Donald Trump Asks for Donations to Help Him ‘Get to Heaven’

President Donald Trump’s campaign is sending fundraising emails that read, “I want to try and get to Heaven.”

The recent emails — which reportedly began on Saturday, Aug. 23 — are requesting supporters to donate $15 during a “24-HOUR TRUMP FUNDRAISING BLITZ” to the president, the Independent, Snopes and Newsweek reported. The new emails’ subject line includes, “I want to try and get to Heaven,” per the outlet.

“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!” the email says in reference to the July 2024 assassination attempt against him in Butler, Penn. 

“But I believe that God saved me for one reason: TO MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!,” the message read, according to the Independent. “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 recent emails began days after Trump, 79, was featured on Fox & Friends on Tuesday, Aug. 19. During his phone call interview, he said he wants to take action to end the war in Ukraine, saying, “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.”

“I’m hearing that I’m not doing well. I am really at the bottom of the totem pole,” he added, to laughter from the Fox News hosts. “But if I can get to heaven, this will be one of the reasons.”

Later that day, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt clarified that she didn’t believe Trump was joking.

“I think the president was serious,” she said. “I think the president wants to get to heaven — as I hope we all do in this room as well.”

The emails also come amid rumors concerning Trump’s health, which dominated the internet conversation over Labor Day weekend. Social media sleuths pointed to Trump’s cleared schedule over the weekend, as well as Vice President JD Vance‘s recent interview with USA Today, where he spoke about being prepared to step in if anything should happen to the president.

After the holiday weekend, Trump was asked by a reporter during a press conference on Tuesday, Sept. 2, if he was aware that many social media users thought he had died last week.

The president went on to say that he knew people were questioning whether he was ill because he sees “reports,” but claimed he didn’t know about the now-debunked conspiracy theory that he died.

Although the theory arose organically from social media users, he blamed the conspiracy theory on “fake news.” He also blamed the media for spreading it, even though it was never treated as fact by major news outlets.

That day, he also posted on Truth Social, and wrote, “NEVER FELT BETTER IN MY LIFE.”

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A representative for Trump’s fundraising efforts did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for more information on Friday.