President Joe Biden on Saturday, urged all Americans to condemn the suspected assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump.
Speaking two hours after the shooting at a campaign rally in western Pennsylvania, Biden expressed relief that Trump was reportedly “doing well.”
“We cannot allow this to be happening,” Biden said. “The idea that there’s violence in America like this is just unheard of,” he added.
He noted that he had been unable to reach Trump before his remarks but later spoke to him several hours afterwards.
“I have an opinion, but I don’t have any facts,” he told reporters, pledging to provide updates as more details emerged.
After midnight, Biden returned to the White House, cutting short a weekend stay in Delaware.
The White House announced that he and Vice President Kamala Harris would receive an updated briefing from Homeland Security and law enforcement officials on Sunday morning.
Reporters asked Biden if he had been briefed about the shooting as he left the church. He responded, “no,” before stepping into his motorcade.
Many Republicans quickly blamed the violence on Biden and his allies, arguing that sustained attacks on Trump as a threat to democracy had created a toxic environment.
They particularly pointed to a comment Biden made to donors on July 8, saying, “it’s time to put Trump in the bullseye.”
The FBI early Sunday identified the shooter as Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania. There was no immediate information on his motivations.
