Following the recent assassination attempt on former U.S. President Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania, Long Island elected officials are speaking out to share their thoughts on the situation and express their condolences to all involved.
After the shots were fired, Trump was seen with an injured ear and blood on his face. He was rushed to safety by the U.S. Secret Service and was confirmed to be in a safe location.
As a former NYPD detective familiar with event security and firearms, Congressman Anthony D’Esposito (R-Island Park) expresses his gratitude for the U.S. Secret Service who got Trump to safety.
Following the shooting, D’Esposito said, “Praying for President Trump and all supporters in Pennsylvania. Grateful for my law enforcement brothers and sisters who ran towards danger.”
After the shooting on Saturday, July 13, Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman said, “Our thoughts and prayers are with my friend, our 45th President, and hopefully our next president, Donald J. Trump, for a speedy recovery. President Trump is the most resilient person I’ve ever met and I’m confident that he will recover and come back stronger than ever. God bless Donald J. Trump.”
The campaign rally for Trump was held at Butler Farm Show in Butler, PA. The shooter has been identified as 20-year-old Thomas Crooks of Bethel Park, PA.
A U.S. Secret Service spokesperson shared that the U.S. Secret Service personnel neutralized the shooter, who is now deceased. In addition, one spectator was killed, and two spectators were critically injured. The spectator killed has been identified as former fire chief Corey Comperatone.
While elected officials are sharing their thankfulness for Trump’s safety, they are asking people to remember the victims of violence and calling for an ease in tension regarding the country’s political divide.
Assemblymember Charles Lavine (D-North Shore) said, “While we are gratified that Trump survived, we grieve for the spectator who was killed and all who were wounded, their families and our nation. Gun violence, which is all too prevalent in America, is repugnant to our national values. Americans of good faith just confront the amount of hate, intolerance, and brutality in our political culture.”
“This attack on President Trump is just further proof at how bad our country’s divisions have become. It’s time we all denounce the extremism that spawns this kind of violence in all its shapes and forms- because we are better than this,” said New York State Senator Jack Martins (R ). “Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims of this senseless attack. We thank law enforcement for their quick action, and we hope with all our hearts that our country can find peace and reject extremism in all its forms. Now is the time to say ‘enough!’”
“I’m thankful that President Trump is safe and that the outcome wasn’t worse because it could have triggered a frightening wave of violence. But there was a victim, so we have some soul-searching to do,” said Town of North Hempstead Supervisor Jennifer DeSena (R-Manhasset). “It just makes it abundantly clear that we must renounce the kind of hateful rhetoric that’s fueling the deep divisions in our country. We have to know in our hearts that there’s far more that unites us than divides us, so it’s time we all start emphasizing that.”
This incident is currently under investigation, and the Secret Service has notified the FBI.
