President Joe Biden addressed the nation following the shooting at former President Donald Trump’s rally in Pennsylvania, expressing relief that Trump is safe and unharmed.
“I have been briefed on the shooting at Donald Trump’s rally in Pennsylvania. I’m grateful to hear that he’s 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. “Jill and I are grateful to the Secret Service for getting him to safety. There’s no place for this kind of violence in America. We must unite as one nation to condemn it.”
At the time of the incident, Biden was attending Mass at St. Edmund’s Catholic Church in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. The White House informed reporters that the president was briefed on the situation by Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, and Homeland Security Adviser Liz Sherwood-Randall.
Biden: “There’s No Place in America for This Kind of Violence”
Condemning the shooting, Biden stated, “There’s no place in America for this kind of violence. It’s sick, it’s one of the reasons we have to unite this country. We cannot allow for this to be happening. We cannot be like this, we cannot condone this.”
He also mentioned his attempts to contact Trump, who is currently with his doctors and appears to be doing well. “Apparently, he’s doing well. I plan on talking to him shortly, I hope, when I get back to the telephone,” Biden said.
A Call for Universal Condemnation
Biden urged everyone to condemn the violence, highlighting the need for peaceful political discourse. “The bottom line is, the Trump rally should have been able to be conducted peacefully without any problem. But the idea that there’s political violence or violence in America like this is just unheard of, is just not appropriate. Everybody must condemn it. Everybody,” he emphasized.
The president assured that “every agency in the federal government” is investigating the matter and that he is receiving ongoing updates.
