OK. I’m fine. I’m going to get up. I want to get up. I’m not going to be taken out on a stretcher.”
Trump assured viewers that his right ear is “good” and “getting much better.” He mentioned, “We’re getting down to the small bandages, but it was a nasty one.”
During his conversation with Watters, Trump also suggested an investigation into a potential White House cover-up of Biden’s physical and mental decline. “I think somebody has to look at it,” Trump argued. He questioned the accuracy of the health reports given by Biden’s doctors, referencing White House physician Dr. Kevin O’Connor. “I’m not a doctor, but I saw [Biden] the other day. He was unable to get up the children’s stairs going into Air Force One,” Trump noted.
In the wake of the assassination attempt, Trump revealed he met with Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle. “She came to see me, actually,” Trump said. “She was very nice, I thought. But, you know, somebody should have made sure there was nobody on that roof.”
GOP vice presidential nominee JD Vance, who was with Trump during the interview, shared his reaction to the shooting. Vance recalled playing mini-golf with his children when he heard about the incident. “I told my kids, I said, ‘We gotta get out of here. The president’s been shot,’” he said. His son’s concern prompted a touching exchange, with Vance explaining, “It’s the president who’s my friend.”
Vance expressed gratitude for Trump’s safety and commended the rally-goers’ calm response during the chaotic moment. “We were all just so grateful the president was OK,” the Ohio senator remarked, highlighting the composure of the attendees amid the crisis.