European leaders were united on Sunday in vigorously condemning the political violence that erupted overnight across the Atlantic when a deadly shooting left former U.S. President Donald Trump injured at a campaign rally.
Trump survived the assassination attempt at a Pennsylvania campaign rally on Saturday night that killed one attendee and seriously injured two others. Trump said he was shot in the ear, and he was treated at a hospital nearby before being released.
The gunman, identified as a 20-year-old man, was shot dead by the Secret Service, the agency said in a statement.
“Political violence has no place in a democracy,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen wrote on X, saying she was “deeply shocked by the shooting.”
I am deeply shocked by the shooting that took place during former President Trump’s campaign rally.
I wish Donald Trump a speedy recovery and offer my condolences to the family of the innocent victim.
Political violence has no place in a democracy.
— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) July 14, 2024
“Political violence is absolutely unacceptable in a democracy,” European Council President Charles Michel. “I strongly condemn the attack on former President Donald Trump.”
Political violence is absolutely unacceptable in a democracy.
I strongly condemn the attack on former President Donald Trump.
— Charles Michel (@CharlesMichel) July 14, 2024
France’s President Emmanuel Macron, who has been under fire over the past weeks for having thrown his country into a prolonged political gridlock, said the shooting was a “tragedy for our democracies.” He added: “France shares the shock and indignation of the American people.”
Mes pensées au Président Donald Trump, victime d’une tentative d’assassinat, à qui j’adresse mes vœux de prompt rétablissement. Un militant est décédé, plusieurs sont blessés. C’est un drame pour nos démocraties. La France partage le choc et l’indignation du peuple américain.
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) July 14, 2024
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni wished Trump a speedy recovery and said she hoped that the rest of the U.S. election campaign “will see dialogue and responsibility prevail over hatred and violence.”
Seguo con apprensione gli aggiornamenti dalla Pennsylvania, dove il 45esimo Presidente degli Stati Uniti @realDonaldTrump è stato colpito durante un comizio. A lui la mia solidarietà e i miei auguri di pronta guarigione, con l’auspicio che i prossimi mesi di campagna elettorale…
— Giorgia Meloni (@GiorgiaMeloni) July 13, 2024
Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, who is poised to become the new EU foreign policy chief, stressed that “political violence in any form has no justification.”
Shocked by the shooting at former President Donald Trump’s campaign event in Pennsylvania.
Wishing him a speedy recovery. My thoughts are with the victims.
Political violence in any form has no justification.
— Kaja Kallas (@kajakallas) July 14, 2024
Newly elected British Prime Minister Keir Starmer also firmly denounced all forms of political violence. “I am appalled by the shocking scenes at President Trump’s rally and we send him and his family our best wishes,” Starmer said on X. “Political violence in any form has no place in our societies.”
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán — one of Trump’s closest allies on the international stage — was one of the first world leaders to offer prayers for the former president “in these dark hours.” Orbán met with Trump just two days earlier, skipping the last day of a NATO summit in Washington to visit the Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida.
My thoughts and prayers are with President @realDonaldTrump in these dark hours. 🙏
— Orbán Viktor (@PM_ViktorOrban) July 13, 2024
Geert Wilders, head of the far-right Freedom Party in the Netherlands, praised the “strength and perseverance of the American people” after the shooting. “I trust the 45th President will become the 47th President. No one deserves it more,” Wilders said on X.
I love America.
The strength and perseverance of the American people is unprecedented.
I trust the 45th President will become the 47th President. No one deserves it more than President #Trump. #Trump2024
— Geert Wilders (@geertwilderspvv) July 14, 2024
In Moscow, Saturday’s attack has mostly been weaponized for Russian propaganda purposes to rehash its own talking points on Ukraine.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has been associated with Trump since the 2016 election meddling scandal, has remained notably silent. Instead, Russia’s foreign ministry spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, was put forward to provide a heavy dose of whataboutism, slamming American support for Ukraine, addressing a Telegram post to “all those Americans who vote in favor of supplying Zelenskyy with weapons.”
“Maybe use that money to finance the American police and other services, which are supposed to maintain law and order in the United States?” Zakharova said in her post.
The shooting at Trump’s rally came less than two months after an attempted assassination of Slovakia’s Prime Minister Robert Fico. The politically motivated attack left Fico fighting for his life in the hospital. Fico appeared in public for the first time since the assault on July 6, delivering a speech celebrating the country’s Slavic and Christian roots.
Eva Hartog contributed reporting.