The shooting at an election rally in Pennsylvania's Butler last evening has left former US President Donald Trump injured and the Joe Biden administration red-faced. While several prominent voices from the US have questioned the security preparations at the rally venue, some Republican leaders have gone a step ahead and targeted Biden.
In his first response after the assassination attempt, Trump thanked the Secret Service and law enforcement authorities for their swift response, but added, "It is incredible that such an act can take place in our country." Trump has said a bullet pierced his right ear. One person in the audience was killed and two others critically injured in the shooting. The gunman, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, was gunned down.
Republican senator JD Vance, who could be Trump's running mate in the US election due later this year, said the shooting is "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," he said in a post on X.
Republican leader and Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene alleged that the Democrats want Trump and his supporters dead.
"Joe Biden told donors it's 'time to put Trump in a bull's eye,' and that is EXACTLY what happened. House Democrats, led by Bennie Thompson, introduced a bill to strip USSS protection from President Trump.
"The weaponized DOJ has done everything they can to make sure President Trump spends the rest of his life in PRISON, while sending non-violent J6ers (those involved in the Capitol attack on January 6,2021) to jail for years. They want President Trump and his supporters dead. We won't forget," she told a TV channel. In a separate post on X, she said, "The Democrats and the media are to blame for every drop of blood spilled today. For years and years, they've demonized him and his supporters."
US President Joe Biden has strongly condemned the incident. White House officials said he has also spoken to the Republican leader, his arch-rival in this election, after the shooting.
"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 after the attack on Trump.
"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.
Vice-President Kamala Harris too has slammed the shooting. "I have been briefed on the shooting at former President Trump's event in Pennsylvania. Doug and I are relieved that he is not seriously injured. We are praying for him, his family, and all those who have been injured and impacted by this senseless shooting."
We are grateful to the United States Secret Service, first responders, and local authorities for their immediate action. Violence such as this has no place in our nation. We must all condemn this abhorrent act and do our part to ensure that it does not lead to more violence," she said in a post on X.
Michael Whatley, chairman of the Republican National Committee, has said in a statement that the former President is doing well and is grateful to law enforcement and first responders.
"President Trump looks forward to joining you all in Milwaukee as we proceed with our convention to nominate him to serve as the 47th President of the United States. As our party's nominee, President Trump will continue to share his vision to Make America Great Again," he said in a statement.
