On a tense Saturday in Pennsylvania, former President Donald Trump survived an assassination attempt during a campaign rally, leaving the nation — and the world — in shock. As Trump prepared to accept the Republican Party’s nomination for the upcoming presidential election, a young shooter fired multiple shots, injuring him and tragically resulting in one death among the crowd. This incident prompted an immediate and widespread condemnation from global leaders, underscoring the urgent need to address political violence.
Here’s a look at how various leaders reacted.
Joe Biden
President Biden quickly condemned the attack, stating. “I have been briefed on the shooting at Donald Trump’s rally in Pennsylvania. 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. We must unite as one nation to condemn it. There is no place for this kind of violence in America.’
Kamala Harris
Vice President Harris expressed her relief that Trump was safe, saying, “Violence such as this has no place in our nation.” She called for collective condemnation of the act and urged everyone to prevent further violence.
Bill Clinton
“Violence has no place in America, especially in our political process. Hillary and I are thankful that President Trump is safe, heartbroken for all those affected by the attack at today’s rally in Pennsylvania, and grateful for the swift action of the U.S. Secret Service.”
George W. Bush
He shared his preoccupation and support for Donald Trump via X, “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.”
Barack Obama
also issued a statement on the platform claiming that “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.”
Narendra Modi
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed deep concern over the attack, stating, “Violence has no place in politics and democracies.” He wished Trump a speedy recovery and extended condolences to the families of the victims, highlighting the global implications of political violence.
Justin Trudeau
Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau expressed his dismay, saying he was “sickened” by the shooting. He reinforced that political violence is never acceptable and offered his thoughts to Trump and those affected by the incident.
Anthony Albanese
Australia’s Prime Minister called the shooting “concerning and confronting.” He reiterated that there is no place for violence in the democratic process and was relieved to learn that Trump was safe.
Benjamin Netanyahu
Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu shared his shock over the attack and prayed for Trump’s recovery.”Sara (Netanyahu’s wife) and I were shocked by the apparent attack on President Trump. We pray for his safety and speedy recovery,” he posted on X.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy
Ukrainian President Zelenskyy condemned the violence, stating that it has no justification and should not occur anywhere in the world. He also extended wishes for strength to those affected by the shooting.
The incident occurred at approximately 6:15pm ET in the city of Butler, Pennsylvania. Donald Trump was holding one of his trademark rallies, which always attracts a lot of supporters of his and Republican voters.
Trump is a divisive figure and he’s dealt with plenty of hate from opposers, but no one would have ever expected an assassination attempt of this magnitude. Trump was lucky to get out alive. Unfortunately, a spectator was killed in the crossfire. According to the Secret Service Chief of Communications, Anthony Guglielmi, two other spectators were “critically injured”. We hope they will pull through.
The shooter was apparently set up on the rooftop of a nearby building. Whether it was due to a lack of security or not, the shooter was able to get a good sightline, at least enough to get very close to hitting Trump. The shooter was neutralized by a counter-sniper team once he began firing.
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