Susie Wiles thought Trump was dead after Butler rally assassination attempt

White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles recalled the chaos of the Butler assassination attempt against President Donald Trump in a new interview, saying she thought the president was dead at first. 

“We were just crazy the minute he was hit,” Wiles said, as she admitted she thought Trump had been killed by the gunfire.

Speaking with Miranda Devine Wednesday on “Pod Force One,” Wiles suggested divine intervention saved Trump’s life, noting the placement of the immigration chart he had up on the big LED screen at his rally caused him to turn his head in a different direction, just as the shots were fired.

“So to have him ask for that chart, eight minutes in, and to have it come on the side that was opposite, caused him to look in a different direction and lift his head just a little because it was higher, and that just doesn’t happen because it happened,” she said.

JOURNALIST WHO REFUSED TO DUCK DURING TRUMP ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT REFLECTS ON BUTLER RALLY IN NEW BOOK

Trump grabbed his ear as it was struck and quickly went down as Secret Service agents rushed the stage. He stood up with blood streaming down the side of his face and yelled, “Fight!” at roaring supporters as he was taken to safety, in one of the most memorable images in American political history.

“You think the worst. You cannot, it’s human, you can’t think otherwise. And when he stood up, I thought, ‘Oh my gosh,’” Wiles told Devine. 

Wiles, who was the successful campaign’s co-chair, said it was clear soon after they arrived at the hospital that Trump was going to be okay.

“But it was a scary time, and it changed everything for us, the security became front and center, which it hadn’t been before,” she said. “Not to take away from the Secret Service, it’s just that they they became on steroids then. And we couldn’t do outdoor rallies, which became sort of the hallmark for the campaign. We couldn’t go to buildings that had lots of windows.”

She said Trump’s team adapted and believed Trump thinks he was “saved.”

Susie Wiles is seen at Nashville International Airport as Donald Trump arrives, July 27, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

TRUMP ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT AFTERMATH, REACTIONS FROM INNER CIRCLE REVEALED IN NEW BOOK

Wiles said during the podcast that the president is a “voracious reader” and reads several newspapers daily, including the Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, the New York Post and occasionally, the Washington Post.

The chief of staff also discussed the transition into the White House, offering compliments to former President Joe Biden’s staff. 

“They could not have been more kind to me as we were transitioning, really wonderful at telling us what to expect, what resources were at our fingertips. They were terrific, the presidency, not so much,” she said. “The individuals that I worked with and I knew were spectacular, and I actually call on them from time to time now.” 

Then-President Joe Biden meets with then-President-elect Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House, Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) (AP Photo/Evan Vucc)

CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF MEDIA AND CULTURE

Wiles also spoke about the cordial meeting between Trump and Biden the week after the 2024 election.

“It was a great meeting. I kept thinking, these two have been just saying horrific things about each other, and they’re like old golfing buddies here now,” she said.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE APP