Former President Trump while speaking at a rally in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, on Wednesday, publicly thanked the woman who made the chart he was referencing when he was targeted in an assassination attempt, saying that she had saved his life. Trump then brought on stage the woman and introduced her but didn't reveal the staffer's name.
Trump said that if he hadn't turned his head to glance at an immigration chart on the screen at his Butler rally, the bullet would have likely struck his head instead of just grazing his ear. The Republican nominee credited the woman who created the graphic for saving his life and invited her on stage.
Trump Introduces Hero Staffer
Despite much speculation that Trump had 'changed' after the shooting, he persisted with his attacks and introduced even more nicknames for his new 2024 opponent Kamala Harris at his latest rally – his third since being shot.
"Thrilled to be back in this beautiful state," Trump said. "As you know this is my first return to the state since my rally in Butler."
He vowed: "We're going back to Butler, by the way."
Only 225 miles from the site where he left his rally with a bloody ear, Trump returned to his usual routine, launching a barrage of insults at Vice President Harris. Speaking at the Farm Show Complex in Harrisburg, he criticized what he called the "personality makeup" trying to mold Harris into the beloved late British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.
He also showed the immigration chart that he claimed "saved my life" and, for the first time, brought on stage the staffer who created it, crediting her with averting disaster.
"I love that chart. I'm going to sleep with that chart for the rest of my life," Trump said.
The campaign staffer who created the graph came on stage and quickly said "hi" into the microphone.
The former president had an awkward hug with the young woman and gave her a kiss on the cheek, calling her "a computer genius."
Harris Attack Continues
Trump called Harris "crazy" before stopping himself and explaining why he refrained from doing so. "When I got hit, everyone thought I was going to be a nice guy and they thought I changed. Remember? Right before the Republican Convention," Trump said.
"And I really agreed with that for about eight hours or so," he said to laughter. "And then I realized they were trying to put me in prison for doing absolutely nothing wrong."
"I was nice for about three, four, five hours. And then I said, these are bad people."
At his rally in Butler on June 13, 20-year-old shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks shot Trump in the ear, narrowly missing a potentially fatal shot. The last-second turn of Trump's head to glance at a chart on a screen saved his life.
Crooks was neutralized by the Secret Service, but not before he killed a rally attendee, critically injured two others, and grazed Trump's right ear with his father's AR-style rifle.
