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Melania Trump has broken her silence over the assassination attempt on her husband Donald Trump, making an impassioned plea for Americans to come “together as one”.
“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,” the former first lady wrote in a statement shared on X on Sunday.
“I am grateful to the brave secret service agents and law enforcement officials who risked their own lives to protect my husband,” she said in a statement.
Follow our live blog for updates on the aftermath of the assassination attempt on Donald Trump
Melania went on to call for unity across the country in the wake of the shooting at Trump’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday – a shooting that he survived but which left one spectator dead and two others critically injured.
“I am thinking of you, now, my fellow Americans. We have always been a unique union. America, the fabric of our gentle nation is tattered, but our courage and common sense must ascend and bring us back together as one,” she wrote.
“A monster who recognized my husband as an inhuman political machine attempted to ring out Donald’s passion - his laughter, ingenuity, love of music, and inspiration,” she continued.
“The core facets of my husband’s life - his human side - were buried below the political machine.”
The former first lady described her husband as a “generous and caring man who I have been with through the best of times and the worst of times.”
The suspected shooter, later identified as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, opened fire jsut after 6pm from the rooftop of a nearby building, just outside the paremeters of the rally.
Trump was around 15 minutes into his speech when a rapid succession of shots ripped through the venue.
Trump ducked to the ground behind his podium. Secret Service rushed onto the stage, grabbed the former president by the arms, and helped him up to standing position.
He threw his fist in the air while blood dripped across his face from his ear. Agents then led him to safety offstage and rushed him away in his motorcade.
The presumptive GOP nominee later said a bullet struck his ear and thanked God for preventing “the unthinkable from happening.”
One spectator was killed in the incident and two others were critically injured, authorities said.
The gunman was fatally shot by Secret Service agents on the scene.
In her statement, Melania expressed her sympathies to the families of the victims killed and injured in the shooting.
“To the families of the innocent victims who are now suffering from this heinous act, I humbly offer my sincerest sympathy,” she wrote.
Melania thanked Americans of all political stripes for voicing their support for her husband and her family in the wake of the incident.
“For those of you who cry in support, I thank you,” she said.
“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.”
The former first lady has been largely absent from her husband’s campaign trail as he tries to take back the White House in November.
Last month, she recently hosted a swanky fundraiser in Manhattan for Log Cabin Republicans.
Her heartfelt statement comes after months of mounting speculation that the former first couple could be heading for divorce. The former model has shied away from the public eye — especially after her husband left the White House.
She also did not show up at the former president’s criminal hush money trial in Manhattan in May. The presumptive GOP nominee admitted at the time: “It’s very hard for her.”
It’s not immediately clear if Melania attended the Butler rally. The Independent has emailed a Trump campaign spokesperson for more information.
