Heartbroken Melania reacts after assassination bid on Trump

WASHINGTON: Former first lady Melania Trump said on Sunday that a gunman who opened fire at a Donald Trump rally was a "monster," as she condemned the assassination attempt in which the Republican presidential candidate was injured.

"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 said in a statement shared on X.

"When I watched that violent bullet strike my husband, Donald, I realized my life, and Barron’s life, were on the brink of devastating change," she said, referencing the couple’s 18-year-old son.

"I am grateful to the brave secret service agents and law enforcement officials who risked their own lives to protect my husband," she added.

Donald Trump said he was hit in the ear when a shooter targeted an election campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on Saturday.

The shooter and a bystander were killed, while two spectators were critically injured.

Melania Trump said she offered her "sincerest sympathy" to the families of the victims, saying: "Your need to summon your inner strength for such a terrible reason saddens me."

Melania, 54, has barely engaged with her husband’s White House campaign, failing to appear at a single Trump rally and rarely joining him in public.

She has also remained largely absent during the former president’s multiple court appearances in recent months to fight legal cases against him and as he cranks up his 2024 election campaign.