Former president Donald Trump made some odd statements during his town hall event in Oaks, Pennsylvania. He claimed to ‘sleep with’ and ‘kiss’ the immigration chart that saved his life during the assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania. Calling it his ‘all-time favorite’ he said, “That’s my favorite piece of paper anywhere in the world, I sleep with it every night, I kiss it,” he said while pointing to its projected image. Recalling the incident, he added: “If I didn’t turn to the right, I wouldn’t be here right now.”
“Turn it up louder!” — Trump calls for Ave Maria to be played again while his favorite chart is displayed, which he says “I sleep with every night. I kiss it.” pic.twitter.com/bLCOBNuCjI
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) October 14, 2024
According to The Independent , Trump claimed to have glanced at the chart as he just avoided being hit by gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, during the fateful July 13th rally. He recalled that the graphic displayed the number of Mexican border crossings into the US during his administration and that of President Joe Biden, as he was talking about illegal immigration at the time of the shooting. The firing began as he looked at the chart on a projection screen to his right. Although the GOP nominee was hit in the ear, he managed to escape unharmed.
Senator Ron Johnson, a Republican from Wisconsin, was the one who initially presented the chart to Trump. Since then the former president has been using it in his political rallies to indicate the success of border control under his administration. As per ABC News , Trump has made the border issue his campaign agenda. He has often declared that if elected again, he will deport millions of undocumented immigrants and put a stop to the so-called “catch and release” policy, which involves border arrests and the release of migrants from government custody so they can subsequently appear in court.
“It’s obvious what the Biden administration has done in that chart. It shows what Trump had to deal with and how he successfully dealt with it,” Johnson said in an interview. “And then it shows just the explosion of illegal immigration under President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris .” This is not the first time the Republican leader expressed gratitude towards the chart. As per Fox News , he publicly honored the unnamed woman who created the chart he was referencing, claiming she saved his life, during a speech at a rally in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, in July.
“You know, this chart saved my life. Where is that chart? I love that chart,” Trump said. “I’m going to sleep with that chart for the rest of my life. That chart … you know the amazing thing? You know, the people that operate the computers and all the brilliant equipment we have backstage.” “She’s never done this before. She saved my life in a sense,” the former president said before the young woman walked up the stage. “I said you saved my life . Here she is. Wow.” “She’s a computer genius,” he added before concluding. “She saved my life.”