Trump says Melania 'thought the worst had happened' during assassination attempt: 'She can't talk about it'

Former first lady Melania Trump was watching when would-be assassin Thomas Matthew Crooks opened fire in Butler, Pa., earlier this month, former President Trump revealed Monday.

During an exclusive interview with "The Ingraham Angle," host Laura Ingraham asked Trump what Melania's reaction was to seeing the rally incident unfold on live television.

"She can't really even talk about it. Which is okay, because that means she likes me or she loves me," he said.

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"When I went down, she thought the worst had happened because I went down, and I grabbed my [ear] and I saw my hand was loaded up with blood. You see it in slow motion, instant replay," he continued shortly after.

The former president and current Republican nominee was nearly assassinated July 13 when 20-year-old Crooks opened fire at a campaign rally, injuring Trump and attendees and killing firefighter Corey Comperatore as he shielded his family from gunfire.

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Security breakdowns leading up to the event have come under intense bipartisan scrutiny in the weeks since the incident, leading Congress to grill then-Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle before she ultimately stepped down from her role.

Trump, mentioning Comperatore during his talk with Ingraham, said that getting to the bottom of what happened is "very important."

Taylor Penley is an associate editor with Fox News.