President Donald Trump believes divine intervention saved his life during the near-fatal assassination attempt at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, 2024. That’s the powerful claim shared in a new book by journalist Salena Zito, who was present at the rally and has now published a firsthand account of the harrowing day.
In “Butler: The Untold Story of the Near Assassination of Donald Trump and the Fight for America’s Heartland,” Zito chronicles the chaotic moments that followed the shooting, which left Trump with a bullet wound to his upper ear and tragically claimed the life of firefighter Corey Comperatore, a bystander in the crowd.
Images from the scene showed Trump being rushed off stage by Secret Service agents, his face bloodied, yet defiant. A now-iconic photo captured the president raising a clenched fist as he was evacuated—a symbol of resolve that has since become etched into the national memory.
Zito, who refused to duck during the attack and witnessed the entire event unfold, said Trump showed remarkable composure and purpose in the aftermath. “I heard everything,” she told Fox News host Brian Kilmeade. “Including his insistence to put his shoes back on,” which she described as an oddly comic moment amidst the chaos.
According to Zito, Trump contacted her the day after the attempt on his life—not just once, but seven times. “He would go on to call me, it was a total of seven times that day,” she said. “We had some powerful conversations.”
Among the most striking revelations was Trump’s repeated belief that he was spared for a reason.
“He kept asking about the angle of the shot—why he turned his head, why he looked at a chart onstage,” Zito recalled. “He comes to the conclusion, several times, that it was the hand of God.” Trump reportedly told her that he believes he was left alive for a higher purpose—something greater than politics. “To be the best thing that he could possibly be for the country,” Zito recounted.
In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, Trump reportedly refused to flee the stage in haste, despite Secret Service urgency. Zito asked him why. His response, she says, was deeply symbolic: “I wasn’t Donald Trump in that moment. I represented the presidency of the United States.”
Trump went on to explain that he felt it was his duty to embody American resilience. “I needed people to know that we go on, and we will always go on no matter what,” he reportedly said.
The book also highlights the reactions from Trump’s inner circle, including his chief of staff, Susie Wiles, who initially feared the worst. “I thought he was dead,” Wiles admitted, describing the surreal and terrifying moments after gunfire erupted.
The attempt on Trump’s life has since sparked new conversations about political violence, security protocols at campaign events, and the emotional toll such events have on both candidates and citizens alike.
As the 2024 election looms large in the national memory, “Butler” offers an intimate glimpse into the resilience of a man who believes he was saved not just by luck, but by providence.
The would-be assassin was neutralized by Secret Service agents at the scene. Investigations into the shooter’s motives and planning remain ongoing.
The Butler incident, while tragic, has become a defining moment in Trump’s 2024 campaign—and perhaps in his legacy. And if the president is to be believed, it was not just history that intervened that day, but the hand of God.
