Global leaders condemn assassination attempt targeting Donald Trump

World leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, on Sunday denounced the appalling assassination bid on former US president Donald Trump and asserted that violence has no place in politics and democracies.

Trump, 78, survived an attempt on his life on Saturday when a young shooter fired multiple shots at him at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania, injuring his right ear. The shooting left one person attending the rally dead and two others in serious condition.

The 20-year-old suspected shooter was shot and killed by a member of the Secret Service.

Prime Minister Modi expressed deep concern over the attack and said violence has no place in politics and democracies.

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,” he said.

Macron called the assassination attempt “a tragedy”.

“This is a tragedy for our democracies. France shares the shock and indignation of the American people,” Macron said on social media platform X.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has no plans at present to call Trump, according to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

“We do not at all think or believe that the attempt to eliminate presidential candidate Trump was organised by the current government, but the atmosphere that this administration created during the political struggle, the atmosphere around candidate Trump provoked what America is faced with today,” he added.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said: “This was an inexcusable attack under the democratic values that Australians and Americans share and the freedom that we treasure. These values unite our two countries.” Chinese President Xi has expressed sympathies to former president Trump, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Sunday.

China is following the shooting incident at a campaign rally, the spokesperson said in a brief statement in Beijing.

South Korea’s President Yoon Suk Yeol said on X that he was appalled by “the hideous act” of political violence. He added that the people of Korea stand in solidarity with Americans.

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, who survived an assassination attempt himself in May, condemned the shooting in a Facebook post.

He drew direct parallels between the two incidents, suggesting the attack on Trump was the result of a campaign by his political opponents.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said she was deeply shocked by the shooting on X, adding political violence has no place in democracy.

The UAE’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the attack on Trump, describing it as “a criminal and extremist act”.

British lawmaker Nigel Farage, a friend of Trump’s, sought to pin much of the blame on the “mainstream media” that he claimed opposed the former president. He told the BBC that it was a “horrendous” incident but somehow he was not shocked by it.

Earlier, US President Joe Biden, Trump’s opponent in the November election, said everyone must condemn political violence.

First Published: Jul 14 2024 | 3:35 PM IST