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World Leaders React With Shock to Trump Assassination Attempt

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Donald Trump surrounded by secret service agents after the assassination attempt on him in Butler, Pennsylvania, July 13. Photographer: Rebecca Droke/AFP/Getty Images (REBECCA DROKE/Photographer: REBECCA DROKE/AFP)

(Bloomberg) -- World leaders condemned political violence and wished Donald Trump a speedy recovery after a shooting at a rally on Saturday wounded the former president and killed at least one attendee. 

Trump said he was shot in the right ear after being rushed off stage during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, and expressed condolences to the family of the deceased person. The US Secret Service said the shooter was also killed and two spectators were “critically injured.”

The shooting sent shockwaves around the globe. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Chilean President Gabriel Boric said such acts of violence threaten democracy, while Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he was “sickened” by the shooting. 

Here are reactions from leaders around the world:

Americas

Justin Trudeau, Canada prime minister

Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Brazil president

Lula said the attack should be rejected by all those who defend democracy, calling the shooting unacceptable.

Jair Bolsonaro, former Brazil president

In a post on X, Bolsonaro — a staunch Trump supporter — told him “see you on inauguration day.” Bolsonaro also suffered an assassination attempt during a campaign event just weeks before the 2018 election, which he won.

Javier Milei, Argentina president

Milei said Trump had been the target of a “cowardly assassination attempt” and offered his support and solidarity in a post on X. 

Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, Mexico president

Lopez Obrador condemned the shooting in a post on X, calling violence irrational and inhumane.

Barack Obama, former US president

Gabriel Boric, Chile president

In a post on X, Boric condemned the shooting, calling violence a threat to democracies. 

Europe and Middle East

Keir Starmer, UK prime minister

Emmanuel Macron, France president

Macron wished Trump a speedy recovery in a post on X, calling the incident a tragedy for democracies. 

Olaf Scholz, Germany chancellor

Scholz called the attack “despicable” in a post on X and wished Trump a speedy recovery, stating that such acts of violence threaten democracy. 

Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Ukraine president

Viktor Orban, Hungary prime minister

Giorgia Meloni, Italy prime minister

Meloni said she’s following the updates from Pennsylvania with apprehension, adding in a post on X that she hopes the next few months of campaigning will see dialogue prevail over violence.

Aleksandar Vucic, Serbia president

Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel prime minister

Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey president 

Erdogan condemned the assassination attempt in a post on X, extending well wishes to Trump and vowing to stand by the American people.

“I believe that the investigation into the attack will be carried out in the most effective manner and the perpetrators and their instigators will be brought to justice as soon as possible so that the US elections and global stability are not overshadowed,” he wrote.

Asia Pacific:

Xi Jinping, China president

The Chinese leader expressed sympathies to Trump, according to a statement from a spokesperson for the nation’s Foreign Ministry. China is concerned about the shooting incident, the spokesperson said.

Anwar Ibrahim, Malaysia prime minister

Anwar expressed sympathy toward Trump while saying that violence is never the solution. “We hope the situation there remains under control,” Anwar told reporters on Sunday, according to the Star newspaper.

Anthony Albanese, Australia prime minister

Fumio Kishida, Japan prime minister

Narendra Modi, India prime minister

Lai Ching-te, Taiwan president

Yoon Suk Yeol, South Korea president

Lawrence Wong, Singapore prime minister

Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Philippines president

Srettha Thavisin, Thailand prime minister

Shehbaz Sharif, Pakistan prime minister

--With assistance from Tian Ying, Michael Nienaber, Ugur Yilmaz, Colum Murphy, Jon Herskovitz, Ben Westcott, Maria Luiza Rabello, Michelle Jamrisko, Laura Dhillon Kane, Walter Brandimarte, Ditas Lopez, Thomas Kutty Abraham, Misha Savic, Leonard Kehnscherper and Heejin Kim.

(Adds a Meloni X post. A previous story corrected the date of Brazilian election that Bolsonaro won.)

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