God’s got his back.
A year following the near-fatal assassination attempt on President Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, he is more determined than ever to “steer the nation back on course.” His supporters have expressed that they believe a higher power is facilitating his efforts, as stated in conversations leading up to the July 13 anniversary.
“He conveyed to me personally that he believes God spared his life to bring the nation back to greatness, and he strongly feels that he is under divine protection now,” shared Roger Stone, Trump’s longtime political adviser, with The Post.
“I also believe he now feels an increased urgency, recognizing he has four years to set things right by securing our borders, deporting those causing harm, and fostering a thriving economy.”
Trump’s former chief strategist Steve Bannon told The Post the assassination attempt had a lasting effect on the president — and that many in Trump’s inner circle now see his survival as an act of “divine providence.”
“There’s something very different about President Trump today post that assassination attempt,” Bannon said. “He understands that only by a bare fraction of an inch . . . he didn’t have his head blown off on national TV, global TV and that God saved him. And for somebody who’s not particularly outwardly religious, it’s had a very deep impact.”
The near-death experience gave Trump a renewed sense of “urgency” that’s shaped the rapid-fire pace of his second term — and mobilized his base, who believe he was “saved for greater things” and rallied to get him re-elected, Bannon said.
“It’s nonstop . . . whether it’s the 12-Day War [between Israel and Iran], Ukraine, the Big, Beautiful Bill — he’s whipping the vote at 2:30 a.m.” he said. “It’s like a man possessed to make sure that he finishes his work in the time that he has remaining on this Earth.”
Trump, 79, spoke about the shooting in an interview that aired Saturday night with daughter-in-law Lara Trump on Fox News Channel’s “My View.” He said the agents who protected him were skilled and capable, but the Secret Service had a “bad day.”
“Well, it was unforgettable,” Trump said. “I didn’t know exactly what was going on. I got whacked. There’s no question about that. And fortunately, I got down quickly.”
“They should have had somebody in the building [Crooks shot from],” he added. “They should have had communications with the local police . . . there were mistakes made . . . But I was satisfied in terms of the bigger plot.”
The president told Fox News Channel’s “The Will Cain Show” Friday he still occasionally feels a “throbbing” sensation in his right ear from being struck by a bullet during the assassination attempt.
Trump’s polling numbers rose following the attack – in which he famously raised a clenched fist and shouted, “Fight! Fight! Fight!” as blood trickled down his face — with one CBS poll showing his lead over Biden widen from two to five points nationally within five days.
Author Salena Zito, who was standing mere feet from Trump when he was shot, said the “strength and resiliency” he immediately showed after being struck was not lost on the Butler crowd.
“In that moment it created great calm …,” said Zito, also a long-time New York Post contributing writer who authored the new book “Butler: The Untold Story of the Near Assassination of Donald Trump and the Fight for America’s Heartland.”
“There [was] 50,000 people there. You would expect them to stampede, but the temperature changed immediately when he did that, and people didn’t panic.”
“I still get goose bumps about this,” said Zito.
But the dramatic moment that helped propel Trump back into the White House came at a devastating cost.
Corey Comperatore, 50, a fire chief and father of two, was fatally shot at the rally while shielding his wife and daughters from gunfire. Two others in attendance were wounded.
“Evil may have taken you from us, but Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, received you,” Comperatore’s sister, Kelly Comperatore Meeder, wrote in a Facebook post in June marking what would have been his 51st birthday. “Your birthday is a reminder that YOU were a gift to all of us.”
The gunman, 20-year-old Pennsylvanian Thomas Matthew Crooks, was shot and killed by a Secret Service sniper just seconds after firing eight bullets at Trump from a rooftop outside the rally’s security perimeter. His motive remains unclear.
His immediate family hasn’t spoken publicly — not even to relatives.
“My dad reached out to my uncle, [Crooks’ father, Matthew], multiple times . . . and my uncle just doesn’t get back to him,” Crooks’ cousin, Mark, told The Post.
The assassination attempt stunned the country and prompted a sweeping federal investigation into what lawmakers later called a “preventable” attack.
Six Secret Service employees were suspended for failures related to the assassination attempt, the Secret Service confirmed this week. Their punishment includes unpaid leave and reassignment to restricted roles.
The former director, Kimberly Cheatle, resigned less than two weeks after the shooting and told the Post Wednesday the incident was “an organizational failure of the Secret Service.”
“It is my sincere hope that the agency has emerged from that day stronger so our nation never has to experience such a tragedy again,” she said.
Trump appointed Sean Curran — an agent who helped rush him offstage — as the agency’s new director.
“One year ago, I was by President Trump’s side when a lone gunman attempted to assassinate him in Butler, Pennsylvania,” Curran said. “My heart will always be with all those impacted on that day, especially Corey Comperatore.”
Curran said the Secret Service has completed 21 of the 46 congressional reforms recommended after the attack. Sixteen more are still in progress. The rest, he added, fall outside the agency’s authority.
For Comperatore’s family, it was the day everything changed.
Corey, a proud Army veteran, was remembered as a devoted “girl dad” and a man of compassion, quiet strength and service. His obituary described him as someone who “loved Jesus with every fiber of his being” and lifted the spirits of everyone he met.
His widow, Helen, has since spoken out, calling the Secret Service “garbage” and demanding answers for the failures that led to her husband’s death.
Saturday, hundreds of bikers are expected to ride in his honor at “Corey’s Cruise,” a memorial event starting at Freeport High School and ending with a concert in Russellton, PA.
“Motorcyclists, this is your chance to hit the open road, celebrate Corey’s legacy, and make a difference,” organizers wrote.
