….No Place For This Kind Of Violence, Says Biden After Trump Rally Shooting
….Bloodied Trump ‘Safe’ After Shots Were Fired At Rally
…I was shot; bullet pierced upper part of my right ear – Trump
Donald Trump was rushed off stage smeared in blood after a series of gunshots were fired at a campaign rally on Saturday in Pennsylvania.
As bangs ran out, Trump grimaced and clutched a hand to his right ear, where blood was clearly visible across his cheek and mouth.
Agents swarmed onto the podium, surrounded the Republican candidate and escorted him roughly off the stage, as Trump raised a fist to the crowd in defiance.
The shocking incident will fuel anxiety in a country already on edge about the prospect of unrest and political harassment in the run-up to the November election battle between Trump and President Joe Biden.
“The former president is safe,” the Secret Service said in a post on X.
His campaign said he was “fine” and being checked at a medical facility.
“President Trump thanks law enforcement and first responders for their quick action during this heinous act. He is fine and is being checked out at a local medical facility. More details will follow,” said spokesman Steven Cheung in a statement.
Shooter dead
The suspected shooter was confirmed dead, along with one bystander, US media reported.
“Butler County District Attorney Richard Goldinger said two people are dead, including an apparent shooter,” The Washington Post reported. A second bystander may also have been hit.
The apparent shooting took place shortly after Trump took the stage at his final campaign rally before the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee next week.
The rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, descended into scenes of chaos as bangs were heard and screams and shouts rang out.
“Let me get my shoes,” Trump was heard saying on the microphone, as security agents helped him back to his feet.
Agents bundled the 78-year-old tycoon into an SUV, as he once more raised his fist to the crowd.
“This is an active crime scene,” Secret Service officers told reporters, ordering them out of the area.
“We saw a lot of people go down, looking confused. I heard the shots,” said John Yeykal from Franklin, Pennsylvania, who was attending his first Trump rally.
Biden has received an initial briefing from the head of the Secret Service and the Secretary of Homeland Security, the White House said.
US politicians reacted with shock to the incident.
Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said he was “horrified by what happened at the Trump rally in Pennsylvania and relieved that former President Trump is safe.”
“Political violence has no place in our country,” he added.
Republican minority leader Mitch McConnell added: “Tonight, all Americans are grateful that President Trump appears to be fine after a despicable attack on a peaceful rally. Violence has no place in our politics.”
Billionaire Elon Musk reacted by quickly endorsing Trump.
“I fully endorse President Trump and hope for his rapid recovery,” Musk wrote on X, which he owns along with car manufacturer Tesla, as he shared a video of Trump pumping his fist while being escorted away.
No Place For This Kind Of Violence, Says Biden After Trump Rally Shooting
Political leaders on both sides of the aisle slammed the violence minutes after the Republican candidate was rushed off stage by the Secret Service with blood running down his face.
“There’s no place in America for this kind of violence. It’s sick. It’s sick. It’s one of the reasons why we have to unite this country… We cannot be like this, we cannot condone this,” Biden told reporters in an emergency briefing at Rehoboth Beach in Delaware.
“The idea that there’s political violence, or violence in America like this, is just unheard of. It’s just not appropriate. Everybody, everybody must condemn it. Everybody,” Biden said.
He said he hoped to speak with Trump “shortly.”
Vice President Kamala Harris said on X: “We are praying for him, his family, and all those who have been injured and impacted by this senseless shooting.”
Biden’s former boss, Barack Obama, echoed his words in a statement, saying there was “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,” the Democrat said.
Former president George W. Bush condemned the “cowardly” attack.
“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,” he said in a statement.
“I am horrified by what happened at the Trump rally in Pennsylvania and relieved that former President Trump is safe. Political violence has no place in our country,” US Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat, wrote on X.
Top Senate Republican Mitch McConnell also wrote on X: “Tonight, all Americans are grateful that President Trump appears to be fine after a despicable attack on a peaceful rally. Violence has no place in our politics.”
“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,” former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, whose husband was attacked in a home invasion in 2022, wrote, also on X.
“I thank God that former President Trump is safe. 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,” she continued.
AFP
