Trump's resilience: how an assassination attempt reshaped his campaign

Donald Trump, now President of the United States, has revealed harrowing details from an assassination attempt during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, last year. According to an excerpt from the upcoming book 2024: How Trump Retook the White House and the Democrats Lost America, the attack was a defining moment in his path to the presidency.

The attack in Butler

On July 13, 2024, Trump was addressing a crowd when 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks fired at him from a nearby rooftop, approximately 100 yards away. Secret Service agents immediately bundled Trump to the ground and rushed him to a hospital.

In the aftermath, Trump’s aides initially feared the worst. "There was so much blood everywhere that they thought he’d been hit four or five times," the book recounts. Trump himself later described the experience, saying, "It was bleeding like a b****." A bandage covered his ear as he sat upright in the hospital bed, still in his suit.

A turning point for the campaign

Despite the chaos, Trump’s resilience shone through. According to the book, his team realized he was fine when he began cracking jokes in the hospital. This moment marked a significant shift in his campaign, as an outpouring of support followed from surprising quarters.

Among his new allies were Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, both previously critical of Trump. Bezos reportedly admired Trump’s instincts, while Zuckerberg called his raised-fist gesture after the attack “one of the most badass things” he’d ever seen. Even Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who had largely avoided political endorsements, publicly supported Trump, expressing well wishes for his recovery.

A moment of unity

The incident briefly united political rivals. Trump had a short, cordial phone call with then-President Joe Biden, despite their tense debate just weeks earlier. Trump described the exchange as “very nice, actually.”

After being discharged, Trump was flown to his New Jersey estate in Bedminster, where his wife, Melania, awaited him. The book notes that Trump, despite the attack, seemed to enjoy the attention and momentum it brought to his campaign.

A pivotal chapter

The attempted assassination, its aftermath, and the alliances it forged are pivotal moments in the narrative of Trump’s political comeback. The book, set for release on July 8, promises further insights into this dramatic period in American politics.