Donald Trump Jr. told the Republican National Convention that his father has the "heart of a lion" as the former president's son talked about the number of "proud moments" for his family this week.
One moment came just seconds into Trump Jr.'s speech as he gave some of his time at the RNC to his eldest daughter, Kia Madison Trump, during Night 3 of the RNC in Milwaukee.
She has frequently posted on social media about her golfing but has largely stayed out of politics until now.
"I'm speaking today to share the side of my grandpa that people don't normally see," Kia said. "He's very caring and loving. He truly wants the best for this country, and he will fight every single day to make America great again."
Trump Jr. continued his speech with the assassination attempt on his father in Butler, Pennsylvania over the weekend, noting the former president showed the country what "Trump tough" really is.
"Something that once seemed unimaginable became a terrible reality," Trump Jr. said. "My father came under literal fire as an incredible, patriotic rally turned into a tragedy."
Minutes into Donald Trump's speech at the rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, loud popping noises were heard as people huddled for safety. Trump appeared to clutch his ear and fell to the ground. When he stood back up, surrounded by Secret Service agents, as blood was seen running down his face.
"We came millimeters away from one of the darkest moments in our nation's history," Trump Jr. said. "My father's instant was...not to coward, not to surrender but to show for all the world to see that the next American president has the heart of a lion."
The shooting is officially being investigated as an attempted assassination. A poster with imagery of the shooter, Thomas Crooks, was seen outside of the RNC in Milwaukee on Wednesday.
Corey Comperatore, a former volunteer fire chief from Pennsylvania, was identified as the victim in the shooting incident at a rally for former President Donald Trump on Saturday. Trump Jr. said Comperatore's memory will continue on in the memory of "his family, his community and the nation that he loved."
The RNC crowd chanted "Cory."
Also injured in the shooting were 57-year-old David Dutch, of New Kensington, Pennsylvania, and 74-year-old James Copenhaver, of Moon Township, Pennsylvania.
On Tuesday, Trump Jr. questioned some of the actions taken by the U.S. Secret Service.
"It doesn't happen. I've had a Secret Service detail; I've been around my father's for eight years but I've had my own. When you're the presumptive nominee, a shooter with a rifle does not get on a roof for half an hour without being spotted, without being noticed and without being exterminated and certainly not within 130 yards," Trump Jr. said on Fox News' Hannity.
At the RNC on Wednesday, however, Trump Jr. noted that every American he has met with has been "anxious" about the state of the country, from immigration to "partisan law fair, education doctrinarian and attacks on freedom of speech."
Trump Jr. said the Biden administration has been "copying (Putin's) playbook," noting the country has lost itself and good days in the US are a "distant memory."
"All hell has broken loose in America, and it's impossible to hide anymore," Trump Jr. said. "Does any of this sound like a country that's going in the right direction?"
Follow Newsweek's coverage of the RNC Day 3 here.
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About the writer
Monica is a Newsweek reporter based in Boston. Her focus is reporting on breaking news. Monica joined Newsweek in 2024. ... Read more
