Following a mass shooting at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday, leaders of both Texas parties expressed outrage and support for former President Donald Trump.
US Secret Service agents rushed Trump off the stage at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, and he appeared to have blood on his ear. He was taken to a secure location.
Texas Agriculture Commissioner and longtime Trump ally Sid Miller also attended the rally, standing about 30 feet away from the former president.
“The first three or so shots missed him and he was facing me and then one just grazed his ear and he went down,” Miller said in a brief interview with The Texas Tribune.
Miller said Trump was OK and was confident he would attend the party’s national convention as scheduled. Miller, who accompanied Trump on a tour of battleground states ahead of the convention, said Trump was unharmed.
Other Texas leaders also took to social media in the aftermath of the unrest.
“What a horrible and frightening situation unfolding. Please join me in praying for President Trump and all those attending the rally right now,” Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan said on social media.
The Associated Press reported that the suspected shooter was killed and that a rally participant was also killed.
“President Trump thanks the police and emergency responders for their swift 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,” Trump campaign spokesman Steven Chang said in a statement.
Many of President Trump’s most ardent supporters were quick to condemn the violence on social media.
“The world is evil. Thank God President Trump was able to leave on his own. I pray that this man makes a full recovery and is arrested immediately,” Attorney General Ken Paxton wrote.
“This is horrible, wrong and evil. Thankfully, he does not appear to be seriously injured,” Sen. Ted Cruz said in his post. “Heidi and I are praying for President Trump right now.”
“They’re trying to jail him. They’re trying to kill him. It won’t work. He’s indomitable,” Gov. Greg Abbott posted.
The White House said President Joe Biden had also been briefed on the situation, and in a statement Biden said he was “grateful to hear that they are safe and well.”
“As we await more information, I am praying for him, his family and all who were at the rally. Jill and I are grateful to the Secret Service who evacuated him to safety. This kind of violence has no place in America, and we must come together as one nation to condemn it,” Biden continued in the statement.
The incident occurred as Republicans from across the country began gathering in Milwaukee for the national party convention that will nominate Trump for this year’s presidential election, at which he will also choose his running mate.
The attack is likely to have ramifications for the rest of the convention, the first of its kind since 2016, when Trump was first nominated for president. The 2020 convention was significantly scaled back because of the pandemic. Several Texans are scheduled to speak at the convention, including Abbott and Cruz.
As Secret Service agents hurried the president off the stage, he returned to the podium and pumped his fist in a show of strength. The image of the president pumping his fist in front of the American flag became a rallying cry for Republicans, with several Republicans posting it to social media.
“And now there is zero chance that Trump will lose,” Rep. Dan Crenshaw wrote on social media, along with a photo of Trump raising his fist.
Democrats also expressed concerns.
“Violence of any kind has no place in a democracy and I condemn in the strongest terms this horrific attack. I pray for former President Trump’s full recovery and thank the Secret Service and law enforcement for their swift action,” Rep. Collin Allred, a Dallas Democrat running against Cruz this year, said on social media.
Rep. Sylvia Garcia, a Houston Democrat, echoed Allred’s sentiments.
“Violence of any kind can never be tolerated. I am praying for former President Trump and his recovery,” Garcia said on social media. Garcia served as an impeachment manager during Trump’s first House impeachment trial.
Former President Barack Obama said he was grateful that Trump was not seriously injured.
“Political violence has no place in our democracy. While we still don’t know exactly what happened, we can all be relieved that former President Trump was not seriously injured and we should use this opportunity to recommit ourselves to civility and respect in our politics,” Obama said on social media.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
This article originally appeared in The Texas Tribune.
