Violence condemned after Trump shot in ear, injured at rally in Pennsylvania

Elected officials are united in condemning the violence this evening in Butler, Pa., where former President Donald Trump was injured after being shot in the upper part of his right ear.

The Secret Service rushed Trump off the stage while he had blood on his face. The former president wasn’t seriously injured.

“There is no place in America for this kind of violence,” President Joe Biden said at a news conference. “It’s sick. It’s sick. It’s one of the reasons we have to unite this country. We cannot allow for this to be happening. It cannot be like this. We cannot condone this.”

U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer, the Senate Majority Leader as a Democrat, made this statement on social media: “I am horrified by what happened at the Trump rally in Pennsylvania and relieved that former President Trump is safe. Political violence has no place in our country.”

Gov. Kathy Hochul made this statement: “Any violence against a fellow American is disgusting and unacceptable. We must express political disagreements peacefully, civilly and respectfully.

“I am praying for the safety and health of former President Trump and all who are attending this event in Pennsylvania.”

U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand issued this response: “My thoughts are with former President Trump and all of those affected by this horrible act, and I’m grateful to law enforcement for their swift response. Political violence is completely unacceptable and has no place in American democracy.”

Orleans County Legislature Chairman Lynne Johnson issued this statement: “As we pray for President Trump and all those who attended today’s rally where gunshots were apparently fired, let’s also pray for our country and an end to the division that is driving some people to political violence.

“The fact is, while fighting with vigor and passion for the issues that matter to us, we must remember that those who disagree are not the enemy. They are fellow Americans with a different point of view. That should be one thing we can all agree on.”