Leaders from around the world have condemned the shooting at Donald Trump’s rally in Pennsylvania, denounced political violence and wished Trump a quick recovery.
Trump posted on social media that he had been shot in the upper part of his right ear and that there was “much bleeding.” His campaign said he was “doing well,” and Bloomberg News reported he had been released from the hospital.
A spokesperson of United Nations secretary general António Guterres condemned the shooting and called it an “act of political violence.”
The European Union’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, condemned the attack.
“Once again, we are witnessing unacceptable acts of violence against political representatives,” the bloc’s top diplomat said.
British prime minister Kier Starmer said he was “appalled by the shocking scenes” at the rally. “Political violence in any form has no place in our societies and my thoughts are with all the victims of this attack,” he said.
Japanese prime minister Fumio Kishida said: “We must stand firm against any form of violence that challenges democracy.”
Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese said the shooting was “concerning and confronting”, while Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau said it left him “sickened”.
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the shooting left him shocked.
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.”
Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni said she was “following with apprehension” updates from Pennsylvania and wished Trump a speedy recovery.
She expressed her hope that “in the following months of the electoral campaign, dialogue and responsibility can prevail over hate and violence.”
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.”
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 dialogue in politics. What we saw today is unacceptable.”
Earlier Joe Biden, the president of the US and Trump’s opponent in the November election, said everyone must condemn political violence.
AFP