Radharamn Das, the Vice President and Spokesperson of Kolkata ISKCON has reacted to the attempted assassination of Donald Trump. The shocking incident took place on Saturday during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. The former US President was hit in the ear by a gunman, identified as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks.
Radharamn Das, in an elaborate post on X - formerly known as Twitter-, said that Donald Trump has Lord Jagannath's blessings.
Calling it a "divine intervention”, Mr Das said, “Exactly 48 years ago, Donald Trump saved the Jagannath Rathayatra festival. Today, as the world celebrates the Jagannath Rath Yatra festival again, Trump was attacked, and Jagannath returned the favour by saving him.”
He added that Donald Trump in 1976 helped ISKCON devotees organise Rath Yatra by “providing his train yard for the construction of the raths for free.”
Drawing parallels between the attempted assassination bid and ongoing Rath Yatra festivities, he added, “Today, as the world celebrates the 9-day Lord Jagannath Rathayatra festival, this terrible attack on him and his narrow escape show Lord Jagannath's intervention.” For context, The 9-day-long festivities will come to an end today with Ulta Rath Yatra. Lord Jagannath along with his siblings – Balabhadra, and Devi Subhadra – will return to the main temple [Shree Jagannath Temple].
Mr Das continued, “The first chariot procession of the Lord of the Universe Mahaprabhu Jagannath kicked off on the streets of NYC in 1976, with assistance from the then 30-year-old emerging real-estate mogul in the United States of America – Donald Trump.
Nearly 48 years ago, when the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) was planning to organise the first Rath Yatra in New York City, challenges were galore.”
On how former US president Donald Trump emerged as a “ray of hope,” he added, “While the grant of parade permit at the Fifth Avenue was nothing short of a miracle, finding a huge empty site where chariots could be built was also never going to be easy. They knocked at the doors of every person possible, but in vain. It was then that the former US president Donald Trump emerged as a ray of hope for the Krishna devotees.”
Radharamn Das also revealed what Trump's secretary told the ISKCON devotees back then when they paid a visit to his office with the request. “Nevertheless, the devotees went to his office with a big basket of Maha Prasadam and a presentation package. His secretary took it but warned the devotees, "He never agrees to this kind of thing. You can ask but he is going to say NO. Have faith in Mahaprabhu they say, and the miracle was bound to happen! Three days later, Trump's secretary called up the devotees saying, "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?”
Yes, 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
Meanwhile, Thomas Matthew Crooks, the shooter, was killed by one of the Secret Service agents. On the motive behind the attempted assassination, the FBI said, “We do not currently have an identified motive, although our investigators are working tirelessly to attempt to identify what that motive was.”
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