Shock and relief cross party lines after shooting at Trump rally
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WASHINGTON — Republican and Democratic leaders, as well as some international friends and foes, expressed shock Saturday night following the news that gunfire had broken out during a Donald Trump campaign rally in Pennsylvania — and relief that the former president had survived the attack.
Notable officials, including former Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama, praised the fast action of the Secret Service and expressed gratitude that the presumptive Republican presidential nominee appeared to be OK.
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“As one whose family has been the victim of political violence, I know firsthand that political violence of any kind has no place in our society. I thank God that former President Trump is safe,” former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in a statement. “As we learn more details about this horrifying incident, let us pray that all those in attendance at the former President’s rally today are unharmed.”
Pelosi’s husband was bludgeoned with a hammer in 2022 by a man who broke into their home.
Trump’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., said he had spoken to his father on the phone and “he is in great spirits.” “He will never stop fighting to save America, no matter what the radical left throws at him,” Trump Jr. said in a statement.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on X: “Sara and I were shocked by the apparent attack on President Trump. We pray for his safety and speedy recovery.”
“We must stand firm against any form of violence that challenges democracy. I pray for former President Trump’s speedy recovery,” Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on his official X account.
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who has an adversarial relationship with Trump, said during a campaign event broadcast on state television that he wished Trump a speedy recovery: “May God bless the people of the United States and give them peace and tranquility. We have been adversaries, but I wish President Trump health and long life, and I repudiate that attack.”
Obama, Trump’s immediate predecessor in the White House, shared the views of others who have held the presidency, writing on social media: “There is absolutely no place for political violence in our democracy. 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. Michelle and I are wishing him a quick recovery.”
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President Joe Biden said: “There’s no place in America for this type of violence. It’s sick. It’s sick.”
Bush praised the Secret Service for their “speedy response” to the violence. “Laura and I are grateful that President Trump is safe following the cowardly attack on his life,” Bush wrote on X.
Sen. John Fetterman, a Pennsylvania Democrat, blasted the violence in his home state.
“I am appalled and condemn in the strongest terms this violence in Butler,” he wrote on X. “I extend my condolences to those injured and wish a speedy and full recovery for Mr. Trump.”
At least one Republican House member, Rep. Mike Collins of Georgia, laid the blame on Biden, saying, “The Republican District Attorney in Butler County, PA, should immediately file charges against Joseph R. Biden for inciting an assassination.”
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Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, who has been identified as a potential vice presidential running mate for Trump, said on X that the violence was “not just some isolated incident. The central premise of the Biden campaign is that President Donald Trump is an authoritarian fascist who must be stopped at all costs. That rhetoric led directly to President Trump’s attempted assassination.”
John Feinblatt, president of Everytown for Gun Safety, said violence of any sort “has no place in our political process.” He added that “this horrific act is another reminder that no one is immune from experiencing gun violence. When guns are everywhere, for anyone, with no questions asked — no one is safe. ”
— Associated Press writers Hannah Schoenbaum, Stefanie Dazio, Jill Colvin, Yuri Kateyama and Jorge Rueda contributed to this report.
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