Former first lady Melania Trump released a video on Tuesday calling for more answers regarding the security failures underlying the attempted assassination of her husband, former President Donald Trump, at a campaign rally this summer.
“The attempt to end my husband’s life was a horrible, distressing experience,” said Trump, appearing on camera. “Now, the silence around it feels heavy. I can’t help but wonder why didn’t law enforcement officials arrest the shooter before the speech? There is definitely more to this story. And we need to uncover the truth.”
https://t.co/ZCTwZSqZND pic.twitter.com/KKA6anTEYC
— MELANIA TRUMP (@MELANIATRUMP) September 10, 2024
In mid-July, a shooter opened fire on Donald Trump while he was speaking to a crowd during an outdoor event in Butler, Pennsylvania. The former president survived, though he was grazed in his right ear by a bullet. One rallygoer, 50-year-old fireman Corey Comperatore, was killed. Two other attendees were wounded.
Secret Service snipers quickly took out the gunman, identified as a 20-year-old Pennsylvania man named Thomas Matthew Crooks, who unleashed the attack with a rifle from the roof of a building located roughly 150 yards away from the stage where Trump spoke.
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Investigations ensued, with questions swirling about how law enforcement failed to stop the gunman despite suspicious activity reported before the shooting. Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned over the security failure. CNN reported that Congress and law enforcement uncovered a communications mess and lack of coordination, but some matters remain unresolved, including releasing a motive.
One day after the assassination attempt, Melania Trump released a rare public statement that expressed her gratitude to the “brave secret service agents and law enforcement officials who risked their own lives to protect my husband.” She also called for the American people to “reunite,” and she encouraged them to “ascend above the hate, the vitriol, and the simple-minded ideas that ignite violence.”
Melania Trump’s latest video ended with a message encouraging viewers to order her upcoming memoir, “Melania,” which is set for release in October. The former first lady posted another video to X over the weekend that also promoted her new book while she commented on the repercussions of the last presidential election.
“The 2020 election results changed our lives forever. It impacted our quality of life, cost of food, gasoline, safety, and even the geopolitical landscape,” she said in the brief video, this time not appearing on camera. “America is more divided today than ever before. It has become increasingly apparent that there are significant challenges to free speech as demonstrated by the efforts to silence my husband.”
