The former president of the United States, Donald Trump, paid tribute to Corey Comperatore, the firefighter who died in the attack against the president that occurred last Saturday at a rally in Pennsylvania.
During his speech at the Republican National Convention, Trump walked to the side of the stage, where the victim's uniform was displayed, and kissed his helmet.
"The shooter took the life of one of our American compatriots, Corey Comperatore, an incredible person, everyone tells me. (...) He was a former firefighter very respected by all. He was accompanied by his wife Helen, an incredible woman, I spoke with her today, she is devastated, and their two precious daughters. He lost his life selflessly to protect his family from bullets," he recalled.
Trump thanked the Fire Department and the family of the deceased for sending his helmet and uniform to the Convention.
It was also announced that 6.3 million dollars have been raised for the firefighter's family and for the two people who were injured in the rally, two men aged 57 and 74, who are now out of danger.
"I spoke with them today and with the three families," he revealed, and then clarified: "When I spoke with the family, I told them: 'I am going to send you a lot of money, but it cannot compensate.'"
Finally, the Republican leader requested a minute of silence from the attendees in memory of Comperatore.
After being declared the presidential candidate of the Republican Party, Trump took the opportunity to recount what happened during the assassination attempt he suffered, and he recalled that "the assassin's bullet was a quarter of an inch away from taking my life."
He warned that it would be the only time he talks about it, because "it's too painful to recount."
"Behind me and to the right, there was a large screen displaying a graph of border crossings under my leadership. The numbers were absolutely astounding. To see the graph, I began to turn, thus, to my right, and I was ready to start another turn, which I was lucky not to have done, when I heard a loud whistle and felt something hit me, very, very hard, on my right ear," he recounted.
"I told myself, 'Wow, what was that? It can only be a bullet,' and I moved my right hand to my ear, lowered it, and my hand was covered in blood. There was absolutely blood all over the place. I immediately knew it was very serious, that we were being attacked, and in one motion, I threw myself to the ground," he added.
The president explained why he decided to raise his fist when the security agents lifted him off the ground, an image that for his supporters and the whole world signifies a gesture of anger and determination at the same time.
"When I got up, surrounded by the Secret Service, the crowd was confused because they thought I was dead, and there was a great, great sadness. I could see it on their faces. I wanted to let them know that I was fine. So I raised my right arm, looked at the thousands and thousands of people who were waiting breathlessly, and started shouting 'fight, fight, fight,'" he said.
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