President Biden led the condemnation after his election rival was wounded in a shooting incident at a rally in Pennsylvania onJuly 13 that also reportedly killed at least one bystander. Political leaders on both sides of the aisle slammed the violence minutes after the Republican candidate was rushed off stage by the Secret Service, blood running down his face. Samuel Corum/Getty Images
Biden says ‘no place for this kind of violence in America’ after shooting at Trump rally
Vice President Kamala Harris also issued a statement saying she and the second gentleman were praying for Trump and his family.
President Joe Biden denounced political violence during brief remarks Saturday night after a shooting abruptly ended a campaign rally that Donald Trump was holding in Pennsylvania and injured the former president.
Biden declined to say whether the incident, which is under investigation by the Secret Service, was an assassination attempt.
“I have an opinion, but I don’t have any facts,” Biden said, speaking from the Rehoboth Beach, Del., police department, near his vacation home there. “So I want to make sure we have all the facts before I make some comment.”
Biden said he hadn’t spoken to Trump yet, but that he hoped to talk with him by phone soon.
“I have tried to get ahold of Donald. He’s with his doctors. Apparently he’s doing well,” Biden said. “I plan on talking to him shortly. I hope when I get back to the telephone.”
Trump on social media
Trump posted on social media after Biden’s remarks concluded that he wanted to offer “condolences to the family of the person at the Rally who was killed, and also to the family of another person that was badly injured.”
“It is incredible that such an act can take place in our Country,” Trump wrote. “Nothing is known at this time about the shooter, who is now dead.”
Trump added that he was “shot with a bullet that pierced the upper part of my right ear.”
“I knew immediately that something was wrong in that I heard a whizzing sound, shots, and immediately felt the bullet ripping through the skin,” Trump wrote. “Much bleeding took place, so I realized then what was happening.”
‘We cannot condone this’
Biden said during his public comments the type of violence that took place during the rally was unacceptable and should never happen.
“There is no place in America for this kind of violence. It’s sick,” Biden said. “It’s one of the reasons why we have to unite this country. We cannot allow for this to be happening. We cannot be like this. We cannot condone this.”
Trump, he said, should have been able to have the rally without any violence.
“The idea that there’s political violence or violence in America like this is just unheard of, it’s just not appropriate,” Biden said. “Everybody must condemn it.”
Vice President Kamala Harris also issued a statement saying she had been briefed on the incident.
“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 of Trump.
“Violence such as this has no place in our nation,” Harris wrote. “We must all condemn this abhorrent act and do our part to ensure that it does not lead to more violence.”
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