 "What is the Lord Jagannath ‘link’ to Donald Trump's narrow escape?")
Former United States President Donald Trump almost survived an assassination bid with a minor injury as one of the bullets fired pierced the upper part of his right ear.
He was speaking at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, when he was attacked.
A former fire chief attending the rally with his family was killed, as was the 20-year-old shooter, Thomas Matthew Crooks. Two other people were critically wounded.
Veteran photojournalist Doug Mills of The New York Times seemed to have caught the precise moment the bullet sped by Trump’s head, leaving a white trail that indicated its apparent path.
At that precise moment, the Republican presidential nominee turned his head, presumably saving his life.
Many people are claiming that a “divine intervention” was responsible for the near escape in the now-viral photo.
Kolkata Vice President of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (Iskcon), Radharamn Das, echoed the assertions, pointing out the connection between Donald Trump and Lord Jagannath.
Here’s what it means.
The link between Lord Jagannath and Donald Trump
Social media user Matt Wallace posted a photo taken by Mills and said that Trump would have died at that exact moment if he had not turned around. It was dubbed a “divine intervention” by him.
Wallace was echoed by Radharamn Das, who said, “Yes, for sure, it’s a divine intervention.”
“In July 1976, Donald Trump had come to the rescue of Iskcon devotees looking for a large space to construct the raths by providing his train yard for free. Today, during the Rathyatra, it was Lord Jagannath’s turn to return the favour,” the priest said while sharing the details of the favour by Trump.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsYes, for sure it's a divine intervention.
— Radharamn Das राधारमण दास (@RadharamnDas) July 14, 2024
Exactly 48 years ago, Donald Trump saved the Jagannath Rathayatra festival. Today, as the world celebrates the Jagannath Rathayatra festival again, Trump was attacked, and Jagannath returned the favor by saving him.
In July 1976, Donald… https://t.co/RuTX3tHQnj
With help from the then-30-year-old rising real estate tycoon, Lord Jagannath’s inaugural chariot procession down Fifth Avenue in New York was made possible in 1976.
It’s interesting to note that Jayananda Prabhu built the NYC chariots at Trump’s rail yard, and those are the models from which the chariots of Jagannath and Balaram are derived for the Kolkata Rathyatra.
The problem was finding a large, vacant lot in New York near Fifth Avenue to build the chariots.
Iskcon devotees had tried, but in vain, to get through to everyone they could think of to organise a great Rathyatra in New York during the grand celebration of the organisation’s 10th anniversary.
“Iskcon devotee Tosan Krishna Das had managed to get nod to hold the parade at the Fifth Avenue from the chief of police in Manhattan, which was nothing short of a miracle. But we needed an empty site near the starting point of the parade route, to build the massive wooden chariots. Everyone we asked said ‘no’. They were concerned about insurance risks etc., which is understandable,” said Das.
Upon being approached, nearly every business owner stated they were in the process of selling their property in the Pennsylvania rail yard, which appeared to be the ideal spot.
The Iskcon devotees discovered a few days later that Trump had bought the old railway yard.
After that, devotees carried a presentation box and a basket of Maha Prasadam to his office. He took it, but his secretary offered a warning, saying, “You can ask, but he is going to say no.”
“I don’t know what happened but he read your letter, took a bit of the food you left, and immediately said, ‘Sure, why not?’” Trump’s secretary informed the devotees three days later over the phone.
The secretary then said, “Come on down and get his signed letter.”
The huge chariots at the site were later designed by Jayananda Prabhu, an engineer and devotee of Iskcon.
Garry William Roberts, also known as Mayesvara Dasa, flew down to Kolkata two years after the NYC Jagannath chariots were built, and he constructed the chariots that were used in the 1978 Kolkata Rathyatra.
They had not experienced a significant problem until last Sunday, when Jagannath’s chariot’s steering mechanism developed snag.
“We have replaced it in both Jagannath and Balaram’s chariots and will conduct trials on Sunday before the Ultorath on Monday,” Das added.
More on the Donald Trump shooting:
Who is responsible for the security of the former US president?
Did Secret Service ignore warnings of a gunman?
Who is Kimberly Cheatle, the US Secret Service chief under fire for Donald Trump shooting?
What happened in the aftermath of the tragedy? Is the former US president safe?
How AR-15, the gun used by the Trump shooter, is America’s most popular weapon
About Jagannath Rathyatra
The Jagannath Rathyatra, which takes place in Odisha, is regarded as the oldest and biggest chariot festival.
The journey of three gods, Lord Jagannath, his older brother Balabhadra, and their sister Subhadra, on the chariot is the main focus of the Jagannath Rath Yatra.
Similar chariot rides, however symbolic, are held in towns all over the world during the Hindu lunar month of ashadh, which in India often marks the start of the rainy season.
New details of Trump shooting
The 20-year-old man, identified as Thomas Matthew Crooks, who tried to assassinate Trump first came to law enforcement’s attention at Saturday’s rally when spectators noticed him acting strangely outside the campaign event.
The tip sparked a frantic search, but officers were unable to find him before he managed to get on a roof, where he opened fire, according to the Associated Press.
A few minutes later at around 6.10 pm local time, the man fired multiple rounds of bullets, killing one spectator and critically injuring two others. Secret Service agents rush to the stage and pile atop the former president to shield him.
The Secret Service said it killed the shooter, who attacked from a rooftop of a nearby building outside the rally venue.
Investigators are hunting for any clues about what may have drove Thomas Matthew Crooks, of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, to carry out the shocking attack.
Trump told The Washington Examiner that he has rewritten the speech he was set to deliver at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee on Thursday after being the target of an attempted assassination at his rally.
“The speech I was going to give on Thursday was going to be a humdinger,” he told the news outlet in an article posted Sunday evening.
In the interview, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee says he will now call for a new effort at national unity, noting that people from different political views have called him.
“This is a chance to bring the whole country, even the whole world, together. The speech will be a lot different, a lot different than it would’ve been two days ago,” he said.
With inputs from agencies
 "Russian drones over Poland: Trump’s tepid reaction a wake-up call for Nato?")
 "As Russia pushes east, Ukraine faces mounting pressure to defend its heartland")
 "Why Mossad was not on board with Israel’s strike on Hamas in Qatar")
 "Turkey: Erdogan's police arrest opposition mayor Hasan Mutlu, dozens officials in corruption probe")
 "Russian drones over Poland: Trump’s tepid reaction a wake-up call for Nato?")
 "As Russia pushes east, Ukraine faces mounting pressure to defend its heartland")
 "Why Mossad was not on board with Israel’s strike on Hamas in Qatar")
 "Turkey: Erdogan's police arrest opposition mayor Hasan Mutlu, dozens officials in corruption probe")
