The US president was quick to call for unity in the hours after a gunman shot Trump in the ear, killed one member of the crowd and injured two others at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. The gunman was shot dead by Secret Service agents.
In a statement issued within an hour of the attack, Mr Biden said there was "no place in America for this. We must unite as one nation to condemn it. It's sick, it's sick"...
He said he was "grateful to hear that he's safe and
doing well. I'm praying for him and his family and for all those at the rally.
Jill [Biden] and I are grateful to the Secret Service for getting him to
safety."
The White House later said Mr Biden spoke to his Republican election rival by telephone after he had left hospital, while Biden campaign managers said they were pulling television adverts as quickly as possible in the wake of the attempt on Trump's life.
Nor did other prominent Democrats leave the condemnation of their political rival as Vice President and likely Democratic presidential nominee Kamala
Harris said in a statement that she was
"relieved" Trump was not seriously injured in what she described as a
"senseless shooting".
"Violence such as this has no place in our nation," she added. "We must all condemn this abhorrent act and do our part to ensure that it does not lead to more violence."
Ms Pelosi, the former House Speaker who helped impeach Trump twice, said she was praying for him.
"As one whose family has been the victim of political violence, I know first-hand that political violence of any kind has no place in our society. I thank God that former President Trump is safe," Ms Pelosi wrote on X/Twitter.
Ms Pelosi's husband suffered a fractured skull and other injuries after a man broke into her California home with a hammer trying to find her.
Both Mr Clinton and Mr Obama echoed the comments, saying violence had no place in politics and wishing Trump their prayers.
In that case, Mr. Trump was wounded by a bullet or by shrapnel. Fast-forward eleven months and
Days after a Minnesota state lawmaker was killed and another injured in a "politically motivated assassination," President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that he would not call the state's governor, eschewing a traditional presidential response to tragedies.
"Why would I call him? I could call and say, ‘Hi, how you doing?’ The guy doesn’t have a clue," Trump said, referring to Gov. Tim Walz, D-Minn., who was the vice presidential contender facing off against Trump's ticket in 2024. "He’s a mess. So I could be nice and call, but why waste time?"
Presidents have historically called state and local politicians on both sides of the aisle to lend their support in the aftermath of violent tragedies like natural disasters or high-profile shootings.
Trump is asked if he’s called @GovTimWalz: “I’m not calling him … he’s a mess so you know, I could be nice and call him but why waste time?”
— Chenue Her (@ChenueHer) June 17, 2025
(@atrupar) pic.twitter.com/50Ifh67tsS
In a now-deleted post, Utah Republican senator Mile Lee had tweeted
“this is what happens When Marxists don’t get their way.” In
another, he posted a photo of the suspect in the case and captioned it,
"Nightmare on Waltz Street," an apparent reference to the state's
Democratic governor, Tim Walz.
Senatee Minority Leader (God help us!) Chuck Schumer and Minnesota senators Amy Klobuchar:and Tina Smith each appeared to have asked Senator Lee to take the post down. The Utahn did so, though removing a scurrilous post after right-wingers have digested and applauded it does not make the situation any better. Its message already has been received by supporters and its impact made. There has been no apology or concession of error and if deletion makes them feel better, there are many qualified therapists in the Washington, D.C. area.
But leave it to Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin to take it one step further (backward). On the Senate floor, he declared (at 2:09 of the video below) in decrying Lee's action
Another one of my colleagues from the other side of the aisle tweeted around the shooting "the degree to which the extreme left has become radical, violent, and intolerant is stunning and terrifying." To attempt to politicize this tragedy is absolutely unsettling. This rhetoric from elected officials is beyond dangerous and incites even more violence. It is reprehensible and must be called out on both sides of the aisle- both sides of the aisle.
Say it, Durbin. Say it: Republicans. Democrats call political violence out consistently and make no attempt to defend it. Yet while a few Republicans have criticized the crime "others have used it as an opportunity to poke fun at their Democratic opponents, or suggest that they somehow instigated the violence.": Critically
on X, prominent rightwing figures were quick to promote conspiracy theories about what happened. Elon Musk, the erstwhile Trump sidekick who runs Tesla, shared a tweet from a pro-Trump account that read, in part: “The left has become a full blown domestic terrorist organization.”
Laura Loomer, the rightwing extremist who is said to have
played a role in encouraging Trump to fire national security officials, alleged
the suspect had ties to the “No Kings” protests that took place nationwide on
Saturday, and that Walz knew him.
They do it because it works. Literally in the case of the pro-forced birth Trumpist in Minnesota and Kyle Rittenhouse (also in Minnesota), the far right brings the guns. The more responsible and respectable Republicans in public life take their cue from them, and especially from Donald Trump, fomenting a civil war. . Democrats are bringing a knife to a gunfight.
The likes of Durbin, Schumer, Klobuchar, and Smith don't understand that virtually every Republican is not their friend. These individuals- Stepfords, mostly- are more than "the other side of the aisle." They don't feel the shame you want them to, and will continue to support the fascistic authoritarian in the White House. It's not "both sides." It's yours, and Donald Trump.
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