Former President Trump reflected on the now world-famous photo of him holding his fist in the air after an assassination attempt during an interview published on Monday, quipping you “usually have to die” for it to become iconic.
“A lot of people say it’s the most iconic photo they’ve ever seen,” Trump told the New York Post. “They’re right and I didn’t die. Usually you have to die to have an iconic picture.”
Trump was shot in the ear on Saturday in an assassination attempt at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
“I just wanted to keep speaking, but I just got shot,” the former president said.
ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT ON TRUMP AT PENNSYLVANIA RALLY LEAVES 2 HURT, 2 DEAD, INCLUDING SHOOTER
Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump is surrounded by U.S. Secret Service agents after being shot on Saturday, July 13, 2024, in Butler, Pa. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
The photo of Trump has been re-posted across social media following the shooting and was on front pages across the country and world Sunday. After shots were fired at the president, Secret Service agents surrounded him, and the former president was seen pumping his fist in the air and telling the crowd to “fight.”
Trump told the Post that he “wasn’t supposed to be here” in the interview following the assassination attempt. Experts have said Trump was extraordinarily lucky to survive, as just a few centimeters and a coincidental head turn were the difference between life and death.
The shooter, Thomas Matthew Crooks, was killed by Secret Service agents after he opened fire.
One attendee, Corey Comperatore, 50, a former fire chief of Buffalo Township, was killed, and two others were critically injured at the rally. It’s being investigated as an assassination attempt and an act of domestic terrorism, and the shooter’s exact motives remain unknown.
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Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump is rushed offstage during a rally on July 13, 2024 in Butler, Pennsylvania. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Trump also told the New York Post that he appreciated the “fine” and “very nice” call he received from President Biden in the aftermath of the event, noting – without specifics – that the race between them could be more civil going forward.
He also praised his rally audience for staying calm during the entire incident.
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“By luck or by God, many people are saying it’s by God I’m still here,” the president said.
Fox News’ Greg Norman contributed to this report.