Former President Donald Trump and former first lady Melania Trump after the funeral of Amalija Knavs, Melania’s mother in Florida on January 18, 2024. Photo credit: Giorgio Viera/AFP/Getty.
Former First Lady Melania Trump has issued her first public statement following the injury of her husband, former President Donald Trump, in a shooting incident at one of his rallies on Saturday. Reflecting on the incident’s impact on her family, she urged the nation to rise above hatred.
In a message posted Sunday morning on X, Melania Trump expressed gratitude to the Secret Service agents and law enforcement officials who protected her husband when shots were fired at his campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. She also conveyed her thoughts to her “fellow Americans” in the unfortunate incident.
Below is the full text of her letter:
Melania Trump
July 14, 2024
“I am thinking of you, now, my fellow Americans.
We have always been a unique union. America, the fabric of our gentle nation, is tattered, but our courage and common sense must ascend and bring us back together as one.
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. 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.
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. The core facets of my husband’s life – his human side – were buried below the political machine. Donald, the generous and caring man who I have been with through the best of times and the worst of times.
Let us not forget that differing opinions, policy, and political games are inferior to love. Our personal, structural, and life commitment – until death – is at serious risk. Political concepts are simple when compared to us, human beings.
We are all humans, and fundamentally, instinctively, we want to help one another. American politics are only one vehicle that can uplift our communities. Love, compassion, kindness, and empathy are necessities.
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.
Dawn is here again. Let us reunite. Now.
This morning, ascend above the hate, the vitriol, and the simple-minded ideas that ignite violence. We all want a world where respect is paramount, family is first, and love transcends. We can realize this world again. Each of us must demand to get it back. We must insist that respect fills the cornerstone of our relationships again.
I am thinking of you, my fellow Americans.
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.”
Melania Trump’s poignant letter calls for unity and emphasizes the importance of love and respect in overcoming the divisions that currently plague the nation. She stresses that at the core, beyond political affiliations, everyone is a human being deserving of compassion and understanding. Her call for the country to “ascend above the hate” resonates as a powerful plea for peace and solidarity in these turbulent times.
