President Biden will be giving on-camera remarks and has been updated by top Secret Service and Homeland Security officials after former President Donald Trump was seen with blood on his face and rushed off stage at a rally, the White House said in a statement.
The Secret Service stated that Trump is safe after shots were fired at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, while the campaign said the former president is “fine.” The person believed to be the shooter is dead, two sources confirmed to CBS News. A rally attendee was also killed.
“I have been briefed on the shooting at Donald Trump’s rally in Pennsylvania,” Mr. Biden said in a statement. “I’m grateful to hear that he’s safe and doing well. I’m praying for him and his family and for all those who were at the rally, as we await further information. Jill and I are grateful to the Secret Service for getting him to safety. There’s no place for this kind of violence in America. We must unite as one nation to condemn it.”
A White House official said Secret Service director Kimberly Cheatle, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and Liz Sherwood-Randall, assistant to the President and Homeland Security adviser, participated in the briefing. Also at the briefing were chief of staff Jeff Zients, White House counsel Steve Ricchetti and deputy chief of staff Annie Tomasini.
Vice President Kamala Harris’s office said she had been briefed as well.
Former presidents and their spouses have Secret Service protection for the rest of their lifetimes, according to the Secret Service.
Mr. Biden will be pausing all political activity, including outbound communications and will be pulling down television ads as quickly as possible, the campaign said.
Nicole Sganga, Jane Chick and Nidia Cavazos contributed reporting.