Milwaukee, Wisconsin.- Texas leaders from both political parties expressed outrage and support for former President Donald Trump following a shooting at a campaign event in Pennsylvania on Saturday.
Trump was quickly taken off the stage at the campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, by the U.S. Secret Service after gunshots were heard. There appeared to be blood on the former president’s ear. Trump was taken to safety. Trump later said in a social media post that he had been hit above his right ear.
Sid Miller, Texas’ agriculture commissioner and a longtime Trump ally, was at the rally, about 30 feet from the former president.
“It looked like the first three shots maybe missed him and he turned around looking at me. And then one grazed his ear and he ducked,” Miller said in a brief interview with The Texas Tribune.
Miller said Trump would be fine and expressed confidence that he would continue on to the party’s national convention as planned. Miller had been accompanying Trump through key states before the convention. Miller said he was not injured.
The suspected shooter was shot dead and another rally-goer was killed, the Associated Press reported. The shooting is being investigated as an attempted murder.
Texas leaders took to social media in the wake of the chaos.
“What a horrible and terrifying situation. Please join me in praying for President Trump and everyone at the rally right now,” Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan said on social media.
“President Trump thanks law enforcement and first responders for their swift action during this heinous act. He is doing well and is being checked out at a local medical facility. More details will be released,” Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung said in a statement.
Many of Trump’s most ardent supporters were quick to condemn the violence on social media.
“The world is wicked. Praise God that President Trump was able to walk on his own. Praying for complete healing and that this person be caught immediately,” Attorney General Ken Paxton wrote.
“This is horrific and it is wrong and it is evil. Thank God he appears not to be seriously injured,” Sen. Ted Cruz said in his own post. “Heidi and I are lifting President Trump up in prayer right now.”
“They’re trying to put him in jail. They’re trying to kill him. It won’t work. He’s unstoppable,” Governor Greg Abbott posted.
The White House revealed that President Joe Biden has also been briefed on the situation. Biden said in a statement that he was “grateful to hear that she is safe and well.”
“I am praying for him and his family and everyone who was at the rally as we await further information. Jill and I are grateful to the Secret Service for bringing him to safety. There is no place for this kind of violence in America. We must come together as one nation to condemn it,” Biden’s statement continued.
Biden later said at a news conference that he plans to speak with Trump, who was with his doctors at the time. The president reiterated that “everyone should condemn” the shooting. Biden was asked if he knew if it was an assassination attempt, to which he replied, “I have an opinion, but I don’t have any facts.”
The incident occurred as Republicans from across the country began gathering in Milwaukee for their national party convention where they plan to nominate Trump for this year’s presidential election. Trump will also name his running mate at the convention.
The attack is likely to influence the rest of the convention, the first of this scale since 2016 when Trump was first nominated for president. The 2020 convention was drastically scaled back because of the pandemic. Several Texans will speak at the convention, including Abbott and Cruz.
As the Secret Service rushed the president off the stage, he insisted on returning to the lectern to raise his fist in a show of strength. The image of him doing this in front of an American flag became a rallying cry for Republicans, with several of them posting it on social media.
“And Trump’s chances of losing just dropped to zero,” Rep. Dan Crenshaw wrote on social media alongside a photo of Trump raising his fist.
Democrats also expressed concern.
“Violence of any kind has no place in our democracy, and I condemn this horrific attack in the strongest possible terms. I pray that former President Trump makes a full and complete recovery and am grateful to the Secret Service and law enforcement for their swift action,” Rep. Colin Allred, a Dallas Democrat who is challenging Cruz this year, said on social media.
Rep. Sylvia Garcia, D-Houston, echoed Allred.
“Violence of any kind is never acceptable. I am praying for former President Trump and his recovery,” Garcia said on social media. Garcia was one of the impeachment managers in Trump’s first House impeachment trial.
Vice President Kamala Harris said she and Doug Emhoff were relieved Trump was not seriously injured in a social media post. She said she is praying for Trump, his family and anyone else affected by the shooting.
“Violence like this has no place in our nation,” Harris wrote. “We must all condemn this heinous act and do our part to ensure it does not lead to further violence.”
Former President Barack Obama also said he was grateful that Trump was not seriously injured.
“There is absolutely no place for political violence in our democracy. While we still don’t know exactly what happened, we should all be relieved that former President Trump was not seriously injured and use this moment to recommit to civility and respect in our politics,” Obama said on social media.
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