Donald Trump gave his first harrowing account of surviving an assassination attempt, saying: "I'm not supposed to be here."

The emotional former president told the 2024 Republican National Convention in Wisconsin that it would be the only time he will ever describe the events of Saturday.

The 78-year-old says it is "too hard" to recall the horrific event that killed one and severely injured two others, as well as himself, noting that the bullet came from "a quarter inch" from taking his life.

"You will never hear it from me a second time because it's too painful to tell," he warned the crowd.

"The assassin's bullet came within a quarter of an inch of taking my life," he said. "It was a warm beautiful day in the early evening. Music was loudly playing and the campaign was doing really well.

"I heard a loud whizzing sound and felt something hit me really, really hard on my right ear," he continued. "I said to myself 'Wow, what was that?' It can only be a bullet.'"

"I moved my hand to my right ear, moved it down and my hand was covered with blood.

"I immediately knew it was very serious, that we were under attack," he continued. "I proceeded to drop to the ground, bullets everywhere continuing to fly.

"The [Secret Service] pounced on top of me so I would be protected," he added. "In a certain way I felt very safe because I had God on my side."

"If I had not moved my head, the assassin's bullet would have hit its mark and I would not be here tonight."

"They thought I was dead," he recalled, noting the concerned faces in the crowd.

"Bullets were flying all over us, but I felt serene," he said. "I'm not supposed to be here.

"For the rest of my life I will be grateful for the love shown by those patriots."

He noted that he was lucky unlike Corey Contemporary, 50, who was killed while protecting his wife and daughter during the rally shooting.

"Tragically, the shooter claimed the life of one of our fellow Americans," he told the crowd.

He noted that he spoke to his wife, Helen, tonight. Helen had previously told press that she had not heard from him but would still support him in the election.

However, she said she turned down a call from President Joe Biden. The shooter was killed on the scene and later identified as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks. Police later found explosives in his car and home.

His exact motives are still unknown, however, chilling evidence has since come out.