It took nearly two hours for President Joe Biden to condemn the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump on Saturday, after the former president was hustled off the stage of a campaign rally by U.S. Secret Service agents and left covered in blood.
During a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, Secret Service officers rushed Trump off the stage after gunfire was heard over the noise of the crowd. Biden reportedly told reporters as he left the church on Saturday that he had not heard about the incident. He made the statement 102 minutes after the former president was shot.
“I'm pleased to hear that he is safe and well. As we await more information, we are praying for him, his family and all those who were at the rally,” Biden said in a statement. “Jill and I are grateful to the Secret Service for evacuating him to safety. This kind of violence has no place in America, and we must come together as a country to condemn it.” (Related: President Trump injured, two killed in shooting at rally)
JUST NOW: Biden makes first statement on the assassination attempt on President Trump, calling on Americans to come together to “condemn this.” Daily Caller pic.twitter.com/FC380m16Gu
— Reagan Reese (@reaganreese_) July 13, 2024
The president later gave unscheduled remarks in Delaware, speaking for about three minutes. Biden told reporters he had been briefed on the shooting but could not say whether the attack was an assassination attempt because he did not have all the facts.
Biden responds to Trump shooting, doesn't call it assassination attempt
Reporter: “Mr. President, do you believe this was an assassination attempt?”
Biden: “I don't know enough. I have opinions, I don't have facts, and I want to make sure we have all the information…” pic.twitter.com/wOt80EM36f
— VigilantNews (@VigilantNews) July 14, 2024
“Look, there is no place in America for this kind of violence. This is sick. This is one of the reasons we have to unite our country. We cannot allow this to happen. This cannot happen,” the president said in unscheduled remarks.
“So I want to thank all the agencies, including the Secret Service and state agencies, for making sure people have more information,” he said.[s] “There are other injured people, probably injured people in the audience, so please come,” he continued.
Biden also indicated he would issue a follow-up statement once more information is available.
More than two hours after the attack on Trump, Vice President Kamala Harris released a statement condemning the attack on the former president.
“Doug and I are relieved that he was not seriously injured and we are praying for him, his family and all those injured and affected by this senseless shooting,” Harris wrote. “We thank the U.S. Secret Service, emergency personnel and local authorities for their swift response.”
“Such violence has no place in our country. We must all condemn this abhorrent act and do our part to prevent it from leading to further violence,” she continued.
Butler County District Attorney Richard Goldinger said the suspect was killed and at least one attendee at the rally was killed. according to The Trump campaign released a statement after the attack, saying the former president was “safe” and thanking police for their swift response, according to The Associated Press.
“President Trump thanks the police and emergency responders for their swift action in response to this heinous incident. He is in good health and is being examined at a local medical facility. More details will be released at a later date,” the campaign statement said.
