President Joe Biden spoke to the nation on Saturday night after an attempt on the life of former President Donald Trump during a rally in Pennsylvania. He mentioned that he couldn't reach Trump before his address, but the White House later confirmed that they spoke several hours afterwards.
"I’ve been thoroughly briefed by all the agencies in the federal government as to the situation based on what we know now," Biden informed reporters and the public in a live broadcast. "I have tried to get a hold of Donald; he’s with his doctors. Apparently, he's doing well. I plan on talking to him shortly."
"Look, there's no place in America for this kind of violence. It’s sick. It’s sick," Biden emphasised. "It’s one of the reasons why we have to unite this country."
"We cannot allow for this to be happening," he continued. "We cannot be like this. We cannot condone this."
Biden also expressed gratitude to the Secret Service and all law enforcement agencies involved in responding to the shooting.
Biden was attending church in Delaware when the incident occurred. He was quickly briefed by Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, and Homeland Security Advisor Liz Sherwood-Randall.
In his speech, Biden promised to keep the public updated as more details emerge.
"But the bottom line is, the -- the Trump rally was a rally that he should’ve been able to be conducted peacefully without any problem," Biden stated. "But the idea, the idea that there's political violence or violence in America like this, is just unheard of, it’s just not appropriate."
"We -- everybody, everybody must condemn it," Biden concluded. "Everybody."
The incident occurred shortly after Trump began his campaign event in Pennsylvania, around 6 pm ET. Secret Service agents quickly moved to secure Trump after loud pops were heard. Trump, who had ducked behind the lectern, was seen with what appeared to be blood on the side of his head and face before being escorted away.
A spokesperson for Trump confirmed that the former president is "fine" and was "being checked out at a local medical facility." The Secret Service assured the public that Trump is "safe" and that an active investigation is ongoing.
Meanwhile, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La stated, "Kelly and I are praying for President Trump and all the attendees of the campaign rally today in Pennsylvania, and we send our gratitude to the law enforcement who responded at the scene." He further said, "I have been briefed by law enforcement and am continuing to monitor the developments. This horrific act of political violence at a peaceful campaign rally has no place in this country and should be unanimously and forcefully condemned."
Later, Johnson released a statement demanding transparency.
"THE HOUSE WILL CONDUCT A FULL INVESTIGATION OF THE TRAGIC EVENTS TODAY," he posted on X, using capital letters. "The American people deserve to know the truth. 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."
"Praying for President Donald Trump. There is never any place for political violence," said House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, a California Republican.
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi also posted a statement on X: "As one whose family has been the victim of political violence, I know firsthand that political violence of any kind has no place in our society. I thank God that former President Trump is safe. As we learn more details about this horrifying incident, let us pray that all those in attendance at the former President's rally today are unharmed."
Nancy Pelosi’s husband, Paul Pelosi, was a victim of political violence when he was attacked at their home in San Francisco.
"There is absolutely no place for political violence in our democracy," former President Barack Obama posted 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. Michelle and I are wishing him a quick recovery."
A Biden campaign official announced, "The Biden campaign is pausing all outbound communications and working to pull down our television ads as quickly as possible."
