Calls to replace President Joe Biden have reportedly come to a standstill after the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump during a rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday.
Before the rally, Biden had been facing increased calls and pressure from Democrats and donors to withdraw from the presidential race after his performance at the presidential debate on June 27.
After 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks had positioned himself on a roof near the rally with a direct line of sight of the former president and reportedly fired a bullet that “pierced the upper part” of Trump’s “right ear,” several House Democrats have told Axios that they are “focused on expressing condolences.”
Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump pumps his fist as he is escorted into a vehicle at a campaign event in Butler, PA, July 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
“We’re all just focused on expressing condolences … and keeping our teams safe,” one House Democrat told the outlet.
When asked about any questions surrounding Biden’s continued presidential candidacy, another Democrat reportedly stated that that was not “the focus right now.”
Several Democrats issued statements condemning “political violence” after the attempted assassination of Trump occurred. The shooting left Corey Comperatore, a former Pennsylvania fire chief, dead after throwing his daughter and wife “to the ground to try to protect them after Trump was shot” as well as two others critically injured.
Former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, along with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), and Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA), were among the Democrats who issued statements condemning the violence.
Biden also issued a statement that he was “grateful” Trump is “safe and doing well.” The president added that there is “no place for this kind of violence in America.”
“An American is dead, a former President and others are wounded, and a shell-shocked country is left wondering how to restore reason and respect,” former 2024 Democrat presidential candidate Rep. Dean Phillips (D-MN) told the outlet.
Phillips reportedly added that “it would be unpatriotic and unprincipled to direct energy to anything other than yesterday’s national tragedy over the coming days,” adding that the “only conversation about President Biden should be about how he can console our country, address the anger, and meet the moment.”
The Biden campaign announced after the shooting occurred that they would be “pausing all outbound communications” and were in the process of trying to remove their television advertisements, according to Fox News.
