Our Bureau
Washington, DC
The shooting incident at former President Donald Trump’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday, has drawn strong condemnation from several prominent leaders, including Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Barack Obama.
Harris described the incident as “abhorrent” and said that such violence has no place in the US.
Shortly after the shooting, the US Vice President shared a post on X, saying, “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,” she said.
Harris also expressed gratitude to the US Secret Service for their swift response. “We are grateful to the United States Secret Service, first responders, and local authorities for their immediate action,” she said, adding that “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,” the US Vice President said.
The gunfire incident, which comes months before the 2024 US presidential elections, disrupted Trump’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday, as reported by CBS News. Trump was immediately escorted off stage by US Secret Service agents and taken away in a motorcade.
In the videos that went viral on social media, Trump could be seen bleeding from his ear.
Former US President Barack Obama also condemned the incident, saying that there is “absolutely no place for political violence” in the US.
“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 shared in a post on X.
President Joe Biden responded to Saturday’s shooting at the Trump rally, which killed at least one spectator and left the shooter dead as well.
“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,” Biden wrote on X.
“There’s no place for this kind of violence in America. We must unite as one nation to condemn it,” he further said.
Former US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, too, condemned the shooting at former President Donald Trump’s rally on Saturday. “As one whose family has been the victim of political violence, I know firsthand that political violence of any kind has no place in our society,” Pelosi said in a post on X.
