Donald Trump has acknowledged that it was “God alone” who saved his life. Here’s what he posted on his social media a day after he narrowly survived an assassination attempt:
“Thank you to everyone for your thoughts and prayers yesterday, as it was God alone who prevented the unthinkable from happening. We will FEAR NOT, but instead remain resilient in our Faith and Defiant in the face of Wickedness. Our love goes out to the other victims and their families. We pray for the recovery of those who were wounded, and hold in our hearts the memory of the citizen who was so horribly killed. In this moment, it is more important than ever that we stand United, and show our True Character as Americans, remaining Strong and Determined, and not allowing Evil to Win. I truly love our Country, and love you all, and look forward to speaking to our Great Nation this week from Wisconsin.”
The former president’s aides said he was in “great spirits” and doing well as he arrived in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on Sunday (July 14) evening for the Republican National Convention which begins on Monday (July 15) and will formally endorse Mr. Trump as the party’s nominee for the presidential election in early November.
Dan Patrick, the Lieutenant Governor of Texas, also saw divine intervention in Donald Trump’s miraculous survival. In a text to him he wrote:
“By the slightest turn of your head in a mere micro-second or the shield of a teleprompter, your life was spared by the Grace of a Merciful and Holy God. I shared with you not long ago, on our flight to Houston, that God has had his hand on you since you first ran for President. That I believe. No man could survive all you have been through without the Grace of God upon you. The Bible verse And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this? appears in the book of Esther 4:14. Praise God your life was spared For such a time as this.”
President Joe Biden implored Americans to “cool it down” in the final stretch of the presidential race and to “resolve our differences at the ballot box. There is no place in America for this kind of violence, for any violence. Ever. Period. No exception. We can’t allow this violence to be normalised.” The shooting brought a temporary pause in the heated presidential campaign which is expected to warm up again this week amid the pageantry of the Republican convention.
The shooter has been identified as 20-year-old Pittsburgh nursing home worker Thomas Matthew Crooks who had no criminal record. His motive remains a mystery with investigators believing he was acting as a ‘lone wolf’ before he was fatally shot by Secret Service agents. Crooks killed fire chief Corey Comperatore who dived on top of his family to protect them. He is being described as a devoted Christian dad who went to church every Sunday. An incredible A$750,000 has already been raised for his family. Two other men who were seriously wounded are reported to be recovering in a stable condition.
US Christian leaders voiced their relief that Donald Trump survived. Among them, evangelist Franklin Graham wrote beside an image of a wounded Trump: “I thank God that former President Donald Trump is alive.” Focus on the Family President Jim Daly added: “We are grateful that President Trump was not seriously injured. We are praying earnestly for Mr. Trump and his family and the loved ones of the bystander who was killed. It is in no way premature to call for Americans of all ideological perspectives, Republicans and Democrats alike, to commit to bringing greater civility to their advocacy in the public square.”
Alveda King, the niece of civil rights leader and Baptist Minister Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. who was assassinated in a Memphis hotel in 1968, said she was grieved by the tragic shooting in Pennsylvania. The founder of Speak for Life and chair of the Center for the American Dream at America First Policy Institute, said: “I grieve today for the hatred that was displayed as an assassination attempt on the life of President Trump. My prayers are with President Trump, his family and all of America tonight! It’s time for our nation to commit itself to prayer, forgiveness, non-violence and unity.”
Greg Laurie, pastor and founder of the Harvest churches in California and Hawaii, also shared an image of the wounded former president, saying: “It’s time for us as a nation to pray, regardless of our political affiliation. God spared Donald Trump today.”
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — two of Mr. Trump’s closest allies on the international stage — were among the first world leaders to offer prayers for the former president and condemn the attack.
The Australian Christian Lobby’s NSW Director Joshua Rowe reflected on how the assassination attempt might impact Australia. He told Vision Radio: “I think the polarisation of politics is crazy at the current cultural moment, and it’s just gone too far in America. I mean, we saw the weaponisation of the state through through lawfare, not too long ago against Trump and now an attempted assassination. They just keep going at him personally. And you know what happens? There’s an inevitable resort to violence when you lose the ability for legitimate debate within politics and the way that the media is framing things; the way that political campaigns are being run nowadays; what’s on socials, especially for young people accessing social media?”
“There’s a real lack of robust debate even here in Australia. Here’s this generation that’s being groomed in the political biases, polarisation and militancy and a real extremism in their political approach. That highlights the importance of the free exchange of information, freedom of speech, freedom of religion, all of these things that we fight for. It’s so important that we have them and that we’re able to use them in ways that promote good debate about policy and in politics.”
