Assassination attempt-survivor U.S. President Donald Trump suggested that shooters have targeted him because he is a "very consequential" leader, while expressing concern for his life multiple times during a speech Monday.
The president made the bold remarks during a speech alongsidethe parents of victimsofcrimes committed by undocumented immigrantson Monday where he declared Feb. 22 would be designated "Angel Family Day." The day is meant to honorU.S. citizens killed by undocumented immigrants, a central issue of his 2024 presidential campaign and second presidency,The New York Post reportedahead of Trump's speech. Trump has been targeted in multiple thwarted assassination attempts, one of which he only narrowly survived after he was gunned down at a 2024 Pennsylvania rally.
"You read about all these crazy shooters, but they only go after consequential presidents. They don't go after non-consequential presidents, you know?", Trump said Monday. "If you take a look—Abraham Lincoln, some big, some big one. John Kennedy, in a certain way, was very consequential. He represented something very important.
"I was told that—I saw that the other day—they say they only go after consequential. So maybe I want to be a little bit less consequential," he said, going on to joke to Border Czar Tom Homan, "Can we hold it back a little bit, please, Tom? Can we just, like, nice and easy. Let's be a normal president for a little while."
Trump later added, "I don't know how long I'll be around. Got a lot of people gunning for me, don't I?".
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The speech came a day before the president's highly-anticipated State of the Union address, where he will speak about his administration's efforts to tackle immigration and illegal border crossings, among other topics.
Among those honored was Laken Riley, who was killed by an undocumented immigrant, and 62 other people killed and two who survived such attacks. Riley, a 22-year-old Georgia nursing student, was killed while jogging by Venezuelan national Jose Ibarra on Feb. 22, 2024, marking the significance of the new holiday honoring "angel families." Ibarra was convicted for Riley's murder in January.
It comes after the president signed the Laken Riley Act, which stipulates that all non-citizens arrested and charged with certain crimes be held in federal detention without bond, into law at the beginning of his second term.
A White House official described the vigil that took place on Monday as a “solemn ceremony that reminds us all of why deportations of the worst of the worst must continue."
Source: Drudge Report
