Melania Trump again raises questions about Butler shooting while recounting the moments she learned of assassination attempts

By Aaron Pellish, CNN

(CNN) — Former first lady Melania Trump reflected on her experience of the two assassination attempts on her husband’s life, including the moments she learned of both incidents, while again raising questions about the details of the July shooting at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.

In a wide-ranging interview with Fox News that aired Thursday, the former first lady again said that she “had a lot of questions” in the wake of the Butler shooting that injured former President Donald Trump and several others and left one person dead, saying that coverage of the incident made her feel that circumstances surrounding the investigation are “not normal.”

“It’s interesting how quiet and – everything became, all of the mainstream media, there were a few days of reporting about July 13 event, and everything then became quiet. So I had a lot of questions: What’s going on? It’s – this is not normal,” she said.

Her comment in the interview, part of her effort to promote her new memoir, comes after she posted a video to social media earlier this month questioning the security at the rally and calling for details of the attempted assassination to come to light.

“I can’t help but wonder, why didn’t law enforcement officials arrest the shooter before the speech?” she said in the video. “There is definitely more to this story, and we need to uncover the truth.”

In the interview with Fox News, the former first lady also blamed the assassination attempts partly on rhetoric from Democrats. She said that by labeling her husband a “threat to democracy,” they were “fueling a toxic atmosphere,” and she called for the country to unite.

“Is it really shocking that all this egregious violence goes against my husband, especially that we hear the leaders from the opposition party and mainstream media branding him as ‘threat to democracy,’ calling him vile names. They are only fueling a toxic atmosphere and giving power to all of these people that want to do harm to him. This needs to stop. This needs to stop. The country needs to unite,” she said.

Donald Trump was minutes into a speech in Butler on July 13 when a gunman fired eight shots at the stage, bloodying the former president’s right ear. Secret Service agents killed the gunman at the scene.

The former president is expected to hold a rally in Butler next week, returning to the city for the first time since the assassination attempt. At the event, he will honor Corey Comperatore, the firefighter who was killed in the shooting, and two other supporters, who were injured, the Trump campaign announced Wednesday.

Melania Trump also recounted to Fox News the moments she learned about both assassination attempts – from watching TV while in a different city from her husband.

“I ran to the TV, and I rewind it, and I watched it. I was only a few minutes behind, and something I guess, look over me, so I didn’t really see live live, but maybe, you know, three minutes, few minutes later. But when I saw it, I — you know, it was only — nobody really knew yet. Because when you see him on the floor, and you don’t know, you don’t know what really happened,” she said, referring to the Butler shooting.

“I was in New York City, actually, and I saw it on the television,” she said of the second assassination attempt, which occurred on Trump’s golf course in West Palm Beach, Florida, last week. “I called again, and he was OK, because Secret Service were great. The guys that they were with him, they were fantastic.”

The former president was quickly rushed away from the golf course after a Secret Service agent fired at the suspect after spotting him in the bushes at the perimeter of the club. The suspect was later arrested and subsequently indicted Tuesday on an attempted assassination charge. He also faces two gun-related charges.

Melania Trump said that the fact that Trump survived both attempted assassinations was miraculous and suggested he was spared to serve an important purpose to the American people.

“I think both of the events, they were really miracles, if you really think about it, the July 13 (incident) was a miracle. Like that much – and he could, you know, he could not be with us,” she said. “I think something was watching over him. I think he’s – it’s almost like, the country really needs him.”

The former first lady’s forthcoming memoir, titled “Melania,” is set to hit shelves in October, according to Skyhorse Publishing. Her office, when announcing the book, described it as “a powerful and inspiring story of a woman who has carved her own path, overcome adversity and defined personal excellence.”

She has maintained a relatively low profile throughout her husband’s 2024 presidential campaign, making only a handful of public appearances since he launched his third White House bid in November 2022.

CNN’s Eric Bradner and Piper Hudspeth Blackburn contributed to this report.

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