Arizona lawmakers and political officials issued public statements and interviews in support of former President Donald Trump following an assassination attempt during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
State Senator Jake Hoffman (R-Queen Creek) said, “They tried to kill President Trump today. They murdered a Trump supporter today. Within minutes, assassination deniers on the Left, including the Democrat mouthpieces at CNN, The Washington Post and USA Today, all immediately began disseminating misinformation and disinformation about the attempted assassination.
Pray for President Trump tonight.
Pray for the Trump family tonight.
Pray for the family of the person who lost their life at the Trump rally tonight.
Pray for America tonight.I'm sickened by the response from the Left following today's attempted assassination attempt on… pic.twitter.com/iKP1DSJxwe
— Jake Hoffman (@JakeHoffmanAZ) July 14, 2024
U.S. Senate candidate Kari Lake posted, “Just a tilt of the head. God has bigger plans for President Trump. He has bigger plans for us. It’s time to come together, work together, to help save this country.”
Lake also said in an interview, “I’m praying for Donald Trump. I’m praying just as much for his family, & the people in that crowd, & more than anything, I pray for this great Republic & that we can come together as Americans.”
U.S. Representative Ruben Gallego (D-AZ-03) called on “all those responsible for the planning, approving, and executing of this failed security plan to be held accountable and to testify before Congress immediately.”
— Ruben Gallego (@RepRubenGallego) July 14, 2024
Governor Katie Hobbs (D) posted on X, “Political violence is unacceptable, and has no place in this country. I am glad that former President Trump is safe, and hope that others at the rally were not seriously injured. I hope the perpetrator of this heinous act will be swiftly brought to justice.”
State Senate President Warren Peterson (R-Gilbert) said, “It is a good thing the Democrats have not been successful in taking the secret service from Trump.”
Abe Hamadeh, Republican candidate for U.S. Representative District 8 said on OAN, “They’re trying to lock him up in prison. They’re calling him an existential threat to democracy. What happened last night was an attack on democracy. They tried to kill the 45th president of the United States & possibly the 47th president of the United States.”
AZGOP Chair Gina Swoboda said in an interview, “we need to pull together and remember who we are. We are ALL Americans.”
“It’s devastating to the country and we need to pull together and remember who we are. We are ALL Americans.” 🇺🇸
Chair @GinaSwoboda on @12News: pic.twitter.com/Mz3CkEbf2m
— Republican Party of Arizona (@AZGOP) July 14, 2024
The FBI has identified the suspected shooter as Thomas Matthew Crooks, a 20-year-old from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania. The attack, which occurred just as Trump began his speech, resulted in the death of former fire chief Corey Comperatore and critically injured two others before Crooks was killed by the U.S. Secret Service.
Trump suffered a grazed bullet wound to his ear and later said, “It was God alone.”
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Christy Kelly is a reporter at The Arizona Sun Times and The Star News Network. Follow Christy on Twitter / X. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Jake Hoffman” by Gage Skidmore CC BY-SA 2.0. Photo “Kari Lake and Donald Trump” by Kari Lake.
