Former First Lady Melania Trump has released a statement following the assassination attempt on her husband, former President Donald Trump, at a rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday, blasting the shooter as a “monster” and calling for the country to “reunite.”
Melania said the gunman was “a monster who recognized my husband as an inhuman political machine” who attempted to “ring out Donald’s passion — his laughter, ingenuity, love of music, and inspiration.”
She said she looked on in horror as the shooter — identified as Thomas Matthew Crooks – allegedly tried to take out her husband during the event.
“When I watched that violent bullet strike my husband, Donald, I realized my life, and Barron’s life, were on the brink of devastating change,” Melania wrote, adding that her husband is a generous and caring man.
SHOOTING AT TRUMP RALLY BEING INVESTIGATED AS ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT
Former First Lady Melania Trump, right, has released a statement following the assassination attempt on her husband, former President Donald Trump, left, at a rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday. The couple are pictured during a “Salute to America” event on the South Lawn of the White House on July 4, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
She paid tribute to Secret Service agents and law enforcement officials who “risked their own lives” to protect her husband, and honored the victims, including one person who was fatally struck.
“To the families of the innocent victims who are now suffering from this heinous act, I humbly offer my sincerest sympathy. Your need to summon your inner strength for such a terrible reason saddens me.”
Melania said that America is a unique nation and that courage and common sense must ascend and “bring us back together as one.”
![Barron Trump, Donald Trump, Melania Trump](https://i0.wp.com/iverifyu.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/AP20288723563703.jpg?resize=1200%2C675&ssl=1)
Barron Trump right, stands with then President Donald Trump and then first lady Melania Trump on the South Lawn of the White House on the fourth day of the Republican National Convention in Washington in 2020. (Photo/Evan Vucc)
“I am thinking of you, now, my fellow Americans,” Melania wrote, while calling for the nation to reunite.”
“Dawn is here again. Let us reunite. Now.”
The former first lady has stayed off the campaign trail so far this year but is expected to attend the Republican National Convention this week.
“This morning, ascend above the hate, the vitriol, and the simple-minded ideas that ignite violence. We all want a world where respect is paramount, family is first, and love transcends.”
“We can realize this world again. Each of us must demand to get it back. We must insist that respect fills the cornerstone of our relationships, again.”
“The winds of change have arrived. For those of you who cry in support, I thank you. I commend those of you who have reached out beyond the political divide – thank you for remembering that every single politician is a man or a woman with a loving family.”
![Melania Trump statement on assassination attempt](https://i0.wp.com/iverifyu.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Melania-Trump-statement.jpg?resize=1200%2C675&ssl=1)
Former First Lady Melania Trump’s statement on the near-assassination of her husband (Melania Trump/X)