WORLD leaders have condemned Saturday’s shooting of former US President, Donald Trump, and the Republican presidential candidate for the 2024 election.
US President Joe Biden, who is also seeking re-election as Trump, frowned at the shooting and warned that such character should not define the country.
He said, “Everybody must condemn” the act as he awaited more information to formally declare the shooting an attempted assassination on his rival.
“We cannot allow this to be happening,” Biden said, adding that “The idea that there’s violence in America like this is just unheard of.”
Trump, who addressed the nation about two hours after the shooting, expressed delight that Trump was doing well after the incident.
Meanwhile, the White House said he spoke with Trump after the address.
Reacting to the attack, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said, “I strongly condemn the attack on the 45th President and presidential candidate of the United States, Donald Trump.”
He expressed hope that an investigation would be launched into the attack and that perpetrators would be identified and punished.
Erdogan sympathised with the Trump family and promised that his country would continue “to support the friendly and allied American people.”
In Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he was “shocked by the apparent attack on President Trump,” as he expressed his sympathy with the Republican candidate.
“We pray for his safety and speedy recovery,” Netanyahu said.
Former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton also deplored the attack in separate statements on their X page on Saturday.
The European Union’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, condemned the attack. “Once again, we are witnessing unacceptable acts of violence against political representatives,” the EU said.
Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva urged that the shooting “must be strongly condemned by all defenders of democracy and political dialogue.”
Similarly, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida also castigated the masterminds of the attack, urging that “we must stand firm against any form of violence that challenges democracy.”
An independent presidential candidate, Robert Kennedy, whose father was killed during his presidential campaign, also condemned the attack.
Kennedy said in a statement, “Now is the time for every American who loves our country to step back from the division, renounce all violence and unite in prayer for President Trump and his family.”
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer was “appalled by the shocking scenes at the rally,” adding that “Political violence in any form has no place in our societies.”
Argentina’s President Javier Milei blamed the “international left” for the attack.
“In panic of losing at the polls, they resort to terrorism to impose their backward and authoritarian agenda,” he stated.
Trump was shot in his right ear at a political rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday, June 13.
In a viral video on X, the Republican candidate was seen with blood on his right ear being whisked away by Secret Service agents after the incident to a waiting vehicle while he raised his up saying “fight”.
Speaking after the incident, Trump said he was shot with a bullet that pierced the upper part of his right ear.
“I knew immediately that something was wrong in that I heard a whizzing sound, shots, and immediately felt the bullet ripping through the skin. Much bleeding took place, so I realized then what was happening. GOD BLESS AMERICA!” he said.
According to reports, the shooter was said to have been killed while an attendee was also killed. Trump’s campaign says he is “fine” after being whisked off the stage and is being checked out at a local medical facility.
Meanwhile, Trump expressed gratitude to the US Secret Service and law enforcement for their prompt action and offered sympathies to the family of the person who was killed at the rally and the other seriously injured person.
The incident marked the first attempt to kill a president or presidential candidate since Ronald Reagan, the 40th President of the US was shot in 1981.
Gunman, who was reportedly killed by the Secret Service, carried out the attack.
In May, The ICIR reported that Trump was found guilty of all 34-count preferred against him by Biden’s administration in a hush-money case, though the ruling would not affect his participation in the presidential race.
The ICIR
