Trump says 'God alone' saved him during Butler, PA assassination attempt 'for a righteous purpose'

President Donald Trump released a statement Sunday marking one year since the assassination attempt at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, calling it a moment that nearly ended his life and changed the course of his campaign.

"One year ago today, at 6:11 pm—eight minutes after taking the stage on the grounds of Butler Farms to address thousands of Americans gathered at a campaign rally—rifle fire broke out, and an assassin’s bullet came within a quarter inch of ending my life and silencing our movement to restore American greatness," Trump wrote. "Yet, by the hand of providence and the grace of Almighty God, my life was spared."

Trump described July 13, 2024, as one of the nation’s darkest moments, but said it was also a day that showed the strength of the American people. “We reaffirm that the American spirit has and will always triumph over forces of evil and destruction,” he said.