Donald Trump began his speech at the Republican National Convention on Thursday by telling the story of his brush with death less than a week prior.
“So many people have asked me what happened, and therefore, I’ll tell you what happened — and you’ll never hear it from me a second time, because it’s too painful to tell,” Trump said.
Speaking in a calm, subdued tone, and still wearing a white bandage on his ear, the former president started by saying it was a “warm beautiful day” in Butler, Pennsylvania, where he was holding a rally on Saturday.
“I heard a loud whizzing sound, and felt something hit me really, really hard on my right ear,” Trump said. “I said to myself, ‘Wow, what was that? It can only be a bullet.’ And moved my right hand to my ear, brought it down. My hand was covered with blood.”
Trump then described Secret Service agents swarming him as bullets continued to fly. A screen behind the president showed a New York Times photo that captured a bullet whizzing past his head.
“There was blood pouring everywhere, and yet, in a certain way, I felt very safe because I had God on my side,” Trump said.
It was the most detailed account of the assassination attempt Trump has given. He commended his supporters for remaining in place instead of running for their own lives because, he said, they were concerned for him. A Secret Service sniper, he said, then killed the would-be assassin with a single shot.
“The crowd was confused, because they thought I was dead, and there was great, great sorrow,” Trump continued. “I could see that on their faces.”
At one point, Trump said, “I’m not supposed to be here tonight,” and the crowd started chanting, “Yes, you are.”
As Trump spoke, the C-SPAN broadcast showed convention-goers with tears streaming down their faces.
“I wanted to do something to let them know I was OK,” Trump said, referring to his stunned supporters in Butler. “I raised my right arm, looked at the thousands and thousands of people that were breathlessly waiting. I started shouting, ‘Fight, fight, fight.’”
The screen behind Trump soon displayed the Associated Press photo of the former president raising his fist after Secret Service agents lifted him to his feet.
The crowd in the convention hall joined Trump in shouting “fight,” picking up the chant they’d been doing throughout the first three days of the convention.
Trump told the story of his shooting in an almost reverent tone that was unusual both for him and for the other speakers at the convention. His speech was preceded by raucous remarks from the former professional wrestler Hulk Hogan (who ripped his shirt off), a loud performance by Kid Rock and remarks by Ultimate Fighting Championship president Dana White.
The ex-president then called for unity in his speech. But he soon returned to a more typically confrontational tone of voice as he complained about “crazy Nancy Pelosi” and Democrats “destroying our country.”
The speech continued for another hour.
