Republican presidential candidate and former U.S. President Donald Trump is assisted by guards during a campaign rally at the Butler Farm Show in Butler, Pennsylvania, U.S., July 13, 2024. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
New York City is ramping up security as a precaution after gunshots rang out at former President Donald Trump’s campaign rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday afternoon.
Mayor Eric Adams announced that the NYPD is “surging officers to certain sites across the five boroughs” after the apparent shooting during Trump’s rally in Butler, PA.
The former president and Republican presidential nominee suffered an apparent minor wound near his right ear, but was said to be fine — though published reports indicated that a bystander was killed and the suspected shooter had been “neutralized.” ABC News reported that the incident is being investigated as a potential assassination attempt.
Mayor Adams was one of numerous New York Democrats who condemned the apparent act of political violence, saying it was unacceptable.
“The events that unfolded at today’s rally in Pennsylvania are horrific. No matter our disagreements, we must all agree that violence of any kind is unacceptable,” Mayor Adams said in a statement. “I am praying for the safety of former President Trump and anyone else who may have been injured in the attack in the incident today.”
Fabien Levy, deputy mayor for communications, noted that Trump Tower in Midtown, which was once the former president’s primary residence, will receive extra NYPD details along with 40 Wall St., Foley Square and City Hall.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, both of Brooklyn and New York’s highest-ranking Congressional representatives, condemned the act of violence against Trump and expressed outrage.
“I am horrified by what happened at the Trump rally in Pennsylvania and relieved that former President Trump is safe,” Schumer said on X (formerly Twitter). “Political violence has no place in our country.”
“My thoughts and prayers are with former President Trump. I am thankful for the decisive law enforcement response,” Jeffries added in his X post. “America is a democracy. Political violence of any kind is never acceptable.”
Gov. Kathy Hochul also said she was “praying for the safety and health of former President Trump, and all who are attending this event in Pennsylvania.”
“Any violence against a fellow American is disgusting and unacceptable,” Hochul wrote on X. “We must express political disagreements peacefully, civilly and respectfully.”
Brooklyn/Staten Island Congress Member Nicole Malliotakis, the lone Republican in NYC’s Congressional delegation, said on her official X account she would be praying for the former president “and for the safety of everyone at the Butler, PA rally.”
amNewYork Metro staff
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