UPDATE: Trump calls for unity after assassination attempt
Published 8:03 am Sunday, July 14, 2024
- Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump is helped off the stage at a campaign event in Butler, Pa., on Saturday. (Associated Press)
In memo to staff, former President Donald Trump’s campaign says he’s “in great spirits” and “doing well.”
In the memo obtained by The Associated Press, Trump’s senior campaign advisers thanked the Secret Service and all first responders for their efforts.
The memo also said staff in Washington and West Palm Beach, Florida, should stay away from the office as they assess those locations. The memo also says they’re enhancing the armed security presence on-site.
“Our highest priority is to keep all of you on this staff safe,” the memo says.
The memo also tells staff not to comment publicly on the apparent assassination attempt against Trump and that dangerous rhetoric on social media won’t be tolerated.
Trump says he’ll still be speaking at the Republican National Convention
The convention kicks off Monday in Milwaukee.
“I truly love our Country, and love you all, and look forward to speaking to our Great Nation this week from Wisconsin,” he said in his Sunday morning social media post.
In new post, Donald Trump calls for unity after his apparent assassination attempt
In the post on his social media network, former President Donald Trump also thanked “everyone for your thoughts and prayers yesterday, as it was God alone who prevented the unthinkable from happening.”
“We will FEAR NOT, but instead remain resilient in our Faith and Defiant in the face of Wickedness,” he said.
Trump also said, “Our love goes out to the other victims and their families” and he said he’s praying “for the recovery of those who were wounded, and hold in our hearts the memory of the citizen who was so horribly killed.”
“In this moment, it is more important than ever that we stand United, and show our True Character as Americans, remaining Strong and Determined, and not allowing Evil to Win,” he adds.
FBI names suspect in assassination attempt
The FBI early Sunday named Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, of Bethel Park, Penn., as the shooter in the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump. The agency said the investigation remains active and ongoing.
The political leanings of Crooks were not immediately clear. Records show Crooks was registered as a Republican voter in Pennsylvania, but federal campaign finance reports also show he gave $15 to a progressive political action committee on Jan. 20, 2021, the day President Joe Biden was sworn in to office.