Donald Trump has opened up on the moment he was nearly assassinated at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, one year on.
On July 13, 2024, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks took to the roof of a building located near to where Trump was hosting an open-air campaign.
Crooks proceeded to fire several rounds in Trump's direction with one of the bullets grazing the president's ear.
While Trump was not fatally injured in the ordeal, one bystander lost his life. He was later identified as Corey Comperatore, who was a retired fire chief of Buffalo Township.
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Two other men were also left seriously injured, while Crooks himself lost his life in the incident after he was fatally shot by a Secret Service sniper.
With the one year anniversary of the assassination attempt that will be etched in US history fast approaching, Trump has been speaking about the moment he was nearly killed.
Speaking to his daughter-in-law Lara Trump in an interview that will soon air on Fox News, the 47th POTUS said: "Well, it was unforgettable. I didn’t know exactly what was going on. I got whacked. There’s no question about that.
"Fortunately, I got down quickly. People were screaming, and I got down quickly, fortunately, because I think they shot eight bullets."
The Republican president went on to say the Secret Service had a 'bad day', which allowed the gunman to head on the roof and fire shots at Trump.
Speaking of the agency, Trump continued to Fox News: "I have great confidence in these people. I know the people. And they’re very talented, very capable.
"But they had a bad day. And I think they’ll admit that. They had a rough day.
"They should have had somebody in the building. They should have had communications with the local police, they weren’t tied in, and they should have been tied in. So there were mistakes made."
However, Trump went on to praise a Secret Service counter sniper for ultimately saving his life and taking down Crooks.
"He went about his business. Less than just about four seconds, and that’s when it all stopped and he got him perfectly from a very long distance," the president continued.
"So we got a little bit lucky in that regard."
Six agents were suspended in the aftermath of the assassination attempt, and the widow of Corey Comperatore said 'our blood is all over their hands' when she spoke almost a year on from that tragic day last summer.
Myosoty Perez was identified by her attorney as one of those to be suspended after she was specifically asked to secure the surrounds on that day, the New York Post reports.
Her lawyer Larry Berger told the publication: "She has fully cooperated already through all the investigations into the matter and she is now deciding what the next steps will be in this situation."
He added that the agent was not in charge of security overall on the day of the rally.
Just two months later, Trump survived a second assassination attempt at the Trump National Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida.
The Secret Service were forced to step in once more and shoot at a man who had poked a a gun through the golf course boundary.
Topics: Donald Trump, Pennsylvania , US News, Gun Crime
Callum Jones