Ivanka Trump has opened up about the terrifying moment she watched her father Donald Trump survive an assassination attempt on live television. She described feeling a mix of horror and an instinctive calm that told her he would be okay.
It all happened back on July 13 during a campaign rally in Butler Pennsylvania. A gunman opened fire grazing Donalds ear with a bullet before Secret Service agents quickly got him off the stage. Those images of blood on his face went viral almost instantly and left the whole country in shock.
Ivanka and Donald Trump. Credit / Getty Images
Ivanka was at the Trump family golf club in Bedminster New Jersey with two of her children when the news broke. The televisions were already on so she caught it unfolding almost in real time.
“There was a lot of commotion” she recalled in a recent interview on The Diary of a CEO podcast. “I saw it almost immediately.”
Her first instinct was to shield her kids from the horrifying scene. Arabella Joseph and Theodore were right there with her and turning them away in that split second felt incredibly tough. Even while everything was still chaotic she said a strange sense of certainty washed over her.
“I knew in real time in that moment that he was fine” Ivanka explained. “I just knew it wasnt his time. I was horrified and scared and protective of my children but I also didnt believe the worst possible outcome had transpired. And thank God it hadnt.
She spoke about how the close call made her think deeply about life and its fragility. Being so fortunate that day reinforced for her the importance of cherishing every moment with loved ones.
“We were so fortunate that this was a failed attempt to take his life” she said. “It makes you recommit to love and connection and to recognizing how short our time here really is.”
Looking back Ivanka chooses to focus on the positive. Her father is still here and thats what matters most to her as a daughter. She believes responding with negativity only brings more of it into the world so she opts for gratitude instead.
When asked about the shooter she acknowledged there was clearly a lot of sickness involved but emphasized that Donald surviving was the true blessing.
Its clear this experience has stayed with her but shes determined to move forward with perspective and strength rather than letting it define her with trauma.
