Divine Intervention? Trump Suggests God Saved Him to 'Straighten Out' the Country
In a recent interview with Fox News host Mark Levin, former U.S. President Donald Trump suggested that divine intervention may have played a role in his survival of an assassination attempt in July. Trump, who is currently seeking re-election, hinted that God might have spared him to "straighten out" the country.
"I think you think like, if you believe in God, you believe in God more. And somebody said like, why? And I’d like to think that God thinks that I’m going to straighten out our country," Trump told Levin on Life, Liberty & Levin. This statement comes amid Trump's increasing efforts to mobilize his religious base, including Christian nationalists, as he aims to return to the White House.
Trump has previously alluded to divine intervention in the aftermath of the shooting, which occurred at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania. "I’m not supposed to be here. I’m supposed to be dead," he told reporters soon after the incident. He further elaborated, "By luck or by God, many people are saying it’s by God I’m still here."
During his Fox News interview, Trump speculated on the political purpose behind his survival. "Our country is so sick and it’s so broken. Our country is just broken. And maybe that was the reason, I don’t know. I don’t know, a lot of people have said that," he stated. Trump cited his sons, both experienced hunters, who had told him that the shooter, Matthew Crooks, should not have missed from such a close distance. He added that Crooks was likely rushed.
Trump also praised his Secret Service detail, which has faced criticism for failing to prevent Crooks from taking up position on a rooftop less than 300 feet away from the stage and firing eight shots, resulting in one death and two serious injuries. "Obviously, somebody should have been on top of that roof. And there was some problems. But I have to tell you – Secret Service. They were on top of me and they were bullets were flying over us–and there wasn’t one of them that said, ‘Oh gee, I’m not doing that,’" Trump said.
The former president's invocation of divine purpose comes as his former commerce secretary, Wilbur Ross, publicly advised him against appearing too "big and strong" in his upcoming debate against Vice-President Kamala Harris on September 10. Ross warned that Trump should be careful not to be seen as "piling on a woman," as people generally dislike seeing women pushed too hard.
Ross suggested that the debate should focus on "real topics" such as inflation, foreign affairs, and the country's southern border. "I think he needs to smoke her out as to what her positions are on those topics and subject them to real debate," Ross said. "I think if he sticks to those issues, I think he’ll do just fine."
Trump's comments on divine intervention and his survival reflect a broader strategy to appeal to his religious base, as he seeks to regain the presidency in the upcoming election.