Donald Trump paid tribute to Corey Comperatore, the fire chief who was killed while shielding his family from gunfire during the assassination attempt against the former president in Butler, Pennsylvania, during his speech at the Republican National Convention on Thursday. The slain father of two’s fire department uniform adorned the stage as Trump spoke, leading the convention in a moment of silence for the fallen hero.
“There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for others. This is the spirit that forged America in her darkest hours, and this is the love that will lead America back to the summit of human achievement and greatness. This is what we need,” Trump said.
“Despite such a heinous attack, we unite this evening more determined than ever,” he added.
Trump also paid tribute to “very, very seriously injured” rallygoers David Dutch and James Copenhaver, calling them “great warriors.”
BY THE GRACE OF GOD.
Trump recounted the attempt on his life for what he said would be the first and last time “because it’s actually too painful to tell.”
He recalled it was a “warm, beautiful day” in Butler Township when his rally began and “Everybody was happy.”
“Behind me, and to the right, was a large screen that was displaying a chart of border crossings… In order to see the chart, I started to, like this, turn to my right.. when I heard a loud whizzing sound and felt something hit me really, really hard,” he said.
The former president described how his hand was “covered with blood” after he touched his ear, and that he “immediately knew it was very serious. That we were under attack.”
He praised the Secret Service agents who rushed to cover him as “great people at great risk,” saying, “in a certain way I felt very safe because I had God on my side. I felt that.”
Trump also paid tribute to the crowd. Instead of running, they “didn’t move an inch” and “bravely but automatically stood up, looking for where the sniper would be.”
“Nobody ran, and by not stampeding, many lives were saved,” he said. “They just, this beautiful crowd, they didn’t want to leave me. They knew I was in trouble. They didn’t want to leave me.”
“I’m not supposed to be here tonight,” he added, prompting chants of “Yes, you are!”
“Thank you. But I’m not. And I’ll tell you. I stand before you in this arena only by the grace of Almighty God,” he said.
“For the rest of my life, I will be grateful for the love shown by that giant audience of patriots that stood bravely on that fateful evening in Pennsylvania.”
‘NOTHING WILL STOP ME.’
Trump assured the RNC the assassination attempt had not discouraged him: “Our resolve is unbroken and our purpose is unchanged, to deliver a government that serves the American people better than ever before,” he vowed.
“Nothing will stop me in this mission because our vision is righteous and our cause is pure. No matter what obstacle comes our way, we will not break, we will not bend, we will not back down, and I will never stop fighting for you, your family, and our magnificent country. Never.”
“Tonight, I ask for your partnership, for your support, and I am humbly asking for your vote,” he concluded.
“To all of the forgotten men and women who have been neglected, abandoned, and left behind, you will be forgotten no longer. We will press forward, and together, we will win, win, win,” he added, pledging: “Nothing will sway us. Nothing will slow us. And no one will ever stop us.”
“No matter what dangers come our way, no matter what obstacles lie in our path, we will keep striving toward our shared and glorious destiny—and we will not fail.”
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