Conservative journalist and commentator Tucker Carlson spoke about how the moment former President Donald Trump pumped his fist to the crowd after being shot at his rally in Pennsylvania last Saturday, he “became the leader of this nation.”
While speaking at the Republican National Convention (RNC) in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Carlson explained that after Trump had been shot by “a bullet that pierced the upper part” of his right ear, and stood up “after being shot in the face” wiping the blood from his face and raising his fist, “everything” became “different after that moment.”
“I’ve watched the video of what happened in Butler, Pennsylvania, about fifteen, fifty times,” Carlson told the crowd. “I think I was one of about eight billion people around the world who watched it, and the more I watched it, the more it struck me that everything was different after that moment. Everything. This convention is different, the nation is different, the world is different, Donald Trump is different.”
Tucker Carlson on the moment Trump was shot:
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) July 19, 2024
"A leader is the bravest man. That's who the leader is. That is true in ALL human organizations. That is a law of nature. And in that moment, Donald Trump — months before the presidential election — became the leader of this nation." pic.twitter.com/wDiwWv1Ewt
“When he stood up after being shot in the face, bloodied, and put his hand up, I thought at that moment, that was a transformation. This was no longer a man,” Carlson continued, adding that he also believes it was “divine intervention.”
Carlson added that at that moment, Trump was “no longer just” the nominee of one of the political parties, “a former president” or even a “future president.”
“This was the leader of a nation. I think there’s a difference. I’ve spent most of my life in Washington, where the president is at the top of the pyramid,” Carlson continued. “But if you think about it, the presidency comes with great power, obviously. But, if you think about it, that is a title, that is bestowed by a process of some sort, that can be subverted. And, in the end, it does not confer, by itself, as no title does, legitimacy.”
The former Fox News host pointed out that “just because you call yourself the president, doesn’t mean that much inherently,” adding that he could call his “dog the CEO of Hewlett-Packard” and it wouldn’t mean the dog actually is.
“Being a leader is very different,” Carlson added. “It’s not a title, it’s organic. You can’t name someone a leader. A leader is the bravest man – that’s who the leader is. That is true in all human organizations. This is a law of nature. And, in that moment, Donald Trump, months before the presidential election, became the leader of this nation.”
On Saturday, during a rally in Pennsylvania, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks opened fire from a nearby rooftop, with a direct line of sight of the former president, and shot Trump.
Along with leaving Trump wounded, Corey Comperatore, a former Pennsylvania fire chief, was left dead after throwing his wife and daughter “to the ground to try to protect them” after the former president had been shot. Two others at the rally were left injured.
