Trump’s Campaign Ties Fundraising to “Heaven” Amid Health Speculation and Assassination Attempt Aftermath
WASHINGTON D.C.
President Donald Trump’s re-election campaign has launched a new fundraising drive, sending out emails to supporters with the strikingly personal subject line: “I want to try and get to Heaven.” This plea for donations, which reportedly commenced on Saturday, August 23, 2025, asks for a $15 contribution to fund a “24-HOUR TRUMP FUNDRAISING BLITZ.” The messaging intertwines themes of divine intervention, a past assassination attempt, and the President’s public statements on mortality and service.
The emails directly reference a life-threatening incident from the previous year, stating, “Last year, I came millimeters from death when that bullet pierced through my skin. My triumphant return to the White House was never supposed to happen!” This refers to the July 2024 assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania, where the then-candidate survived a shooting. The campaign message continues, asserting a divine purpose: “But I believe that God saved me for one reason: TO MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! I certainly wasn’t supposed to survive an assassin’s bullet, but by the grace of the almighty God, I did. SO NOW, I have no other choice but to answer the Call to Duty, but I can’t do it alone.”
The “Heaven” rhetoric first emerged publicly days before the fundraising emails. On Tuesday, August 19, 2025, the 79-year-old President Trump appeared on Fox & Friends via phone. During the interview, he discussed his desire to end the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, stating, “If I can save 7,000 people a week from being killed, I think that’s pretty — I want to try to get to heaven if possible.” He then jokingly added, amidst laughter from the hosts, “I’m hearing that I’m not doing well. I am really at the bottom of the totem pole. But if I can get to heaven, this will be one of the reasons.” Later that day, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt clarified the President’s comments, asserting her belief that he was serious about wanting to reach Heaven.
These spiritual and existential themes are unfolding against a backdrop of swirling online rumors regarding President Trump’s health. Over the Labor Day weekend leading up to the second week of September 2025, speculation about his well-being intensified across social media platforms. Fueling these discussions was the President’s unusually cleared public schedule and remarks made by Vice President JD Vance in an interview with USA Today, where Vance reportedly addressed his preparedness to assume the presidency if an unforeseen event were to occur.
Addressing the health rumors directly, President Trump was questioned by a reporter on Tuesday, September 2, 2025, about the social media conjecture that he had died the previous week. While acknowledging “reports” that people were questioning his health, he claimed unawareness of the specific, albeit debunked, conspiracy theory of his demise. He attributed the spread of such theories to “fake news” and the media, despite major news outlets not having treated the rumors as factual. That same day, he posted on Truth Social, declaring, “NEVER FELT BETTER IN MY LIFE.”
The convergence of a near-fatal assassination attempt, a public musing on mortality, and persistent health rumors provides a unique context for the campaign’s latest fundraising appeal, urging supporters to contribute to a cause that, for the President, is now inextricably linked to a higher calling.
