Donald Trump confirmed he will speak at this week’s Republican National Convention following the assumed assassination attempt that occurred at the former president’s rally on Saturday. Trump also called for Americans to “stand united” following the incident.
“I truly love our Country, and love you all, and look forward to speaking to our Great Nation this week from Wisconsin,” he said in a Sunday post on his Truth Social media network. The convention is set to begin Monday in Milwaukee.
The former president’s campaign said Trump was “fine” after being rushed off a Pennsylvania stage when gunfire erupted on Saturday. The shooting is being investigated as an attempted assassination on Trump, law enforcement officials told the Associated Press. A local prosecutor said the suspected gunman, who the FBI later identified as Thomas Matthew Crooks, and at least one attendee are dead.
In another post on Sunday, Trump thanked “everyone for your thoughts and prayers yesterday, as it was God alone who prevented the unthinkable from happening.”
“We will FEAR NOT, but instead remain resilient in our Faith and Defiant in the face of Wickedness,” he added, and said he’s praying “for the recovery of those who were wounded, and hold in our hearts the memory of the citizen who was so horribly killed.”
“In this moment, it is more important than ever that we stand United, and show our True Character as Americans, remaining Strong and Determined, and not allowing Evil to Win,” he wrote.
In a separate memo obtained by The Associated Press, Trump’s campaign advisers thanked the Secret Service and all first responders for their efforts, and also told staff in Washington and West Palm Beach, Florida to stay away from the office as they assess those locations. The memo also directs staff to not comment publicly on the situation, and that dangerous rhetoric on social media won’t be tolerated.
First Lady Melania Trump also released a statement on social media on Sunday, writing that “when I watched that violent bullet strike my husband, Donald, I realized my life, and Barron’s life, were on the brink of a devastating change.”
She added that “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 facts of my husband’s life — his human side — were buried below the political machine. Donald, the generous and caring man who I have been through the best of times and the worst of times.”
