President Joe Biden spoke Saturday evening after former President Donald Trump was wounded in a shooting at a political rally and hurriedly evacuated from the stage.
“There is no place for this kind of violence in America,” Biden said in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.
“It’s horrible,” Biden said. “It’s horrible.”
“This is one of the reasons we have to unite our country,” the president said. “We cannot allow this to happen. We cannot be like this. We cannot tolerate this.”
Biden said he hopes to speak with Trump soon, adding: “He seems to be in good spirits.”
“Political violence is unheard of, inappropriate and must be condemned by everyone,” he said.
President Joe Biden speaks at the Rehoboth Beach Police Department in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, July 13, 2024, following the shooting at a Pennsylvania campaign rally that injured Republican opponent Donald Trump.
Samuel Corum | AFP | Getty Images
Asked whether he believed the shooting was an assassination attempt on President Trump, Biden said “I have an opinion” but wanted to gather more facts before making any further comment.
The Trump campaign said shortly after the incident that Trump was “in good spirits and undergoing testing at a local medical facility.” Trump was seen bleeding from his face and ears as he was evacuated by Secret Service agents.
The U.S. Secret Service said “the former president is safe” and that the shooting was under investigation.
Biden, who is running for reelection against Trump, said in a written statement Saturday evening that he was pleased to hear that Trump was “safe and well.”
“As we await more information, I am praying for him, his family and all who were at the rally,” Biden said in a statement.
“This kind of violence has no place in America. We must come together as one nation to condemn it,” the president said.
The statement, and Biden’s remarks, came after an outpouring of support from Trump’s political allies and opponents who universally condemned all forms of political violence.
Republican presidential candidate and former US president Donald Trump gestures with a bloody face as multiple gunshots ring out during a campaign rally at the Butler Farm Show in Butler, Pennsylvania, USA, on July 13, 2024.
Brendan McDiarmid | Reuters
Trump’s predecessors, Barack Obama and George W. Bush, had already expressed relief that Trump did not appear to be seriously injured.
“Political violence has no place in our democracy,” President Obama said in a statement about X. “While we still don’t know exactly what happened, we should all be relieved that former President Trump was not seriously injured, and we should use this opportunity to recommit ourselves to civility and respect in our politics.”
President Bush said he and former first lady Laura Bush were “grateful that President Trump is safe after this vicious attack.”
“Political violence is terrifying. I know it,” wrote former Rep. Gabby Giffords, who was shot in the head in a 2011 assassination attempt and has since become a gun control activist.
“My heart goes out to former President Trump and all those affected by today’s inexcusable acts of violence. Political violence is un-American and will never be acceptable,” Giffords wrote.
Vice President Kamala Harris said in a statement that she and Vice President Doug Emhoff ” [Trump] The injuries are not serious.”
“Such violence has no place in our country, and we must all do our part to condemn this abhorrent act and prevent it from leading to further violence,” Harris said.
Not all responses were nonpartisan.
Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has been a vocal critic of Biden, Recently Donated Pro-Trump Super PACwrote to X. “I offer my full support to President Trump and wish him a speedy recovery,” he said within an hour of the shooting.
This is an evolving story, please check back for updates.
