“Horrible and scary”: Texas leaders express outrage and relief after attempted assassination of Donald Trump

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MILWAUKEE — Texas leaders in both political parties expressed outrage and support for former President Donald Trump after a shooting at a campaign event in Pennsylvania on Saturday.

U.S. Secret Service rushed Trump off the stage at the campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, after shots rang out. Blood appeared to be streaked across the former president’s ear. Trump was taken to safety. Trump later said in a social media post that he was shot in the upper right ear.

Sid Miller, the Texas agriculture commissioner and a long time Trump ally, was at the rally, standing about 30 feet away from the former president.

“It looked like the first maybe three shots missed him and he was turned looking towards me. And then the one grazed his ear and then he got down,” Miller recounted in a brief interview with The Texas Tribune.

Miller said Trump would be fine and expressed confidence that he would continue to the party’s national convention as planned. Miller had been accompanying Trump through swing states before the convention. Miller said he was unharmed.

The suspected shooter was killed and another rally attendee was dead, the Associated Press reported. The shooting is being investigated as an attempted assassination.

Texas leaders took to social media in the moments following the chaos.

“What a horrible and scary situation unfolding. Please join me in praying for President Trump and all those at the rally right now,” Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan said on social media.

“President Trump thanks law enforcement and first responders for their quick action during this heinous act. He is fine and is being checked out at a local medical facility. More details will follow,” Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung said in a statement.

Many of Trump's most ardent supporters were quick to condemn the violence on social media.

“The world is evil. Praise God that President Trump was able to walk away on his own. Praying for complete healing and that this person is captured immediately,” Attorney General Ken Paxton wrote.

“This is horrific & wrong & evil. Thank God he appears not to be seriously injured,” U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz said in his own post. “Heidi & I are lifting President Trump up in prayer right now.”

“They try to jail him. They try to kill him. It will not work. He is indomitable,” Gov. Greg Abbott posted.

The White House disclosed that President Joe Biden had also been briefed on the situation. Biden said in a statement that he was "grateful to hear that he's safe and doing well.

"I’m praying for him and his family and for all those who were at the rally, as we await further information. 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 statement continued.

Biden later said at a news conference that he plans to speak to Trump, who was with his doctors at the time. The president reemphasized that "everyone must condemn"the shooting. Biden was asked if he knew if it was an assassination attempt, to which he responded, "I have an opinion, but I don't have any facts."

The incident occurred as Republicans from across the country began gathering in Milwaukee for their national party convention where they plan to nominate Trump for this year’s presidential election. Trump will also name his running mate at the convention.

The attack is likely to loom over the rest of the convention — the first of its scale since 2016 when Trump was first nominated for presidency. The 2020 convention was drastically scaled down due to the pandemic). Several Texans will be speaking at the convention, including Abbott and Cruz.

As Secret Service were hurrying the president off the stage, he insisted on going back to the lectern to raise his fist in a show of strength. The image of him doing so in front of an American flag became a rallying cry for Republicans, with several Republicans posting it on social media.

"And Trump’s chances of losing just went to zero," U.S. Rep. Dan Crenshaw wrote on social media with a picture of Trump raising his fist.

Democrats also voiced their concern.

“Violence of any kind has no place in our democracy, and I condemn this horrific attack in the strongest possible terms. I pray former President Trump makes a full and complete recovery and am thankful for the Secret Service and law enforcement for their swift action,” U.S. Rep. Colin Allred, a Dallas Democrat challenging Cruz this year, said on social media.

U.S. Rep. Sylvia Garcia, a Houston Democrat, echoed Allred.

"Violence of any kind is never acceptable. I am praying for former President Trump and his recovery," Garcia said on social media. Garcia was an impeachment manager in Trump's first House impeachment.

Vice President Kamala Harris expressed that she and Doug Emhoff were relieved that Trump was not seriously injured in a social media post. She said that she is praying for Trump, his family, and anyone else affected by the shooting.

"Violence such as this has no place in our nation," Harris wrote. "We must all condemn this abhorrent act and do our part to ensure that it does not lead to more violence."

Former President Barack Obama also said he was thankful Trump wasn't seriously hurt.

"There is absolutely no place for political violence in our democracy. Although we don’t yet know exactly what happened, we should all be relieved that former President Trump wasn’t seriously hurt, and use this moment to recommit ourselves to civility and respect in our politics," Obama said on social media.

Dante Motley contributed to this story.

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