Alabama Leaders React to Trump Shooting
Alabama political leaders are reacting with shock to today's shooting of former president Donald Trump at a political rally in Butler County, Pennsylvania. A Pennsylvania prosecutor told CBS News the incident is classified as a failed assassination attempt.
One of the soon to be Republican Presidential Nominee's most ardent supporters is Alabama's Senior U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville who reacted shortly after the incident with a social media post on X (formerly twitter), "God bless President Trump. Our prayers are with him," Tuberville wrote.
The state's Junior Republican U.S. Senator Katie Britt also posted her initial reaction to the shooting on X, "Wesley and I are praying for President Trump and everyone at the rally."
Alabama's long-serving Republican Gov. Kay Ivey issued an X post imploring all Alabamians to keep the former president in their prayers, "My thoughts and prayers are with President Donald Trump and his family. I ask Alabamians to join me in praying for his swift recovery."
Alabama Lt. Gov. Will Ainsworth released two comments on X shortly after the incident, both asked Alabamians to "Please join me in praying for President Trump."
U.S. Secret Service reports one attendee at the rally was killed at the scene and two others were seriously wounded. The shooter, who has yet to be identified publicly, was also killed. Secret Service can be heard yelling to other law enforcement that the shooter was down.
The Trump campaign issued a statement that the former president is ok. The president's son, Donald Trump, Jr. sent a note to Fox News reporting that his father is. "Doing Fine."
Tuscaloosa Mayor Walt Maddox ran as the 2018 Democratic Party gubernatorial candidate and understands security concerns. He also met then President Trump when he attended the LSU/Alabama football game at Bryant-Denny Stadium in 2019. The mayor voiced shock, "This act of violence against President Trump is sickening and disheartening. Prayerfully, he and his team are safe." He expressed gratefulness for the quick response of the Secret Service and law enforcement."
Former Alabama State Treasurer George Wallace, Jr., knows about assassination attempts because his father, then presidential candidate George Wallace, Sr., was shot and paralyzed while campaigning in a Laurel, Maryland parking lot in 1972. He issued a statement not long after the shooting, "“As the son of a father whose life was profoundly affected by an assassination attempt during a presidential campaign, I join millions of Americans in sending prayers of thanks to God that President Trump was not seriously injured,” Wallace wrote.
“Big personalities with bold policies and ideas, like my father and President Trump," Wallace wrote, "generate strong feelings and opposition from the other side, but that opposition should always be expressed in the form of ballots, not bullets.”
Alabama U.S. Rep. Robert Aderholt, Republican (4th District) wrote on X that he is closely monitoring the events surround the shooting, "Thankful to hear that President Trump says he is fine and is being checked out at a nearby hospital."
West Alabama Democrat U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell (7th District) condemned the attack in, "...the strongest possible terms. Political violence of any kind has NO place in the United States of America. My thoughts are with former President Trump and anyone else who may have been injured."
The Republican National Convention begins with several pre-convention events tomorrow and many of the Alabama delegates and state GOP officials are currently travelling to Milwaukee, Wisconsin where Trump will be nominated this coming week.