Donald Trump has explained why he doesn't think he'll be 'able to make it to heaven' in a somewhat bizarre answer to a question posed by the press on Air Force One.
On Sunday (October 12), President Trump was on the governmental plane heading to Israel after the last 20 hostages held by Hamas in Gaza were returned to Israel following two years in captivity as part of a huge 'peacemaking' deal between Israel and Hamas.
Last week, Trump said he expected that the hostages would be released today. The BBC reports that Hamas has handed over 20 of the living hostages in two groups to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), with a deadline of 12:00pm being given for the release of the remains of deceased hostages, according to a copy of the ceasefire agreement.
But that's not all, as Israeli troops withdrew to an 'agreed upon line', leaving them in control of 53 per cent of Gaza as part of the 'first phase of our peace plan', Trump said on Truth Social.
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As is the case with presidential trips, members of the US press joined the 79-year-old, and one reporter asked him about previous comments he made regarding his chances of passing through the pearly white gates as he tries to negotiate a peace deal in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.
Back in August, Trump told the Fox and Friends breakfast show: "If I can save 7,000 people a week from being killed, I think that’s pretty — I want to try to get to heaven if possible.
"I’m hearing that I’m not doing well. I am really at the bottom of the totem pole. But if I can get to heaven, this will be one of the reasons."
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And now, following the deal between Israel and Hamas, he was asked how he thinks his odds had improved, to which he responded: "I'm being a little cute. I don't think there's anything going to get me in heaven.
"I really don't. I think I'm not maybe heaven-bound. I may be in heaven right now as we fly on Air Force One. I'm not sure I'm going to be able to make heaven, but I've made life a lot better for a lot of people."
After Trump made comments about 'going to heaven' regarding bringing an end to the war in Ukraine in August, reports suggested the president asked fans to donate money so he could ‘get to heaven’.
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According to Newsweek, emails were dropped in supporters’ inboxes with the subject line ‘I want to try and get to heaven’, asking his supporters for $15 donations, which Snopes later confirmed to be authentic.
Various outlets later reported that the emails were sent out on August 23, before being sent out every few days, which also referenced the attempt on Trump's life in July.
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They further read: "But I believe that God saved me for one reason: TO MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!.
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“I certainly wasn't supposed to survive an assassin's bullet, but by the grace of the almighty God, I did. SO NOW, I have no other choice but to answer the Call to Duty, but I can't do it alone."
People further reported that White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a press briefing that she thought Trump 'was serious', adding: "I think the president wants to get to heaven — as I hope we all do in this room as well."
Elsewhere on Air Force One, Trump went on to claim that had 'the election of 2020 not been rigged', the war in Ukraine never would have started, as he branded Joe Biden and his administration as 'incompetent'.
He said: "We had an incompetent administration. We had an incompetent president. And because of a crooked election, millions of people are dead.
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"And by the way, the Israeli thing was much harder to get settled because of the past administration."
Topics: Donald Trump, Politics, US News
Callum Jones