Donald Trump, the former President, stated on Thursday night that he is of the opinion that God protected him from death when an assassin attempted to kill him in Butler, Pennsylvania on July 13.
The president delivered a speech at the 79th Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner in New York City, a charity event that serves as an opportunity for presidential candidates to make light of one another.
“Is that luck, or was that God that did that? And I think it was God that did that, I do.” Trump said
“I have a very fresh appreciation for how blessed we are by God’s providence and his divine mercy. I was not supposed to be here tonight, that I can tell you. So with God’s help I know there is nothing that cannot be achieved, we can achieve so much good with this country.” he added.
Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential candidate, was the first presidential nominee to forgo the dinner in decades.
In his address, Trump alluded to the July 13 assassination attempt, in which a would-be assassin fired a single bullet into his ear, narrowly missing his skull and fatally wounding Corey Comperatore, a father who was seated behind him.
.@RaymondArroyo questions Trump about his recent religious social media posts featuring prayers to St. Michael the Archangel, and the “Ave Maria” sung in honor of Corey Comperatore at the Butler rally.
“It’s just beautiful to me,” Trump responds. pic.twitter.com/bNx8P0Kxaz
— Mary Margaret Olohan (@MaryMargOlohan) October 18, 2024
In the aftermath of the assassination attempt, which was followed by an additional assassination attempt in Florida while Trump was playing golf, the Republican nominee has frequently shared posts on social media about revered Catholic figures, such as Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ, Saint Michael the Archangel, and most recently, Father Jerzy Popieluszko, a Catholic priest who was murdered by communists in Poland for advocating for political resistance.
In the critical swing states of Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania, Trump is currently leading Harris among Catholic voters, according to polling conducted by the National Catholic Reporter published on Wednesday.
[READ MORE: Trump Shreds Kamala With Hilarious Insults During Al Smith Dinner After She Refused to Show Up]