Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, a Trump critic, will support him after assassination attempt

Utah's Republican Gov. Spencer Cox, once an outspoken critic of Donald Trump, pledged his support to the former president in the wake of an assassination attempt last weekend.

"Mr. President, I know we have some differences, and you probably don’t like me much. And that’s OK. I get it," Cox wrote in a letter to Trump, dated July 14 ? a day after a 20-year-old opened fire at a Trump campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.

"I'm not writing this letter looking for a position in your Cabinet or a role on your team," Cox continued. "But I have loved so many of your policies and firmly believe that our country has suffered over the last four years due to a lack of leadership and is in desperate need of change. I have told everyone that you are going to win the state of Utah and you are going to win the presidency again. You don’t need my help and support to do that."

Still, the governor offered his backing.

Days before the attempted assassination, Cox told CNN that while he hopes his party wins in November, he would not be voting for the official nominee.

"I'm not going to vote for either presidential candidate this year. I'll write somebody in, as I've done in the past," he said, noting he has not voted for the top of the ticket since 2012.

Now, Cox says he believes Trump can be a leader that brings people together.

"Your life was spared," Cox wrote to Trump in his letter. "Now, because of that miracle, you have the opportunity to do something that no other person on earth can do right now: unify and save our country."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Utah governor gives Trump support after assassination attempt