- ‘Born Again’ Rep. Maria Salzar Says Trump Believes God Spared His Life
- She spoke to someone who was “very close” to the former president
The brush with death, which could have left him dead at the hands of an assassin’s bullet, has left former President Donald Trump a “different person,” says a Florida lawmaker close to his inner circle.
Rep. Maria Salazar (R), a self-described born-again Christian, said she spoke with a person “very close to” Trump about his awakening — which she said is clearly visible to people close to him.
“He believes that God has given him another chance. He believes that God spared his life and that he is a – I’m not sure if spiritual is the word or the adjective. I’m not sure if it’s more contemplative. But I do know that he is a different person,” she told DailyMail.com on Tuesday.
Salazar, a Miami lawmaker who serves on the Republican Party’s caucus, noted that Trump made an impression on people on the convention floor. He saw changes in his demeanor when he was in the convention hall, surrounded by admirers and with a large white bandage over his injured ear.
Trump “closed his eyes and prayed the entire time” during the blessing, she said.
“It changes you as a person,” she said of the attempt on his life. “And when you change as a person inside because the forces of heaven have touched you in some way, then you start living a different life… This is just like BC and AD.”
Donald Trump is a “changed man,” said Rep. Maria Salazar (R-Fla.), who is a born-again Christian herself and said she spoke to someone close to him
She spoke after attending an event hosted by Axios at the Republican National Convention, where she said God had spoken to Trump and given him a “second chance” to unite the nation.
She reflected after Donald Trump Jr. described the impact the attack had on himself and his father.
Trump Jr. predicted the event would have a lasting impact on his father.
“There are events that change you for a few minutes, and there are events that change you permanently,” he said at the event.
Trump has long had a key relationship with evangelical voters, who helped him win Iowa in a landslide in 2016 and propelled him to the nomination.
The thrice-married Trump brandished the Bible at campaign rallies but showed no deep outward familiarity with religious texts. He put the deeply religious Mike Pence on the ballot to appease evangelical voters, then packed the courts with pro-life judges.
Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar (R-FL) said Trump experienced the kind of event that changes a person “permanently”
Delegates prayed on the floor of the GOP convention on a night when Trump appeared with a bandage over his injured ear
Delegates prayed for Trump during a blessing on Monday
He also held a Bible upside down after government officials cleared Lafayette Square across from the White House during the George Floyd protests.
Trump and his team have called for national unity in the wake of the shooting. Trump and several speakers at the convention have said they have adjusted their speeches to reflect the new tone.
Trump had already gained unity among his representatives before the attempt on his life — and even after he dropped language on abortion that had been in the party platform for years.
It remains to be seen whether Trump will turn the other cheek to his political enemies as he has vowed “retaliation” against those who pursued him in the New York fraud, hush money, secret documents and January 6 cases.
Trump showed emotion Monday night as Reverend James Ramsey delivered the blessing — after a quick Trump impersonation that brought a smile to the subject’s face.
He called on the Lord to “save us from violence, discord, and confusion, from pride and arrogance, and from every evil course.”
“Thank you for keeping President Trump safe,” he said. “Pray for the families of those affected by the demonic violence at the rally on Saturday.”