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* DONALD TRUMP WAS INJURED AFTER A BULLET GRAZED HIS EAR DURING A SHOOTING AT HIS PENNSYLVANIA CAMPAIGN RALLY ON SATURDAY, JULY 13 * "I’M NOT SUPPOSED TO BE HERE, I’M SUPPOSED TO BE

DEAD," THE FORMER PRESIDENT SAID IN HIS FIRST INTERVIEW SINCE THE ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT * TRUMP PRAISED THE "FANTASTIC" SECRET SERVICE PERSONNEL WORKING THAT DAY, ADDING,

"IT'S SURREAL FOR ALL OF US" Donald Trump is speaking out after the shooting at his Pennsylvania campaign rally over the weekend. On Saturday, July 13, Trump, 78, was injured

after shots were fired at the former president in Butler, Pa., in what authorities have since confirmed was an "assassination attempt." While speaking to the _New York Post_ about

the "very surreal experience," Trump said, “The doctor at the hospital said he never saw anything like this, he called it a miracle." “I’m not supposed to be here, I’m

supposed to be dead,” he continued. “I’m supposed to be dead.” The suspected shooter, identified as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, was killed by Secret Service agents, but not before a

bystander was fatally shot and two more critically wounded.  A motive for the shooting has not yet been determined. In a statement shared on his social media platform, Truth Social, Trump

said he'd been "shot with a bullet that pierced the upper part of my right ear." Elsewhere in his interview with the _Post, _Trump praised the Secret Service personnel working

that day. “They did a fantastic job,” he told the outlet, adding, “It’s surreal for all of us.”  Trump, who was talking to the outlet on his plane while traveling to Milwaukee for the

Republican National Convention on Monday, July 15, also mentioned the photos taken in the aftermath of the shooting, including one shot of him posing with his fist in the air. “A lot of

people say it’s the most iconic photo they’ve ever seen. They’re right and I didn’t die. Usually you have to die to have an iconic picture,” Trump said. Insisting he "wanted to keep

speaking," at the rally before he was ushered into a car, Trump admitted, “By luck or by God, many people are saying it’s by God I’m still here." Referencing a moment seen in a

video shared on X (formerly known as Twitter) in which Trump was heard asking about his shoes, the politician told the outlet, “The agents hit me so hard that my shoes fell off, and my shoes

are tight.” Trump's wife Melania Trump was also among those speaking out after Saturday's shooting, releasing an emotional statement the morning after her husband was targeted.

"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 statement began. "Let

us not forget that differing opinions, policy, and political games are inferior to love," she added. "Political concepts are simple when compared to us, human beings. American

politics are only one vehicle that can uplift our communities. Love, compassion, kindness and empathy are necessities." The 54-year-old continued, "And let us remember that when

the time comes to look beyond the left and the right, beyond the red and the blue, we all come from families with the passion to fight for a better life together, while we are here, in this

earthly realm." NEVER MISS A STORY — SIGN UP FOR PEOPLE'S FREE DAILY NEWSLETTER TO STAY UP-TO-DATE ON THE BEST OF WHAT PEOPLE HAS TO OFFER​​, FROM CELEBRITY NEWS TO COMPELLING

HUMAN INTEREST STORIES.  Melania also expressed sympathy for the families of bystanders who were wounded, including the man who was killed. According to multiple outlets, including CNN, 

Reuters and _The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette_, the man fatally shot at the rally has been identified as 50-year-old firefighter Corey Comperatore. Per CNN, while speaking at a press conference

on Sunday, July 14, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said that Comperatore "died trying to protect his family." “Corey was a girl-dad. Corey was a firefighter. Corey went to church

every Sunday,” he said, per _The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette_. “He was so excited last night to be there with [Trump] and the community.” A GoFundMe page set up to provide aid to the Comperatore

 family amid their loss has reached over $848,500 so far.