Eric Trump recalls panic over assassination attempt on his father

US President's son tells The National he remained calm for sake of his children

“I will probably always remember,” Eric Trump told The National as he reflected on a moment that sent shockwaves around the world.

It was July 13, 2024, when US President Donald Trump − who was campaigning for a second term as president − was struck by a bullet while addressing an open-air campaign rally in Pennsylvania.

Now a footnote in the President's colourful history, the shock, panic and trauma felt by his son Eric, 41, as he watched the moment on live TV, seems a world away.

It was the confusion, not knowing where the bullet had struck his father, that he first recalled, but also conflicting priorities as he had to maintain an air of calm for the sake of his two young children, Luke and Carolina.

“It’s never pleasant having children sitting on your lap when something like that happens,” Eric Trump told The National in Dubai. He recalled how no one knew how serious the incident was. “You don’t know if they got hit in the chest, if they got hit in the torso. It’s not a fun moment.”

The executive vice president of the Trump Organisation spoke to The National during the unveiling of the Trump International Hotel and Tower, a $1 billion development in Dubai.

Deeply personal turning point

Donald Trump was shot and wounded in his upper right ear. He was taken to hospital and released after treatment. The attack, carried out by Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, left one man dead and two others injured. Crooks was shot dead by Secret Service snipers.

The incident became a rallying point for the President's supporters and a deeply personal turning point for the family. “They did everything, they tried to take him out,” Eric Trump said. “They cancelled him. They tried to de-bank him. They tried to go after him criminally. They tried to impeach him twice. They went after everybody that knew him.”

Eric Trump said his father’s resolve has only grown stronger with time. “He stood up and he said, 'fight, fight, fight', and he continues to do that every single day without having his spirit be broken.”

“It’s the ugliness of politics that shouldn’t happen in the world,” he said, before offering a more hopeful note: “But I can tell you, there’s much more love than there is hate.”

Following the attack, Eric Trump said his father has become more reflective and grateful. “It’s made him stronger. It’s made him more appreciative of life, probably of the job at hand.”

For Eric Trump, the lesson from that day is simple and sobering. “That should never have happened. It should never be allowed to happen,” he said.