In the wake of the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump, President Biden cut short his weekend trip to Delaware and returned to Washington, D.C., preparing for a private law enforcement briefing. The White House confirmed Biden spoke with Trump by phone hours after the attack.”There’s no place in America for this kind of violence. It’s sick. It’s sick. It’s one of the reasons why we have to unite this country,” Biden said in an emergency briefing following the attack. “We cannot allow for this to be happening. We cannot condone this.”Meanwhile, a new video overnight showed Trump flanked by security as he landed in New Jersey to spend the night at his private golf club. Hours earlier, Trump had been speaking at a campaign rally in Butler County, Pennsylvania when shots rang out. One bullet, according to the former president, pierced the upper part of his right ear. A bloodied Trump was surrounded by Secret Service and rushed to his SUV as he pumped his fist in the air. Law enforcement says at least one bystander was killed and another two were injured. The shooter was also killed.Condemnation for the attack crossed party lines in the immediate aftermath. The messages of concern also came with a mix of finger-pointing and accusations from some lawmakers blaming Biden for the attack, with at least one Republican calling for the criminal cases against Trump to be dropped.In all, lawmakers, including Democratic leadership, expressed a mix of shock and relief. “I am horrified by what happened at the Trump rally in Pennsylvania and relieved that former President Trump is safe,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer wrote on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter. “Political violence has no place in our country.”My thoughts and prayers are with former President Trump…I am thankful for the decisive law enforcement response,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries wrote. “America is a democracy. Political violence of any kind is never acceptable.”Republicans also joined in.”All Americans are grateful that President Trump appears to be fine after a despicable attack on a peaceful rally,” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell wrote. “Violence has no place in our politics. We appreciate the swift work of the Secret Service and other law enforcement.”And from House Speaker Mike Johnson:”The House will conduct a full investigation of the tragic events today. The American people deserve to know the truth,” he said. “We will have Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle and other appropriate officials from DHS and the FBI appear for a hearing before our committees ASAP.”Republicans are vowing swift action in the aftermath of the attack. Overnight, Republican Rep. James Comer invited Director Cheatle to testify before the House Oversight Committee, claiming that “Americans demand answers.”Chairman of the Homeland Security Committee Senator Josh Hawley also suggested the Senate hold similar hearings.
In the wake of the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump,
President Biden cut short his weekend trip to Delaware and returned to Washington, D.C., preparing for a private law enforcement briefing. The White House confirmed Biden spoke with Trump by phone hours after the attack.
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“There’s no place in America for this kind of violence. It’s sick. It’s sick. It’s one of the reasons why we have to unite this country,” Biden said in an emergency briefing following the attack. “We cannot allow for this to be happening. We cannot condone this.”
Meanwhile, a new video overnight showed Trump flanked by security as he landed in New Jersey to spend the night at his private golf club.
Hours earlier, Trump had been speaking at a campaign rally in Butler County, Pennsylvania when shots rang out. One bullet, according to the former president, pierced the upper part of his right ear. A bloodied Trump was surrounded by Secret Service and rushed to his SUV as he pumped his fist in the air. Law enforcement says at least one bystander was killed and another two were injured. The shooter was also killed.
Condemnation for the attack crossed party lines in the immediate aftermath.
The messages of concern also came with a mix of finger-pointing and accusations from some lawmakers blaming Biden for the attack, with at least one Republican calling for the criminal cases against Trump to be dropped.
In all, lawmakers, including Democratic leadership, expressed a mix of shock and relief.
“I am horrified by what happened at the Trump rally in Pennsylvania and relieved that former President Trump is safe,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer wrote on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter. “Political violence has no place in our country.
“My thoughts and prayers are with former President Trump…I am thankful for the decisive law enforcement response,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries wrote. “America is a democracy. Political violence of any kind is never acceptable.”
Republicans also joined in.
“All Americans are grateful that President Trump appears to be fine after a despicable attack on a peaceful rally,” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell wrote. “Violence has no place in our politics. We appreciate the swift work of the Secret Service and other law enforcement.”
And from House Speaker Mike Johnson:
“The House will conduct a full investigation of the tragic events today. The American people deserve to know the truth,” he said. “We will have Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle and other appropriate officials from DHS and the FBI appear for a hearing before our committees ASAP.”
Republicans are vowing swift action in the aftermath of the attack. Overnight, Republican Rep. James Comer invited Director Cheatle to testify before the House Oversight Committee, claiming that “Americans demand answers.”
Chairman of the Homeland Security Committee Senator Josh Hawley also suggested the Senate hold similar hearings.
