Melania Trump, wife of former President Donald Trump, wrote a letter about the attempt to assassinate her husband. As always, she showed grace and class, the qualities that made her an ideal first lady during her husband’s time in office.
In a statement on Sunday, Melania said, “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 thanked the secret service agents who saved her husband and offered sympathy to the family of the firefighter killed at the rally and others who were hurt.
She called her husband a “generous and caring man” and mentioned they have been through “the best and worst times” together. Her statement came amid rumors that Melania was thinking about divorce, which started when she didn’t attend her husband’s “hush money trial.” She has stayed out of the public eye since Trump left the White House in 2021, and Trump admitted she avoided the trial because it was “very hard for her.” Despite not being visible during Trump’s campaign, she has been helping behind the scenes to boost his chances of winning in 2024. Last month, she hosted a fundraiser in Manhattan for Log Cabin Republicans, a GOP group for conservative LGBTQ+ Americans.
In her letter, Melania shared a rare look into life with the former President, saying the gunman tried to take away his humanity, including his “passion, laughter, creativity, love of music, and inspiration.”
She called for unity and asked Americans to rise above hate and violence. She said we all want a world where respect, family, and love are most important. She wrote that we can make this happen, but everyone needs to ensure respect is at the center of relationships. Melania urged people to look beyond political divisions to work for a better life together. We have always been a unique union,” the former first lady wrote, adding, “The fabric of our gentle nation is tattered, but our courage and common sense must ascend and bring us back together as one.”
The attack on Saturday was the closest an assassin had come to killing a U.S. president or candidate since Ronald Reagan was shot in 1981. Some noted similarities to the 1968 assassination of Senator Robert Kennedy, who was shot at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles after winning the California presidential primary. Kennedy was shot by 24-year-old Palestinian Sirhan Sirhan and died the next day.
On July 13, about 15 minutes into Trump’s speech at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, a series of gunshots rang out. The shooter, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, fired from the rooftop of a nearby building just after 6 pm, outside the rally area. Trump ducked behind his podium, and Secret Service agents quickly ran on stage, grabbed him, and helped him stand up. Trump raised his fist in the air while blood dripped from his ear. Agents then led him offstage to safety and quickly took him away in his motorcade. He stopped briefly to fist-pump the crowd and chant “Fight, fight” before getting into a black SUV and going to a nearby medical center.
The gunman, Crooks, was shot and killed by Secret Service agents.
His high school classmates said Crooks was a loner who was bullied daily. His coworkers at the nursing home where he worked said he was “the sweetest guy” who never talked about politics.
Though he registered as a Republican, Crooks donated a small amount to Biden’s campaign in 2021. This November would have been the first general election he was old enough to vote in. His motives are still under investigation.
Melania’s thoughtful and emotional response to her husband’s near-death incident once again shows the grace and dignity that made her a perfect first lady. If all goes well, she will return that dignity to the White House with her husband in January 2025.
