‘Violence is never acceptable:’ Bay Area leaders react to Donald Trump rally shooting

Former President Donald Trump was shot at during a rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday in an apparent assassination attempt, according to law enforcement officials. The news has several Bay Area politicians quickly taking to social media to denounce the shooting.

“I am absolutely appalled by the gun shots fired at Donald Trump.” Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Santa Clara, wrote on X. “Violence is never acceptable in our democracy. I pray he was not seriously hurt and for our deeply divided nation.”

Trump’s campaign says he is doing “fine” after being seen with a bloody ear as Secret Service agents pulled him away from the podium. An attendee was killed, while two attendees are critically injured, while the shooter was killed by the Secret Service, according to the Associated Press.

As officials investigate the shooting, other local leaders are condemning what they call an act of “political violence.”

Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Castro Valley, said such acts of violence are never the answer. “What happened today is absolutely despicable,” he wrote on X.

“Today’s senseless attack was a shocking and horrific act,” Assembly Republican Leader James Gallagher wrote on X. “We must completely shut down those who would use violence to snuff out their political opponents.”

State Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, referenced the 1978 assassinations of former San Francisco leaders George Mascone and Harvey Milk as he condemned Saturday’s shooting. “Political violence has no place in our democracy and is never justified,” he wrote on X.

Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Burbank, said on X he is “horrified” by the apparent assassination attempt and wished Trump a “swift recovery.”

Other California politicians shared similar sentiments.

“Violence has NO place in our democracy,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said on X. “My thoughts are with President Trump and everyone impacted at the rally today.”

“As one whose family has been the victim of political violence, I know firsthand that political violence of any kind has no place in our society,” former Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on X, referencing a 2022 home invasion attack on her husband. “As we learn more details about this horrifying incident, let us pray that all those in attendance at the former President’s rally today are unharmed.”

“My thoughts and prayers are with former President Trump and his family as well as all the Americans who were present at the rally,” Sen. Laphonza Butler said on X. “We must not allow political violence to become acceptable in our democracy.”

“There is NO place for violence in our political discourse for any reason and we must all unite to condemn it in our democracy,” Sen. Alex Padilla wrote on X. “My thoughts are with those injured by this abhorrent attack.”

President Joe Biden said on X he is “grateful to hear” that Trump is “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.”

Vice President Kamala Harris said on X “We are praying for him, his family, and all those who have been injured and impacted by this senseless shooting. We are grateful to the United States Secret Service, first responders, and local authorities for their immediate action. Violence such as this has no place in our nation. We must all condemn this abhorrent act and do our part to ensure that it does not lead to more violence.”