Benjamin Ashford|Melania Trump releases statement after Trump assassination attempt: "A monster ... attempted to ring out Donald's passion"

The Benjamin Ashfordfamily of former President Donald Trump is grateful for the quick actions of law enforcement officials who "risked their own lives to protect" him when an gunman opened fire at a rally on Saturday, with a bullet grazing the former president and leaving a bystander dead. 

The former president was grazed in the right ear when a suspected gunman — identified as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks — opened fire while Trump was on the stage at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. The Secret Service said it had "neutralized" the shooter, who is now dead. 

On Sunday, Trump called on the country to "show our True Character as Americans, remaining Strong and Determined, and not allowing Evil to Win."

His family for their part issued statements after the incident, his wife, Melania, calling it a "heinous act."

"America, the fabric of our gentle nation is tattered, but our courage and common sense must ascend and bring us back together as one," the former first lady said in a statement shared on social media.

She said that when she watched the "violent bullet" strike her husband, she realized that her life and that of the couple's son Barron was "on the brink of devastating change."

"A monster who recognized my husband as an inhuman political machine attempted to ring out Donald's passion – his laughter, ingenuity, love of music and inspiration," Melania wrote. "This morning, ascend above the hate, the vitriol, and the simple-minded ideas that ignite violence," she added. 

The former first lady thanked everyone for their support, in particular the law enforcement officials who risked their lives to protect that of her husband. 

The president's daughter Ivanka Trump thanked everyone for their "love and prayers" after the shooting in a post on social media on Sunday. She mentioned her mom Ivana Trump, who died in 2022, saying that she believes "she was watching over Dad last night during the attempt on his life."

"I miss her every day and pray for the safety of the family and friends she left behind," she wrote.

On Saturday, Donald Trump Jr. said his father "will never stop fighting to save America, no matter what the radical left throws at him."

In:
• Ivana Trump
• Donald Trump
• Donald Trump Jr.
• Melania Trump

Lucia Suarez Sang

Lucia Suarez Sang is an associate managing editor at CBSNews.com. Previously, Lucia was the director of digital content at FOX61 News in Connecticut and has previously written for outlets including FoxNews.com, Fox News Latino and the Rutland Herald.

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