Metro Nashville Council Passes Resolution Condemning Assassination Attempt of Former President Donald Trump

The Metro Nashville Council voted to pass a resolution condemning the July 13 assassination attempt of former President Donald Trump and all political violence during its Tuesday meeting.

The resolution, originally introduced by Councilmembers Courtney Johnston, Jeff Eslick, and Bob Nash, condemns the “attempted assassination of former President Trump,” “all political violence,” and honors the victims of the attack and the actions of the Secret Service.

Councilmembers Jennifer Webb, Burkley Allen, Jacob Kupin, Erin Evans, Rollin Horton, John Rutherford, Tasha Ellis, Thom Druffel, Sheri Weiner, Tonya Hancock, David Benton, Jordan Huffman, Jason Spain, Sandy Ewing, and Olivia Hill are listed as cosponsors of the resolution.

The resolution, filed as RS2024-637, reads, in part:

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE METROPOLITAN GOVERNMENT OF NASHVILLE AND DAVIDSON COUNTY:

Section 1. That the Metropolitan County Council hereby goes on record as honoring Corey Comperatore, David Dutch, James Copenhaver, and all other victims of the July 13, 2024, attempted assassination attempt on former President Trump.

Section 2. That the Metropolitan County Council hereby goes on record as condemning the attempted assassination of former President Trump and all political violence.

Section 3. This Resolution shall take effect from and after its adoption, the welfare of The Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County requiring it.

The resolution was passed by a 30-3 vote.

Councilmembers Joy Smith Kimbrough, Deonte Harrell, and Ginny Welsch voted against the resolution.

Welsch was one of the councilmembers who objected to suspending the rules at the Council’s July 16 meeting, which ended up blocking the resolution from being debated at the time.

Afterwards, Welsch said the former president “called for” the July 13 assassination attempt he survived during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania and believed that the resolution was to “make Trump somehow special.”

In addition to the passage of the resolution condemning the attempted assassination of Trump and all political violence, another proposal relating to condemning political violence was also discussed during Tuesday’s meeting.

The proposal, which was originally filed as a substitute to RS2024-637, was allowed to be turned into a separate late-filed resolution, which Nashville Vice Mayor Angie Henderson called a “compromise” for both sponsors of the original resolution and the proposed substitute.

The proposed substitute cited instances of America’s “violent legacy” dating back to “the colonizers’ violence against Native Americans through murder, disease, and land theft.”

Among passage of the proposed substitute, councilmembers would be agreeing with the following:

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE METROPOLITAN GOVERNMENT OF NASHVILLE AND DAVIDSON COUNTY:

Section 1. That the Metropolitan County Council hereby goes on record as standing against and condemning political violence in all forms and reaffirming our commitment to peace, unity, and respect in all political and public discourse.

Section 2. The Metropolitan County Council calls upon all citizens, residents, leaders, and institutions to actively work towards fostering a culture of nonviolence, understanding, and cooperation.

Section 3. The Metropolitan County Council acknowledges that it is our shared responsibility to reject violence in all its forms and to build a future where democratic principles and human dignity are upheld for everyone.

The substituted-turned-late-filed resolution, which passed unanimously via voice vote, was sponsored by Councilmembers Delishia Porterfield, Brenda Gadd, Terry Vo, Zulfat Suara, Ginny Welsch, and Emily Benedict.

Watch Tuesday’s Metro Council meeting:

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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X / Twitter.