Fallout from Trump assassination attempt: As it happened

“Disagreement is inevitable in American democracy. It’s part of human nature. But politics must never be a little battlefield and, God forbid, a killing field,” Biden said. He urged us to resolve disagreements through elections and peaceful debate. 

During his speech, Biden twice referred to a ballot box as “the battle box.”

“In America, we resolve our differences at the battle box… you know, that’s how we do it, at the battle box, not with bullets,” he said.

President Joe Biden delivered an address from the Oval Office on Sunday night, urging to “lower the temperature” in US politics. 

He once again condemned the attempt on Trump’s life but also listed other recent examples of political violence, including the storming of the Capitol in 2021, the 2020 plot to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, and the 2022 attack on Paul Pelosi, the husband of former Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. 

“We can’t allow for this violence to be normalized. The political rhetoric in this country has gotten very heated. It’s time to cool it down. We all have a responsibility to do that,” Biden said.

One of the world’s largest asset management and investment companies, BlackRock, confirmed that the shooter appeared in one of its ads.

“In 2022, we ran an ad featuring a teacher from Bethel Park High School, in which several unpaid students briefly appeared in the background, including Thomas Matthew Crooks,” a spokesperson said on Sunday.

Forbes deleted an op-ed titled ‘Will Surviving Gunfire Be Donald Trump’s Next Appeal To Black Voters?’ after receiving backlash online.

The opinion piece written by diversity, equity and inclusion expert Shaun Harper argued that African American voters could grow more sympathetic to Trump because, according to the FBI statistics, they are more likely to be shot than white voters.

There are no plans to tighten security at the Republican National Convention, which will open in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on Monday. Trump will attend the event. 

“The plans that we have in place will continue as is, and we’re confident in those plans,” Audrey Gibson-Cicchino, the Secret Service’s convention coordinator, said. “It is an 18-month process that involves all levels of government that are contributing to the operational security plans for this event.”

CNN cited an unnamed senior Democratic adviser as saying that the party may change campaign strategy following the attempt on Trump’s life. The Democrats may focus on criticizing Trump’s policies, rather than on personal attacks.

“It makes Biden’s path even more challenging since it makes it more difficult for him to highlight the risk Trump poses, especially in the short term,” a person familiar with the matter told CNN.

There is no indication that gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks had a history of mental illness, said Kevin Rojek, the FBI special agent in charge of the Pittsburgh field office. He added investigators “have not identified an ideology associated” with the shooter. 

“We’re looking into his background, his day-to-day activities, any writings and social media posts that might help us identify what led to this shooting. And we have not seen anything threatening,” Rojek said at a press conference.

FBI officials believe the shooter at the Trump rally acted alone, as per Associated Press. They have yet to identify a specific ideology, but they are thoroughly examining his social media accounts and weapons. Thus far, no threatening writings or social media posts have been discovered.

Pennsylvania State Police have identified the two spectators wounded at the rally as 57-year-old David Dutch and 74-year-old James Copenhaver. Both men were described by the force as “in stable condition.”

Earlier on Sunday, law enforcement named the man fatally shot at the event as 50-year-old former firefighter Corey Comperatore. Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro said that Comperatore “died a hero,” diving over his wife and daughter to shield them when the gunman opened fire.

Sky News has deleted a social media post implying that Trump was to blame for his attempted murder. The post, published on X early on Sunday morning, read: “Nothing justifies an assassination bid – but did Trump play part in changing the rules of engagement?”

An article with the same headline on Sky’s website has also been edited and is now titled “US politics is laced with malevolence and division – it needs a reset.”