Former President Donald Trump praised the U.S. Secret Service for its response to his July 13 assassination attempt, saying in a new interview that its agents came in like “linebackers” to protect him.
“They took him out with one shot right between the eyes,” former President Trump told the New York Post in an exclusive interview, referring to a Secret Service agent who shot the assailant after he fired shots at Saturday’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
“They did a fantastic job. It’s surreal for all of us.”
Later in the interview, the former president praised the rally crowd for staying calm during the incident.
“A lot of places, especially soccer games, you hear a single shot, everybody runs. Here there were many shots and they stayed,” the former president said. “I love them. They are such great people.”
Also in the interview, the former president said that “I’m supposed to be dead,” adding that the hospital doctor told him that “he never saw anything like this; he called it a miracle.”
A Truth Social post issued on Sunday by the former president said that it was “God alone” who prevented him from being killed in the assassination attempt.
The shooter, Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, opened fire from a building about 400 feet away with an AR-style rifle as the former president was speaking to the crowd, federal officials said. State police in Pennsylvania confirmed that one rally attendee, Corey Comperatore, 50, was killed and another two were injured.
The former president’s praise of the Secret Service stands out amid questions and criticism of the agency.
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, whose agency oversees the service, told news outlets on July 15, that the shooter should not have had a “direct line” to fire at former President Trump, suggesting that there was “a failure” in providing security.
Several members of Congress, including House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), say they are demanding answers and want an investigation into the Secret Service and how it handled security before the incident.
Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), who is running for Senate in Arizona, said he wants answers on whether the former president’s campaign had requested additional protection or if his campaign was denied. In a statement on July 14, a Secret Service spokesman categorically rejected those claims, saying that such requests were never made.
The spokesman also denied claims that Secret Service resources were diverted to First Lady Jill Biden’s security detail, describing such assertions as “very wrong.”
The FBI said in a statement to The Epoch Times on Monday morning that no motive for the shooting has been established so far, while Kevin Rojek, the special agent in charge of the bureau’s Pittsburgh branch, said that a domestic terrorism investigation has been opened.
“There is going to be a long investigation into what took place,” Mr. Rojek said on July 14.
On Sunday evening, President Joe Biden addressed the nation from the Oval Office and said that the attempted assassination should force people to “take a step back.”
“My fellow Americans, I want to speak to you tonight about the need for us to lower the temperature in our politics,” he said. “Do remember, while we may disagree, we are not enemies. We’re neighbors, we’re friends, coworkers, citizens, and most importantly, we are fellow Americans. We must stand together.”
The Secret Service’s protection encompasses current and former presidents as well as current and former vice-presidents, and their children under the age of 16. It also covers major presidential and vice-presidential candidates within four months of a presidential election.
Notably, independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., whose father and uncle were assassinated in the 1960s, has repeatedly said that he has been refused Secret Service protection.
Several U.S. politicians, including Colorado’s governor and others, have said that Mr. Kennedy should receive protection as soon as possible in light of the Trump shooting.
The head of the Secret Service, Kimberly Cheatle, said in a statement that she will cooperate with Congress in an investigation.
The Epoch Times contacted the Secret Service for comment on July 15.
