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Melania Trump was watching her husband former President Donald Trump's rally live when a gunman attempted to assassinate him earlier this month. The 45th president of the United States revealed during an interview on The Ingraham Angle, which aired on Monday, that his wife "thought the worst had happened" when he went down.
“She can’t really even talk about it, which is okay, because that means she likes me, or she loves me,” the dad of five told Fox News’ Laura Ingraham.
The shooting at the rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on July 13 left one attendee, Corey Comperatore, dead and two other attendees injured. The former president has previously opened up on Truth Social about the bullet piercing the upper part of his right ear. "I knew immediately that something was wrong in that I heard a whizzing sound, shots, and immediately felt the bullet ripping through the skin," he wrote on the social media platform.
The day after the shooting, the former first lady—who shares 18-year-old son Barron Trump with her husband—released a statement. "When I watched that violent bullet strike my husband, Donald, I realized my life, and Barron’s life, were on the brink of devastating change," Melania said. "I am grateful to the brave secret service agents and law enforcement officials who risked their own lives to protect my husband. To the families of the innocent victims who are now suffering from this heinous act, I humbly offer my sincerest sympathy. Your need to summon your inner strength for such a terrible reason saddens me. A monster who recognized my husband as an inhuman political machine attempted to ring out Donald’s passion - his laughter, ingenuity, love of music, and inspiration. The core facets of my husband’s life – his human side – were buried below the political machine."
Melania referred to her husband as "the generous and caring man" who she has "been with through the best of times and the worst of times." "Let us not forget that differing opinions, policy, and political games are inferior to love. Our personal, structural, and life commitment – until death – is at serious risk. Political concepts are simple when compared to us, human beings. We are all humans, and fundamentally, instinctively, we want to help one another. American politics are only one vehicle that can uplift our communities," she said. "Love, compassion, kindness and empathy are necessities. And let us remember that when the time comes to look beyond the left and the right, beyond the red and the blue, we all come from families with the passion to fight for a better life together, while we are here, in this earthly realm."
The former first lady continued, "Dawn is here again. Let us reunite. Now. This morning, ascend above the hate, the vitriol, and the simple-minded ideas that ignite violence. We all want a world where respect is paramount, family is first, and love transcends. We can realize this world again. Each of us must demand to get it back. We must insist that respect fills the cornerstone of our relationships, again. I am thinking of you, my fellow Americans. The winds of change have arrived. For those of you who cry in support, I thank you. I commend those of you who have reached out beyond the political divide – thank you for remembering that every single politician is a man or a woman with a loving family."