Republican candidate Donald Trump is seen with blood on his face surrounded by Secret Service agents as he is removed from the stage at a campaign event at the Butler Farm Show Inc. in Butler, Pennsylvania, July 13, 2024.
Rebecca Druk | AFP | Getty Images
World leaders have joined in condemning the assassination attempt on former US President Donald Trump over the weekend.
Trump suffered an ear injury during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday. The suspect, identified by the FBI as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, was shot and killed by Secret Service agents at the scene.
A bystander was also killed, while two other onlookers were seriously injured.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he was “sickened by the shooting” and sent his thoughts to Trump and his fellow Americans.
European leaders from G20 nations including Germany, France and Italy expressed concern and best wishes for Trump. Newly elected British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he was “disturbed by the horrific scenes” at the rally, adding that “political violence of any form has no place in our societies.”
French President Emmanuel Macron said on Channel X that the assassination attempt was a “tragedy for our democracies” and that his country “shares the indignation of the American people.”
In Asia, China's foreign ministry said in a statement that President Xi Jinping had expressed sympathy with Trump, while Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida stressed the importance of standing firmly against violence that challenges democracy.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi – who referred to Trump as “my friend” – said he “strongly” condemned the incident and that “violence has no place in politics and democracies”.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese echoed the sentiment, saying the Pennsylvania election was “troubling and controversial.”
“Russia has always condemned all forms of violence,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, according to Reuters, and blamed the US administration for creating the environment that led to the attack.
In the United States, Republicans and Democrats alike came together to criticize the attack and express their well-wishes for the former president.
In an Oval Office speech Sunday evening, President Joe Biden stressed the importance of lowering the temperature in American politics and urged Americans to remember: “We are not enemies. We are neighbors, we are friends, we are coworkers, we are fellow citizens and most importantly, we are Americans.”
“The political record in this country has become very hot,” Biden said in his speech. “It is time to calm down. It is the responsibility of all of us to do so.”
“Disagreement is inevitable in American democracy. It's part of human nature. Politics should not be a battleground and, God forbid, a killing ground,” he said, adding that he had a phone call with Trump, who is recovering well.
Vice President Kamala Harris posted on Twitter on Sunday, saying violence like this “has no place in our nation” and that this “hateful act” must be condemned to ensure it does not continue to happen.
Her words echo those of former President Barack Obama, who said there was “absolutely no place for political violence in our democracy” and wished Trump a speedy recovery.
