Donald Trump Jr. expressed awe at his father's unwavering resilience after an assassination attempt, calling it evidence of the leadership qualities America needs.
Former President Donald Trump's son, Donald Trump Jr., has vehemently hailed his father's defiance following an assassination attempt at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania, extolling it as a testament to the kind of leadership America requires.
"The first words out of my mouth were, ‘You’re the biggest bada-- I’ve ever seen,' and I actually mean that," Trump Jr. told Fox News correspondent Aishah Hasnie at the Republican National Convention.
Trump Jr. Praises Father's Leadership After Surviving Assassination Attempt: 'Divine Intervention'
Trump Jr. highlighted the former president's defiant demeanor, captured in a now-viral photograph, as a testament to his father's strength and resolution. "Everyone these days is a tough guy on the internet or on a keyboard, but when you've actually been shot, and you can get up, defiant, fist in the air, telling people to stay in the game, to fight — That’s exactly the kind of leadership we need. That's actually a man who has been tested," he said.
Trump Jr. admitted to being deeply impressed by his father's unwavering courage, emphasizing that it was a quality rare among many who portray themselves as tough but fail to live up to that image.
Trump Jr. Praises Father's Leadership After Surviving Assassination Attempt: 'Divine Intervention'
Describing the aftermath of the shooting as a harrowing experience, Trump Jr. recounted the anxious 90-minute waiting period before he could make contact with his father due to security protocols. "That was a rough time. And then I spoke to him, I said what I said, and even in that moment, he was still having some levity, and he was back in the game. It was incredible," he added.
The shooting has sparked scrutiny of the Secret Service's security measures, with questions raised about how the shooter managed to access the rooftop and get close to the former president. Trump Jr. lauded the agents as "patriots" but conceded he had concerns about the handling of security.
Trump Jr. Praises Father's Leadership After Surviving Assassination Attempt: 'Divine Intervention'
"For someone to get out on an open roof within 130 yards — I'm not going to be the guy to be conspiratorial, but something went wrong," he said. Trump Jr. expressed his belief that the former president's survival was a miraculous act of divine intervention.
"That was truly divine intervention, as far as I'm concerned," he said.
Trump Jr.'s admiration for his father's resilience extended to the former president's ability to remain focused and maintain a sense of humor despite the gravity of the situation. "I've said this for a long time, my father's superpower, I don't know what it is. But he just has this uncanny ability, when everyone else is freaking out, to stay laser-focused on the problem at hand," he said.
The shooting has further intensified the political divide in the country, with some dismissing the severity of the incident while others express concern about the rising levels of political violence. Trump Jr. attributed the discrepancy in responses to a media bias and a стремление undermine his father's character.
"It's a partisan issue because the media has chosen to make it a partisan issue and because the left, the Democrats and the media, hate my father so much," he said. "They'll never give him the credit he deserves."
Trump Jr. closed his interview by reiterating his admiration for his father's leadership qualities and his belief that the former president would emerge from this incident stronger than ever. "He's going to come out of this thing stronger than he was before," he said. "He's already looking ahead, he's already talking to supporters, he's already getting ready for the next rally."
