President Joe Biden and other major political leaders decried violence after the incident at former President Donald Trump’s campaign rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday night.
“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,” Biden said in a statement released by the White House.
“Jill and I are grateful to the Secret Service for getting him to safety. There’s no place for this kind of violence in America. We must unite as one nation to condemn it,” Biden added.
Trump was rushed off the stage at a rally in the city of Butler after shots were fired just minutes into his rally. Photos and videos showed the Republican presidential nominee with blood on the side of his head and his ear.
The Butler County district attorney’s office said one spectator from the rally is dead and a second is in serious condition. The shooter involved in the incident is dead, NBC News has confirmed.
Trump is expected to survive, two senior law enforcement officials briefed on the matter told NBC News.
Former President Barack Obama said in a statement 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,” Obama said. “Michelle and I are wishing him a quick recovery.”
Former President George W. Bush said he and former first lady Laura Bush were “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.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson said in a post on X that he was praying for the former president.
“This horrific act of political violence at a peaceful campaign rally has no place in this country and should be unanimously and forcefully condemned,” Johnson said in a subsequent post on X.
Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., the former House Speaker, said on X: “I know firsthand that political violence of any kind has no place in our society. I thank God that former President Trump is safe.” (Pelosi’s husband, Paul Pelosi, was violently assaulted by a hammer-wielding assailant in his San Francisco home in 2022.)
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said in a post on X that “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,” McConnell said. “We appreciate the swift work of the Secret Service and other law enforcement.”
McConnell’s Democratic counterpart, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said in a statement that he was “horrified” by the incident and “relieved” that the former president was “safe.”
“Political violence has no place in our country,” Schumer added.
Former Vice President Mike Pence said he and his wife, Karen, were praying for Trump and “urge every American to join us.”
The violence at the rally was condemned by various other high-profile Republican and Democratic political figures, including Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg; House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y.; Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt.; Senate Republican Whip John Thune, R-S.D.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, a first-term Democrat, denounced the violence and said law enforcement officials were at the scene and working with federal and local partners.
“Violence targeted at any political party or political leader is absolutely unacceptable,” Shapiro said in a post on X. “It has no place in Pennsylvania or the United States.”
This is a developing story. Please refresh for updates.
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