New York politicians call Trump rally shooting "disgusting," "horrific," and "unacceptable"
NEW YORK -- Leaders from across the Tri-State Area are reacting after a shooting at former President Donald Trump's rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on Saturday.
Video captured by CBS News shows Trump touching his ear and then crouching to the ground after numerous shots were heard. Some blood could be seen on his face.
Trump was rushed offstage by Secret Service. As Secret Service surrounded Trump to escort him off the stage, Trump raised his fist in the air, pumping it to the crowd.
In a statement, a spokesperson for Trump's campaign said, "He is fine and is being checked out at a local medical facility." He was released from the hospital later Saturday night.
The Butler County district attorney confirms to CBS Pittsburgh that the gunman and an audience member have died. Two law enforcement sources told CBS News the gunman was killed by a Secret Service sniper.
Republicans, Democrats decry violence after Trump rally shooting
The horror of the events in Pennsylvania brought local Republicans and Democrats together to decry the violence and pray for the former president.
"There's a lot of animosity in this campaign," New York Republican Party Chairman Ed Cox said.
Cox had only been in Milwaukee for a few hours -- barely had time to get settled for his party's nominating convention -- when he got word about the attempt on Trump's life. He said it hit home in home in a very personal way: he is the son-in-law of Richard Nixon.
"It is something that is on the back of your mind, that this can always happen," Cox said.
"I'm just looking at this photo. You can see the bullet whizzing out behind Trump's head," Rep. Mike Lawler said. "This was an assassination attempt, plain and simple. And American elections should be determined by voters, not violence. And what we saw is really just so horrific and it saddens me for our country that this is where we are."
Although President Joe Biden's campaign worked to take down political attack ads as quickly as possible, Lawler couldn't resist taking a shot at the Democrat campaign strategy.
"Some of the rhetoric that has been used in the course of these political campaigns does not help. When you tell people that the other side is destroying democracy, that does not help," he said.
Experts say the events in Pennsylvania will now play a part in the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.
"Well, certainly is going to color a lot of the events. I'm sure that we will see it being referenced by speakers throughout the convention," said Phil Walzak, a New York-based strategy consultant.
The attack is also expected to harden Trump's resolve to talk about safety.
"I do think that it will provide a platform for Mr. Trump to kind of showcase a lot more of the things he wants to discuss on this campaign about safety and crime," Walzak said.
Cox and Lawler both say this incident will not change Trump's position on the right to bear arms.
"Disgusting and unacceptable"
"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," Gov. Kathy Hochul wrote on X.
"The events that unfolded at today's rally in Pennsylvania are horrific. Sending my prayers to former President Trump, his family, and everyone who was at today's event. Political violence has no place in this country. Out of an abundance of caution, the NYPD is surging officers to certain sites across the five boroughs," New York City Mayor Eric Adams said.
Trump Tower is one of the sites that is getting additional security.
"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," Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said in a post on X.
"My thoughts and prayers are with former President Trump. I am thankful for the decisive law enforcement response. America is a democracy. Political violence of any kind is never acceptable," House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said.
"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," N.Y. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand said.
"Please pray for President Trump, his family, and all of the patriots at today's rally in Pennsylvania. The American people stand strongly with President Trump," Rep. Elise Stefanik said. "I am grateful for the statement provided by President Trump's team and share their gratitude for first responders and medical personnel."
New York Rep. Torres demands investigation
"Democracy has no greater enemy than political violence. It has no place in the United States of America. We must never revert back to a period of political assassinations in America," Rep. Ritchie Torres said.
Torres later added, "The security failures surrounding the attempted assassination of a presidential candidate demand an investigation. The federal government must constantly learn from security failures in order to avoid repeating them—especially when those failures have implications for the Nation."
"There is no place for political violence, including the horrific incident we just witnessed in Pennsylvania. It is absolutely unacceptable and must be denounced in the strongest terms. My heart goes out to all the victims and I wish the former President a speedy recovery," Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said in a post on X.
"Political violence is unacceptable and should never be tolerated. I extend my prayers to former President Donald Trump and his family at this time," Rep. Adriano Espaillat said.
"Praying for former President Trump. Political violence can never be the answer," New York Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado wrote in a post on X,
"He will recover and come back stronger than ever"
Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman said in a statement, "Our thoughts and prayers are with my friend, our 45th President, and hopefully our next president, Donald J. Trump, for a speedy recovery. President Trump is the most resilient person I've ever met and I'm confident that he will recover and come back stronger than ever. God bless Donald J. Trump."
Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine said in a statement, "Hatred and acts of violence toward an elected official or candidate for office regardless of political affiliation have no place in this country. As Americans, we stand united on the principles that make our country strong. While there are no reported threats in Suffolk County at this time, my office will continue to monitor the situation."
"My thoughts and prayers are with former President Donald Trump, reportedly shot during his rally in Philadelphia. Preliminary reports indicate that his injuries are not life threatening," Rockland County Executive Ed Day said. "Regardless of how one feels about party and politics that disagreement should never be escalated to violence. Rather, we all need to take a step back, pray for the former President, and universally condemn vicious acts like this."
In a post on X, New York City Councilmember Justin Brannan said in part, "We must never accept, tolerate, or normalize political violence. Ever. I hope everyone is OK. This is not the America anybody wants."
Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine said in a post on X, "Please stop saying this was fake or staged. One bystander has died. Thankfully Pres Trump is safe. But this was all too real. This is not a moment for conspiracy theories. This is a time for all of us to come together to say political violence is unacceptable. Period."
