Condemnation Pours Out After Trump Rally Shooting. So Do Heated Allegations.

Trump is surround by U.S. Secret Service agents as he is helped off the stage after a shooting at his campaign rally in Butler, Pa. on Saturday.Gene J. Puskar/AP

Fight disinformation: Sign up for the free Mother Jones Daily newsletter and follow the news that matters.

Officials on both sides of the aisle expressed shock, condolences, and condemnation after an attack at a Trump rally in Pennsylvania left the former president bloodied and at least one spectator dead, according to a statement from the Secret Service. The alleged shooter was also reportedly killed, and two spectators were critically injured, officials said.

Top Democrats—including President Joe Biden, former President Barack Obama, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), and Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.)—condemned the violence. The Biden campaign also told reporters they were pausing communications and would pull down television ads in light of the apparent attack. Former President George W. Bush also said in a statement that he is “grateful that President Trump is safe following the cowardly attack on his life” and commended the Secret Service for their quick response.

Meanwhile, the immediate information void in the aftermath was flooded with social media posts that capitalized on the country’s deep political division and disarray during a contentious presidential campaign. A tweet that read “staged ass shooting,” a conspiracy theory, attracted 2 million views and “staged” began trending, while prominent Republicans began accusing President Biden and Democrats of causing the attack due to their anti-Trump rhetoric—and, in doing so, issued threats of their own. All of that is despite the fact that no information has been released on the shooter’s identity as of Saturday evening—which even Trump acknowledged in his first statement after the shooting.

Rep. Mike Collins (R-Ga.) claimed in a post on X that the local district attorney “should immediately file charges against Joseph R. Biden for inciting an assassination”; in another post, he claimed, “Joe Biden sent the orders,” responding to a statement Biden allegedly made earlier this week that “it’s time to put Trump in a bullseye.”

The Republican District Attorney in Butler County, PA, should immediately file charges against Joseph R. Biden for inciting an assassination.— Mike Collins (@MikeCollinsGA) July 13, 2024

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) claimed, without evidence, “the Democrats and the media are to blame for every drop of blood spilled today.” She added: “President Trump said “FIGHT,” SO WE WILL!!”

Someone just tried to ASSASSINATE President Trump.The Democrats and the media are to blame for every drop of blood spilled today.For years and years, they’ve demonized him and his supporters. Today, someone finally tried to take out the leader of our America First and the… pic.twitter.com/38cFXjQdwx— Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene🇺🇸 (@RepMTG) July 13, 2024

Charlie Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA, a major Trump campaign backer, said in a post on X, “Joe Biden and Democrats have invited this into our country”; in other posts Kirk appeared to blame the press and “the left” more broadly.

When the Left said they want Trump dead, this is what they meant.— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) July 13, 2024

Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), in a joint statement with former U.S. National Security Advisor Robert O’Brien, called for Biden to “immediately order that all federal criminal charges against President Trump be dropped, and to ask the governors of New York and Georgia to do the same,” which they claimed “would help heal wounds and allow all Americans to take a deep breath and reflect on how we got here.”

Trump, for his part, said in a statement posted to Truth Social: “It is incredible that such an act can take place in our Country.” He added that the shooter was dead, and he thanked the Secret Service and law enforcement for their quick response, while extending condolences to the family of those killed and injured.

Recounting the shooting itself, Trump said: “I was shot with a bullet that pierced the upper part of my right ear. I knew immediately that something was wrong in that I heard a whizzing sound, shots, and immediately felt the bullet ripping through the skin. Much bleeding took place, so I realized then what was happening.”

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.