Former First Lady Melania Trump issued a powerful statement on Sunday, urging Americans to “ascend above the hate, the vitriol, and the simple-minded ideas that ignite violence” following an assassination attempt on her husband, former President Donald Trump.
Melania Trump expressed gratitude to the U.S. Secret Service agents for protecting the former president and extended her deepest sympathies to the victims who were shot at the rally. One spectator was killed, and two remain seriously injured.
“When I watched that violent bullet strike my husband, Donald, I realized my life, and Barron’s life, were on the brink of devastating change,” she wrote in a statement.
Republican presidential candidate and former U.S. President Donald Trump and his wife Melania attended the 2024 Senior Club Championship award ceremony in West Palm Beach, Florida, on March 24, 2024.
The former first lady condemned the “monster” who attempted the assassination, noting that Donald Trump has often been labeled “an inhuman political machine.” The shooter, identified as 20-year-old Thomas Crooks, is deceased.
“A monster who viewed my husband as an inhuman political machine attempted to extinguish Donald’s passion, laughter, ingenuity, love of music, and inspiration,” Melania Trump wrote. “The core facets of my husband’s life—his human side—were buried beneath the political machine. Donald, the generous and caring man I have been with through the best and worst of times.”
Trump called on Americans to transcend politics, emphasizing that “love, compassion, kindness, and empathy are necessities.” She added that the world can rise above “the hate, the vitriol, and the simple-minded ideas that ignite violence.”
“The winds of change have arrived,” Trump said. “To those of you who cry in support, I thank you. I commend those of you who have reached out beyond the political divide—thank you for remembering that every single politician is a man or a woman with a loving family.”