Global condemnations pour in against Trump’s shooting

• Biden, UN, world leaders denounce political violence

Sopuruchi Onwuka, with agency reports

The world governing body, the United Nations, and rulers of other leading nations of the earth have risen in chorus to condemn the Saturday night shooting of eminent American presidential candidate, Donald Trump, at a rally hosted by his Republican Party in Pennsylvania.

A  certain Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, is identified as the gunman who shot Trump in the head as he addressed crowd at the rally.

The attack had Trump wounded in the right side of the head, an attendee dead and the shooter shot by the secret service. Two other attendees suffered injuries.

From the White House in the United States through Europe and far east Asia, the world has responded condemnation of the attack, describing it as reckless and irresponsible.

Trump’s main opponent in the upcoming election, incumbent President Joe Biden, said he is grateful Donald Trump is safe after the shooting.

“There’s no place in America for this kind of violence,” President Biden declared hours after the shooting happened, adding that “it’s sick.”

In calling on the American citizens not to be divided by politics, President Biden call for the country to unite, saying: “We cannot allow for this to be happening. We cannot be like this.”

Biden who was attending mass at St. Edmond’s Catholic Church in Rehoboth Beach when the shooting occurred had to cut short his planned weekend in Delaware to receive an updated briefing from homeland security and law enforcement officials on Sunday.

 “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.”

Biden’s campaign officials decided to pull down all TV ads and limit their public campaign messaging after the shooting incident.

Campaign manager Julie Chávez Rodríguez and chair Jen O’Malley Dillon sent a note to campaign staff Saturday evening in the immediate aftermath of the shooting, urging staff to “refrain from issuing any comments on social media or in public.”

“We’re also asking everyone to pause any proactive campaign communication across all platforms and in all circumstances until we know more,” they wrote in a note obtained by local newsmen.

Biden’s campaign declared that they are “grateful to the members of law enforcement who immediately jumped into action and wishing Trump a quick and full recovery.”

“It should never happen. It’s unconscionable,” a senior White House official told newsmen.

Outside the US, world leaders have rapidly condemned Saturday’s attack on former president Donald Trump, denouncing political violence and wishing him a quick recovery.

A spokesperson for United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the shooting and called it an “act of political violence.”

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said: “We must stand firm against any form of violence that challenges democracy.”

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he was “appalled by the shocking scenes” at the rally. “Political violence in any form has no place in our societies and my thoughts are with all the victims of this attack.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said there was “no justification” for such violence and he was “relieved” that Trump, who has frequently criticized U.S. military aid to Ukraine amid Russia’s invasion, was safe and wished him “a speedy recovery.”

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the shooting was “concerning and confronting,” while Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said it left him “sickened.” Trudeau added: “Political violence is never acceptable.”

Similar comments were also made by the leaders of the European Union, Egypt, Thailand, Taiwan, South Korea, New Zealand, Italy, Sweden, the Netherlands and the Philippines.

“It is a tragedy for our democracies,” French President Emmanuel Macron said of the shooting. “France shares the shock and indignation of the American people.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also said the shooting left him shocked. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who met Trump this week while visiting the U.S. for a NATO summit, said his prayers were with the former president “in these dark hours.”

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva called the shooting unacceptable while also urging others to condemn it.

“The attack against former President Donald Trump must be vehemently repudiated by all defenders of democracy and dialogue in politics. What we saw today is unacceptable,” the Brazilian leader said.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi called Trump a friend and wished him a speedy recovery while saying: “Strongly condemn the incident. Violence has no place in politics and democracies.”