Former first lady Melania Trump called for the country to come together in a statement posted to Twitter following the assassination attempt on her husband on Sunday.
“This morning, beyond hatred, malice, and simple thoughts, “This is violence,” First Lady Melania Trump said in response to the shooting of former President Trump during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on Saturday.
“We all want a world where respect is paramount, family comes first, and love transcends. We can make this world a reality again, it just takes each and every one of us to demand it back. Respect is once again the cornerstone of our relationship,” Melania wrote.
She also expressed her gratitude to the U.S. Secret Service agents who saved her husband's life. (Related article: “Clearly a huge blunder”: Former Secret Service agent analyzes Trump assassination attempt and security measures)
— Melania Trump (@MELANIATRUMP) July 14, 2024
The former first lady recalled that the moment instantly changed her life.
“When I saw my husband Donald take that vicious bullet, I lost my life and Barron's. Life was on the brink of devastating change.”
She continued to call for the country to come together, pointing to the shared values that unite all Americans.
“Beyond left and right, Red and blue, we all come from a family with a passion to fight together for a better life while we are here on earth.”
Trump also addressed the vitriol and dehumanizing elements of the political rhetoric that led the shooter, identified by the FBI as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, to attempt on her husband's life.
“The monster who recognized my husband as an inhuman political machine. Donald's passions: his laughter, his ingenuity, his love of music, and his inspiration. “My husband's life – his human side – has been submerged under the political machine,” she writes.
She offered her condolences to the families of the shooting victims.We need to summon our inner strength to face these frightening situations. Reason makes me sad.”
The family of the shooting victim, Corey Comperatore, 50, described him on Facebook as a father of two girls and a former volunteer fire chief for Buffalo Township, who they said died while trying to protect his daughters from gunfire.
Melania Trump ended her statement calling for the country to reunify, writing that “dawn has come again.”
“The winds of change are blowing. Thank you to all of you who shed tears of support. I commend you for reaching out across the political divide. “We must remember that every politician is a man or woman with a loving family,” the former first lady concluded.
