Eric Trump reveals how Donald Trump brought 'levity' to conversation after Butler assassination attempt

03 Oct 2025 By foxnews

Eric Trump, son of President Donald Trump, discussed in an interview Thursday how his father used humor to bring levity after the 2024 assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania.

"I was the first person he called after Butler. Right, I mean, they shot his ear off. They almost took off his head. And like the first thing he says to try and bring levity, when I want to literally fight the entire world because I was so pissed off at what happened, was something about having the worst earache in the history of the world," Trump told the hosts of the "Ruthless Podcast."

"I think he equated it to Tyson and Holyfield," Eric Trump continued. "The guy's always been able to bring kind of levity to dark situations. And I actually think that's like a great, like, disarming tool, if that makes sense."

Trump was shot in the ear during the campaign rally on July 13, 2024. The shooting killed one rally attendee and injured two others.

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Eric Trump also pointed to his father's return to Butler after the attempt as another example.

"There are times where people are uncomfortable. I mean, when he went out at Butler, when he returned to Butler, you know, 'as I was saying,' right, that wasn't what was expected. It was far, and the place just starts chanting, 'USA, USA,'" he continued.

President Trump returned to the rally site three months later on Oct. 5, 2024.

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Trump's speech in Butler opened with thanks to Pennsylvania supporters and a light joke about the attempt on his life with the line, "And as I was saying."

Eric Trump said on the podcast that all traditional politicians sounded "full of it" and scripted, but his father broke that mold.

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"And, finally, you had a guy go out there, and he was un-PC [politically correct], totally politically incorrect. He said what was on his mind. He said what everybody was thinking. He wasn't afraid. He didn't back down. He had backbone. And Americans instantly, especially the tough guys, right, I mean, especially people with like a little, you know, like they appreciated a little bit of the bravado and the lack of staleness," he said.