From Washington to London, via kyiv and Moscow, several heads of state reacted on Monday to the second alleged assassination attempt against former US President Donald Trump. The day before, a man armed with an AK-47 assault rifle was arrested by the Secret Service while hiding on the billionaire’s golf course in Florida. The FBI, which has opened an investigation, suspects the man of having wanted to attempt on the life of the Republican presidential candidate.
US President Joe Biden quickly responded on X (ex-twitter), saying he was “relieved that the former president is unharmed.” “As I have said many times, there is no place for political violence or any violence in our country,” he continued, assuring that he had asked his team “to continue to ensure that the Secret Service has all the resources, capabilities and safeguards necessary to ensure the safety” of Donald Trump.
Zelensky condemns “political violence”
Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris has declared her support “deeply disturbed by the possible assassination attempt on former President Trump.” “As we gather the facts, let me be clear: I condemn political violence. We must all do our part to ensure that this incident does not lead to further violence,” the Vice President of the United States added in a statement published on X.
Video“Alleged assassination attempt” against Donald Trump: who is the suspect arrested?
From Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky also condemned “political violence,” which “has no place anywhere in the world.” “It is good that the assassination attempt suspect was apprehended quickly,” he added, without mentioning the suspect’s connection to Ukraine, as the individual had been identified as a supporter of kyiv against Russia by several media outlets.
Moscow deplores intensification of “political struggle”
In Russia, the Kremlin said on Monday that the new alleged assassination attempt was a sign of an intensification of the election campaign for the presidential election in November. “We are of course closely following the information coming from the United States, we see how tense the situation is there, including between political rivals, the political struggle is intensifying and various methods are being used,” deplored Dmitry Peskov, spokesman for the Russian presidency, during his daily telephone briefing with Russian and foreign media.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, for his part, said he was “very concerned”. “I think it is really important that we make it clear that violence must have no place in any democratic process,” he said from Rome, during a diplomatic trip.
Donald Trump, on Monday, blamed his alleged assassination attempt on the “rhetoric” of the Democratic camp. “Their rhetoric is getting me shot,” the former American president denounced, stating on Fox News that the suspect “adheres to the rhetoric of [Joe] Biden and [Kamala] Harris,” and that he had “acted accordingly.”
