Trump rally shooting draws flood of condemnation, support, and wild conspiracy theories
Evan Vucci
- Donald Trump was removed from the stage after a shooting at his rally.
- The incident is drawing a flood of supporting words for Trump across the political aisle.
- But at least one Republican lawmaker is already spreading conspiracy theories about the incident.
A shooting at a Trump rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday is drawing a flood of condemnation against the incident, supporting words for the former president, and, in less than an hour, unsubstantiated claims of a conspiracy.
Prominent Republican and Democratic lawmakers were quick to condemn what's being characterized as an act of "political violence."
"I'm 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," President Joe Biden said in a statement. "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."
A Biden campaign spokesperson said in a statement to Business Insider that the campaign is working to "pull down our television ads as quickly as possible."
The shocking Saturday incident left one rally attendee and a suspected shooter dead, multiple outlets reported. Law enforcement officials told the AP that the shooting is being investigated as an attempted assassination.
The incident quickly sparked GOP lawmakers and backers to re-affirm their support for Trump.
"God protected President Trump," Sen. Marco Rubio posted on X.
Democratic lawmakers, including Sen. Bernie Sanders, also condemned the incident and offered supporting words for Trump.
"I wish Donald Trump, and anyone else who may have been hurt, a speedy recovery," Sanders said in a statement on X.
The shooting also drew Elon Musk, who has been shy to publicly support a presidential candidate, to announce on X that he will be endorsing Trump. Bloomberg reported this week that the billionaire donated to a pro-Trump super PAC.
Some Trump supporters, however, were quick to find a scapegoat for the incident, blaming mainstream media and even spreading baseless claims that the shooting was a coordinated attack.
Venture capitalist David Sacks, who hosted a Trump fundraiser in San Francisco in June, said on X that the shooting was a result of extreme rhetoric, amplified by mainstream media, from the left.
"This is the vile hyperbolic hysterical rhetoric — endlessly amplified by the mainstream media — that invited every lunatic in the country to take matters into their own hands," Sacks wrote in reply to an X post from Biden in which the president said "Americans want a president, not a dictator."
The identity of the suspected shooter or his political affiliation remains unknown.
And at least one prominent GOP lawmaker is suggesting conspiracy theories about the shooting.
Rep. Mike Collins of Georgia wrote on X within the hour of the shooting that "Joe Biden sent the orders," replying to a social media post citing a statement from the president that said that "it's time to put Trump in a bullseye."
A spokesperson for Collins did not immediately respond to a request for comment.