‘God stepped in’: Lee Greenwood, Trump’s ‘favorite singer,’ reacts to assassination attempt

(NEXSTAR) – Among the notable attendees at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee this week is Lee Greenwood, the five-time Grammy Award-winning singer behind “God Bless the U.S.A.”

Greenwood not only performed his well-known hit during the first night of the Republican National Convention but also announced the arrival of former President Donald Trump.

While Greenwood and his song have become synonymous with Trump’s campaign, his time in politics stretches back to Ronald Reagan – before he was even president. 

Speaking with Nexstar on Tuesday while at the RNC, Greenwood explained that he was following Reagan during his campaign for governor in California.

He’s now spending the week at the RNC, telling Nexstar that his schedule changed after Saturday’s attempted assassination of Trump. 

“We were not supposed to be here on Monday. After the assassination attempt, Trump changed his demeanor,” Greenwood told Nexstar. “That’s why [the first night] was so powerful and emotional because he made the appearance, his favorite singer was here to sing for him, and I did the song that everyone knows I was going to sing.”

Officials have said the assassination attempt in Pennsylvania changed much about the RNC, including the event’s message and the event’s security. 

“We feel that God stepped in and saved [Trump’s] life,” Greenwood told Nexstar while discussing the moment. 

“I’m not going to say that God had an angel watching over Trump or whether he turned his head just slightly one inch one way or the other and the bullet missed him,” he added. “I don’t know why the shooter was there, he had no motive to do that. This is not a plot, this is a single guy who was very confused and got ahold of his father’s AR.”

So far, details about the man who authorities say tried to kill Trump amount to little more than a stick-figure drawing: a politically enigmatic loner who worked in a nursing home. Still absent are the motivations behind the assassination attempt at Saturday’s rally in Pennsylvania.

The FBI believes Crooks, who had bomb-making materials in the car he drove to the rally, acted alone with a gun purchased by his father.

“The events are very strange,” Greenwood said. “What I do know is that [Trump] survived it, he is a survivor, and as he proved Monday night, he is energetic and he wants to let the RNC know and the rest of the world know, the campaign goes on.”

Greenwood is staying in Milwaukee through the RNC, and says he will “probably” introduce Trump again when the former president is expected to accept the party’s nomination.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.