President Trump casually cracked a joke about an assassination attempt against him days before the first anniversary of the failed attack.
The president was schmoozing crowds in Des Moines, Iowa, as part of his celebrations for the 250th anniversary of American Independence.
While Trump was delivering a wide-ranging speech, where he spoke about everything from border security to his hatred for Democrats, fireworks popped in the distance.
Some people in the crowd turned around to check it out, and Trump quipped: “Did I hear what I think I heard?”
He diverted back to his prompter and said: “But we’ve achieved the lowest level of illegal border crossings in U.S. History. Zero illegals. Think of it. We had zero. And as I said, and I’ll say it again, I love it because I have never seen any country suffer. No country has ever. There’s never...”
He was again interrupted by a distant bang. “Don’t worry. It’s only fireworks. I hope. Famous last words!” he joked, surrounded by bulletproof glass.
The crowd laughed and Trump played up to the reaction, adding: “My famous last words, ‘Trump said, Don’t worry, it’s only fireworks!’
“Yeah, you always have to think positive. I didn’t like that sound either, you know?”
His joke was a reference to the attempt on his life in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13 last year. A bullet grazed Trump’s ear as he spoke at a campaign rally. One supporter attending the event was killed. Another two were critically injured. All the victims were male.
The suspected shooter, Thomas Crooks, a 20-year-old from a suburb of Pittsburgh, around 42 miles from the rally site, was “neutralized” by the Secret Service immediately after the attack.
