Michigan: US Democratic Vice President and presidential candidate Kamala Harris and President Joe Biden called Republican former President Donald Trump on Tuesday, according to the White House. Harris, in a brief conversation, told Trump she was "grateful" that he was safe after an apparent assassination attempt on Sunday, a White House official said.
Trump was rushed off the golf course at Trump International in West Palm Beach, Florida, after a Secret Service gunman discovered a gunman in the bushes. Agents engaged the gunman and fired at least four rounds of ammunition around 1:30 pm (1730 GMT). The gunman then dropped his rifle, two backpacks and other items and fled in a black Nissan car. Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, was arrested later in another county as he fled from the spot and charged with two federal firearms charges.
"I checked on him to see if he was OK. And I told him what I have said publicly, there's no place for political violence in our country," Harris said in an interview with the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ). In Michigan, Trump said, "A little while ago I got a very nice call from Kamala. It was very nice. It was very nice. It was very, very nice. And we appreciate that."
Trump blames Biden, Harris for attack
Trump had blamed Biden and Harris' recent comments behind the attack on his life. He believed the rhetoric of Biden and Harris, and he acted on it. Their rhetoric is causing me to be shot at, when I am the one who is going to save the country, and they are the ones that are destroying the country — both from the inside and out," he said.
Trump pointed to Biden and Harris’ past comments casting Trump as a "threat to democracy," while telling Americans they are "unity" leaders. "They are the opposite. These are people that want to destroy our country... It is called the enemy from within. They are the real threat." He also accused the Democrats of "wrapping him up" in lawsuits.
"The president and the vice president have always forcefully — forcefully condemned violence in all forms, including political violence. And — and we certainly have never encouraged any violence in any way... President Biden has been clear-eyed about the threat that the former president represents to our democracy," said White House Press Secretary Karine Jean Pierre on Tuesday.
White House condemns JD Vance's remarks
Trump's running mate JD Vance said during a speech at a Faith and Freedom Coalition event in Atlanta on Monday that Democrats have gone too far in saying reelecting Trump threatens democracy, adding that no one has tried to kill Kamala Harris. These remarks were condemned by the White House.
"The big difference between conservatives and liberals is that no one has tried to kill Kamala Harris in the last couple of months. And two people now have tried to kill Donald Trump in the last couple of months. I'd say that's pretty strong evidence that the left needs to tone down the rhetoric and needs to cut this crap out. Somebody is going to get hurt by it and it's going to destroy this country," Vance said.
"It's dangerous because people look up to that particular national leader and they listen to you when you are a national leader and when you make comments like that, all it does is create or opens an opportunity for people to listen to you and potentially take you very seriously, and so it's dangerous to have that type of rhetoric out there," Jean-Pierre said.
(with agency input)
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