International figures have responded to the shooting at Donald Trump’s rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday night, in which the former president and presumptive Republican Party presidential candidate was injured, and one civilian and the shooter were killed.
The newly elected UK Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, posted on X that he was “appalled by the shocking scenes at President Trump’s rally” and sent him well wishes. “Political violence in any form has no place in our societies,” continued Starmer, “and my thoughts are with all the victims of this attack.”
French President Emmanuel Macron said his thoughts were with Donald Trump after the candidate for the White House was shot at a rally, adding the shooting marked a “tragedy for our democracies.”
“I send him my wishes for a speedy recovery. A spectator has died, several are injured. It is a tragedy for our democracies. France shares the shock and indignation of the American people,” Macron said on social media platform X on Sunday.
The President of Argentina Javier Milei condemned “in the strongest terms the attempted assassination,” according to his official statement.
“The bullet that grazed his head is not only an attack on democracy, it is also an attack against those who defend and live in the free world,” Milei said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said there was “no justification” for such violence, and he was “relieved” that Trump, who has frequently criticized US military aid to Ukraine amid Russia’s invasion, was safe and wished him “a speedy recovery.”
Dutch politician Geert Wilders wrote, “God Bless America. God Bless the 45th President of the United States,” and Orbán Viktor, the prime minister of Hungary, sent his thoughts and prayers “in these dark hours.”
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada said he was “sickened” and extended thoughts to all Americans. Prime Minister of Japan Fumio Kishida also sent prayers. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the shooting was “concerning and confronting.”
Giorgia Meloni, the Italian prime minister, wrote that she was nervously following the news for updates on Trump, and sent him her best wishes for a speedy recovery.
She also said she hoped to see “dialogue and responsibility prevail over hatred and violence.”
The Canadian politician, Pierre Poilievre, referred to the incident as an “attempted murder,” and said that, while he was relieved the former president was safe, his prayers were with the “innocent people harmed or killed by this heinous act.”
“Democracy must prevail,” he concluded.
BRAZILIAN President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva called the shooting unacceptable while also urging others to condemn it.
“The attack against former President Donald Trump must be vehemently repudiated by all defenders of democracy and dialog in politics. What we saw today is unacceptable,” the Brazilian leader said.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who met Trump this week while visiting the US for a NATO summit, said his prayers were with the former president “in these dark hours.”
Germany’s Olaf Scholz on Sunday called the shooting of Donald Trump at a campaign rally on Saturday a despicable act, describing the violent attack as a threat to democracy.
In a post on X, Scholz said: “The attack on US presidential candidate Donald Trump is despicable. I wish him a speedy recovery. My thoughts are also with the people who were affected by the attack. Such acts of violence threaten democracy.”
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi called Trump a friend and wished him a speedy recovery while saying: “Strongly condemn the incident. Violence has no place in politics and democracies.”
Josep Borrell, High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/VP of the Commission for a Stronger Europe in the World, condemned the attack, saying that it was one in a line of “unacceptable acts of violence against political representatives.”
A spokesperson of UN Secretary-General António Guterres condemned the shooting and called it an “act of political violence.”
The former Iranian Shah Reza Pahlavi tweeted that “political violence has no place in democracies.”
“I am horrified by what happened at the Trump rally in Pennsylvania and relieved that former president Trump is safe,” New York Sen. Chuck Schumer – Senate Democratic Majority Leader – said on X. “Political violence has no place in our country.”
REP. JARED MOSKOWITZ, a Florida Democrat who received national attention in 2018 when a gunman in the district he then represented in the state legislature killed 17 people at Parkland High School, said he was “praying for the former President.”
Pennsylvania’s Jewish governor Democrat Josh Shapiro, said the state’s police were assisting in investigating the attack.
“Violence targeted at any political party or political leader is absolutely unacceptable,” he said on X. “It has no place in Pennsylvania or the United States.”
“This is not how we settle our differences,” he said on X. “This is why crazy people shouldn’t have guns.”
Jewish groups respond to attacks
Several Jewish groups and individuals reached out to express good wishes to the former president, including Jewish Democrats who said they “were alarmed by the shooting at a Trump rally” and stated that “political violence has no place in our country.”
“We wish former President Trump and all those injured or impacted by today’s incident a speedy recovery and are grateful for law enforcement’s swift action,” continued the group.
One of the first Jewish organizations to weigh in was the Republican Jewish Coalition, which has pledged $5 million to help elect Trump.
“We pray for refuah shlema – a complete recovery and healing – for President Trump,” the RJC said in a release attached to an Associated Press photo of a bloodied Trump raising his fist in defiance after the shooting. “We know President Trump will return stronger and more determined than ever to Make America Great Again (MAGA).”
“MAGA” is the Trump campaign slogan. RJC CEO Matt Brooks is set to speak next week at the Milwaukee, Wisconsin, convention where Trump will be formally nominated, a first for the organization.
The lobby group AIPAC tweeted their support for Trump, saying they were also “grateful for the courage of the Secret Service officers who risked their lives to protect him.”
The Anti-Defamation League said the shooting was a “chilling moment that reminds us of our fragility” and stressed that violence should not be normalized in the context of politics.”
The Jewish Federation of North America posted that they were “horrified” and that they mourned for the victims of this shooting.
Political rhetoric in the United States has been very heated recently and needs to be dialed down, Mike Johnson – Republican Speaker of the US House of Representatives – told MSNBC on Sunday.
RON KAMPEAS/JTA contributed to this report.