President Joe Biden commented on the suspected assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, stating that everyone should denounce the incident. He expressed relief that Trump was reportedly doing well and hoped to have a conversation with him soon. Biden addressed the nation from the emergency briefing room in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, after the shooting, emphasizing the need to prevent such acts of violence in the country.
Biden, speaking without a prepared speech, refrained from formally labeling the attack as an attempted assassination until more information was gathered. He mentioned he would update the public as he received more details about the incident. The President had set up the emergency briefing room in Rehoboth Beach to allow him to address the nation quickly while he was spending the weekend at his beach home.
Following an initial briefing from aides, Biden met with security officials, including Kimberly Cheatle from the Secret Service, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, and White House homeland security adviser Liz Sherwood-Randall to discuss the situation further. The Biden campaign paused its messaging to supporters and aimed to remove all television ads promptly after the shooting at Trump’s rally.
Vice President Kamala Harris also received a briefing on the incident and conveyed relief that Trump was not severely harmed. She expressed sympathy for those impacted by the shooting and shared thoughts and prayers for Trump’s recovery.