BUTLER (Pennsylvania): Republican candidate Donald Trump is seen with blood on his face surrounded by secret service agents as he is taken off the stage at a campaign event at Butler Farm Show Inc. in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday. Donald Trump was hit in the ear in an apparent assassination attempt by a gunman at a campaign rally on Saturday, in a chaotic and shocking incident that will fuel fears of instability ahead of the 2024 US presidential election. — AFP WASHINGTON, July 14 (AFP): World leaders reacted with shock to the wounding of Donald Trump in an assassination attempt against the former US president at an election rally.
Presidents and prime ministers globally spoke out against political violence and expressed their support for those affected by the shooting on Saturday, which killed one bystander and left two other spectators critically wounded.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Sunday he was "appalled by the shocking scenes" at the rally.
"Political violence in any form has no place in our societies," the premier said.
Referring to "these dark hours", Hungary's nationalist leader Victor Orban offered his "thoughts and prayers" to Trump.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said she was "following with apprehension" updates from Pennsylvania and wished Trump a speedy recovery.
The right-wing leader expressed her hope that "in the following months of the electoral campaign, dialogue and responsibility can prevail over hate and violence."
Argentina's President Javier Milei blamed the "international left" after the assassination attempt.
"In panic of losing at the polls, they resort to terrorism to impose their backward and authoritarian agenda," said the populist president.
Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said the shooting "must be strongly condemned by all defenders of democracy and political dialogue."
Costa Rica's government condemned the attack and said it was following updates on "this unacceptable act".
"As a leader in democracy and peace, we reject all forms of violence," the presidency said.
Chilean President Gabriel Boric expressed his "unqualified condemnation" of the shooting.
"Violence is a threat to democracies and weakens our life together. We must all reject it," said Boric.
In Bolivia, President Luis Arce said "despite our deep ideological and political differences, violence, wherever it comes from, must always be rejected by everyone."
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida spoke out against political attacks, saying "we must stand firm against any form of violence that challenges democracy."
Australia's Anthony Albanese described the shooting as "concerning and confronting", expressing his relief that Trump was safe.
"There is no place for violence in the democratic process," the prime minister said.
New Zealand's Prime Minister Chris Luxon echoed such views, writing "no country should encounter such political violence."
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he and his wife Sara "were shocked by the apparent attack on President Trump".
"We pray for his safety and speedy recovery," Netanyahu said.
China's Xi 'expressed sympathy'
to Trump after shooting
China's President Xi Jinping expressed his "compassion and sympathy" to Donald Trump on Sunday, a spokesman said, following an assassination attempt on the former US president during a rally in the United States.
"China is closely following the situation surrounding the shooting of former President Donald Trump," a Chinese foreign ministry spokesman said in a statement.
Russia says US must 'take
stock of policies inciting hatred'
Moscow called on the United States Sunday to "take stock" of its "policies of incitement to hatred", while using the assassination attempt on former president Donald Trump to denounce support for Ukraine.
Addressing "those who vote in the United States to supply arms" to Kyiv, the Russian foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova denounced support for Kyiv, which she said stoked "attacks against the Russian president".
She added that "perhaps it would be better to use this money to fund the American police and other services that are supposed to ensure law and order in the United States?"
A Trump victory in the November elections would put into question continued US support for Ukraine as it resists the Russian offensives launched in 2022.
The Republican Party candidate has suggested that he would end the conflict very quickly if he won back the presidency, which Kyiv fears would mean it would be forced to negotiate with Moscow from a weakened position.
Vladimir Putin has said he takes Trump's comments about ending the war "very seriously".
UN chief 'unequivocally
condemns' Trump
assassination attempt
UN chief Antonio Guterres "unequivocally" condemned the assassination attempt that wounded former US president Donald Trump, his spokesman said.
"The Secretary-General unequivocally condemns this act of political violence. He sends his best wishes to President Trump for a speedy recovery," Guterres spokesman Stephan Dujarric said in a statement.
Long history of shootings in
US presidential politics
Shots were fired during a rally speech by Donald Trump, in an incident that investigators are treating as a possible assassination attempt on the former president.
Including Abraham Lincoln and JFK, here are some notable examples of shootings involving US presidents or presidential candidates:
Ronald Reagan (1981)
President Reagan was shot and seriously wounded as he left an event at the Hilton hotel in Washington. The attacker was John Hinckley Jr, who was granted unconditional release in 2022.
Reagan spent twelve days in the hospital. The incident boosted Reagan's popularity, as he displayed humor and resilience during his recovery.
Gerald Ford (1975)
President Ford was left unscathed in two separate assassination attempts by women in September 1975, both in California and within a span of just 17 days.
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