Political leaders quickly condemned what is being investigated as an apparent assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump on Saturday evening at a Pennsylvania campaign rally.
President Joe Biden said, “There is no place for this type of violence in America,” and was “grateful” Donald Trump, who appeared to be shot or grazed on the ear, “is safe and doing well.” The presumptive 2024 Democratic presidential nominee declared, “Everybody must condemn it.” The White House confirmed that President Biden spoke with his 2024 election opponent by phone on Saturday night.
Vice President Kamala Harris similarly said in a statement, “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.”
TheGrio spoke with Independent presidential candidate Cornel West, who was in Las Vegas at the time of the incident for the Freedom Fest. He told theGrio, “I am a Christian. I am praying for the brother and his family.”
West added, “All of us need to renounce language and acts of violence, especially against Black people, especially against Palestinians, especially against Muslims, Jews and anybody else.”
Former President Barack Obama said that “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 shooting incident, which resulted in the death of the alleged shooter and a rally attendee, and the injury of two others, raises concerns about the security of presidential candidates and their associates.
A former top-ranking Secret Service official told theGrio that security at the White House would “absolutely” be “enhanced” in the wake of the shooting incident involving Trump in the city of Butler.
Armstrong Williams, a Republican strategist and close associate of former Trump administration official Ben Carson, told theGrio, “It is amazing he [the shooter] got that close to the perimeter.”
The Secret Service candidate protective detail is expected to step up security support for the Democratic and Republican presidential candidates. However, as of Saturday evening, the Secret Service had not reached out to West to step up his security. The activist thought leader and presidential candidate told theGrio, “I will be alright. I have the Holy Ghost and some friends. You know what I mean?”
On Tuesday, President Biden will travel to Las Vegas for the NAACP National Convention. Leon W. Russell, the chair of the NAACP National Board of Directors, told theGrio, “We will have the full range of local police, Secret Service, and our internal security” for Biden’s convention speech next week.
Many questions are swirling in the midst of the alleged Trump assassination attempt where a former Secret Service agent anonymously told theGrio, “The question [is] how did a gun get in that close to a protectee?” They added, “Someone will be fired!”
Like other former presidents, President Trump has a Secret Service protective detail. A second former Secret Service official who did not wish to be identified told theGrio that Trump has a Secret Service presence similar to President Biden’s.
Typically, entering a space where a president, vice president, or presidential candidate is present is not easy. Security searches are in place, including the use of magnetometers. At the White House, the magnetometers are accompanied by other detection devices, including organic detectors for deadly compounds.
A great concern swirls in the midst of this horrific moment as it is campaign season for both the Democratic and Republican parties. The Republican National Convention is being held in Milwaukee beginning on Monday, and the Democratic National Convention is slated for August in Chicago. Security is being stepped up in the wake of Saturday’s shooting.
The Biden administration announced on Saturday night that President Biden would return to the White House instead of travels on the campaign trail. In response to the shooting, his campaign said it would pause all “outbound communications” and is “working to pull down our television ads as quickly as possible.”