Melania Trump's first reaction after US rally shooting: 'A monster who recognised my husband Donald as...'

Trump was hit in the ear in an assassination attempt

Condemning the assassination bid in which the Republican candidate for the US presidential polls and her husband Donald Trump was injured, former first lady Melania Trump in her first reaction said that a gunman who opened fire at the rally was a "monster."

"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," Melania Trump said in a statement shared on X.

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— MELANIA TRUMP (@MELANIATRUMP) July 14, 2024

“When I watched that violent bullet strike my husband, Donald, I realised my life, and Barron's life, were on the brink of devastating change. I am grateful to the brave secret service agents and law enforcement officials who risked their own lives to protect my husband. To the families of the innocent victims who are now suffering from this heinous act, I humbly offer my sincerest sympathy. Your need to summon your inner strength for such a terrible reason saddens me,” she added.

“The winds of change have arrived. For those of you who cry in support, I thank you. 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,” she wrote further.

Notably, this election season, she's largely avoided appearing on the campaign altogether. However, she will attend the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee next week, making a rare political appearance.

After being released from hospital, Trump said it was divine intervention that helped him survive an assassination attempt during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania, and called on Americans to unite.

"It was God alone who prevented the unthinkable from happening," the former US president and White House hopeful said on social media, urging fellow Americans to unite in "not allowing Evil to Win."

Trump was hit in the ear in an assassination attempt by a gunman at a campaign rally on Saturday, in a chaotic and shocking incident set to supercharge political tensions ahead of the US presidential election.