Republicans and Democrats Condemn Shooting at Trump Rally

Leading politicians on both sides of the aisle have quickly responded to what law enforcement officials told The Associated Press was an apparent assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump at his July 13 rally in Pennsylvania. One attendee was killed and two seriously injured, according to county authorities. 

“There’s no place in America for this kind of violence. It’s sick, it’s sick,” President Biden said at the emergency briefing room in Rehoboth, Delaware.

“It’s one of the reasons we have to unite this country,” he said. “We cannot allow for this to be happening. We cannot be like this. We cannot condone this.”

The office of Vice President Kamala Harris released a statement saying she had received “an initial briefing on the incident.”

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.), who was shot and critically injured at a congressional baseball game in 2017, posted on X that “there is never any place for political violence.”

Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) called on followers on X to pray for the former president. “Today is not just some isolated incident,” he said in a later post.

He blamed the “attempted assassination” to “campaign rhetoric.”

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.)—whose husband, Paul Pelosi, was the victim of a politically motivated attack last year—expressed gratitude for the former president’s safety.

Former President Trump was showing off a chart of border crossing numbers when gunshots started ringing through the crowd. Former President Trump was seen reaching toward his right ear. 

The U.S. Secret Service fatally shot the suspect. In a statement on X, Secret Service chief of communications Anthony Guglielmi said: “The Secret Service has implemented protective measures and the former President is safe. This is now an active Secret Service investigation and further information will be released when available.”

House Oversight Ranking Member Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) posted on X that “political violence is categorically intolerable in American democracy.” 

“We all hope former President Trump is safe and that no one else was injured. We are grateful for the law enforcement response and hope they get to the bottom of this horrifying attack and how it happened.”

Former Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush both released statements condemning political violence.

“There is absolutely no place for political violence in our democracy,” former President Obama said in a statement on X. “Although we don’t yet know exactly what happened, we should all be relieved that former President Trump wasn’t seriously hurt, and use this moment to recommit ourselves to civility and respect in our politics.”

A statement from the George W. Bush Presidential Center read: “Laura and I are grateful that President Trump is safe following the cowardly attack on his life. And we commend the men and women of the Secret Service for their speedy response.”

Entrepreneur and X owner Elon Musk posted after the incident, “I fully endorse President Trump and hope for his rapid recovery.”

Former Vice President Mike Pence was one of many calling for prayers.

Other Republicans commented as well. “This was obviously more than an assassination attempt, it was also an attempt on our party to take down our nominee, you know, it’s party oriented,” Rep. Pete Sessions (R-Texas) said in a statement to The Epoch Times. 

Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, who challenged former President Trump in the primaries, condemned political violence and expressed concern for the former president and others at the rally.

“This should horrify every freedom loving American,” Ms. Haley wrote on social media. “Violence against presidential candidates must never be normalized. We are lifting up Donald Trump, the entire Trump family, and all in attendance in prayer.”

Mark Tapscott and The Associated Press contributed to this report.