President Joe Biden delivered remarks on Saturday evening after former President Donald Trump was injured and rushed offstage when gunshots were fired at his political rally.
“There’s no place in America for this kind of violence,” Biden said in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.
“It’s sick,” Biden said. “It’s sick.”
“It’s one of the reasons we have to unite this country,” the president said. “We cannot allow for this to be happening. We cannot be like this. We cannot condone this.”
Biden said he hoped to speak with Trump shortly, adding, “apparently he’s been doing well.”
Political violence is “just unheard of, it’s just not appropriate, and everybody, everybody must condemn it,” he said.
President Joe Biden speaks after his Republican opponent Donald Trump was injured following a shooting at an election rally in Pennsylvania, at the Rehoboth Beach Police Department, in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, July 13, 2024.
Samuel Corum | Afp | Getty Images
Asked if he believed the shooting was an assassination attempt against Trump, Biden said he had “an opinion” but wanted to gather more facts before making additional comments.
Trump’s campaign said shortly after the incident that he is “fine and is being checked out at a local medical facility.” Trump was seen with blood on his face and ear as he was evacuated by Secret Service.
The U.S. Secret Service said, “the former President is safe,” and that there is an active investigation into the apparent shooting.
In a written statement earlier Saturday evening, Biden, who is running for reelection against Trump, said that he was glad to hear Trump is “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,” Biden said in the statement.
“There’s no place for this kind of violence in America. We must unite as one nation to condemn it,” the president said.
The statement and Biden’s remarks followed an outpouring of support for Trump from his political allies and opponents alike, who roundly condemned political violence in all forms.
Republican presidential candidate and former U.S. President Donald Trump gestures with a bloodied face as multiple shots rang out during a campaign rally at the Butler Farm Show in Butler, Pennsylvania, U.S., July 13, 2024.
Brendan Mcdermid | Reuters
Both of Trump’s presidential predecessors, Barack Obama and George W. Bush, had already shared their relief that Trump appeared not to be seriously injured.
“There is absolutely no place for political violence in our democracy,” Obama said in a statement on X. “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.”
Bush said that he and former first lady Laura Bush “are grateful that President Trump is safe following the cowardly attack on his life.”
Former congresswoman Gabby Giffords, who was shot in the head in a 2011 assassination attempt and has since become a gun control activist, wrote, “Political violence is terrifying. I know.
“I’m holding former president Trump, and all those affected by today’s indefensible act of violence in my heart. Political violence is un-American and is never acceptable—never,” Giffords wrote.
Vice President Kamala Harris in a statement said that she and second gentleman Doug Emhoff “are relieved that [Trump] is not seriously injured.”
“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,” Harris said.
Not every reaction was nonpartisan.
Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, a vocal critic of Biden who reportedly recently donated to a pro-Trump super PAC, wrote on X within an hour of the shooting: “I fully endorse President Trump and hope for his rapid recovery.”
This is developing news. Please check back for updates.