Area residents are reacting during the weekend to the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump.
Florida Sen. Joe Gruters spoke with The Daily Sun on Sunday, noting he is in Milwaukee for the Republican National Convention that starts Monday.
He said his son had been watching the rally live when he witnessed the attempt and went running to Gruters’ wife, who in turn contacted Gruters — who had been in a meeting with other Republicans at the time.
“Nobody knew anything. We turned the TVs on and looking at Twitter and then it started (showing up).”
Gruters has a long relationship with Trump. He spoke Sunday about what Trump gave up to reach the presidency in 2016.
“They tried to take him out politically, legally and now with a bullet,” Gruters said. “Absolutely horrified that it happened. God saved him and he’ll use this opportunity to hopefully unite the country and go back to his task of saving America.”
Gruters also spoke of the man who was killed at the rally, a retired fire chief who was attending the rally with some family members.
That fact affected Gruters differently, since he spent four years as chairman for the Florida Republican Party.
“What I do as chairman is encourage public participation, and here we have a public servant who served his community and was at a peaceful rally and he’s killed protecting his family,” he said. “I’m sad and angry at the same time.”
Gruters said it was the “grace of God” that saved Trump and noted there will be “plenty of investigations” into the attempt.
“Why was the shooter allowed to take the shot in the first place?” he asked.
He said he’s happy to see “bipartisan calls” for unity and said it should be a reminder to cool the heated rhetoric that embroils today’s politics.
“When crazies hear those kinds of messages, people tend to go off the deep end,” he said. “It’s on both sides. It’s obviously a good reminder to everybody. The battles should be about ideas and not personalities — and certainly not with bullets.”
Retired Gen. Mike Flynn, who lives in Englewood, sent a note on X on Saturday evening.
“Pray for Trump and his family,” he wrote.
Flynn, who has a business now in Venice, had been Trump’s National Security Advisor for a period of time.
“Pray they catch all the bastards involved,” he stated on X in the hour after the shooting.
U.S. Rep. Greg Steube, who represents Sarasota and Charlotte counties, also reacted.
“They tried to jail him and now they’ve tried to kill him,” he wrote on X. “This is a sad, sad day for our country. Praying for President Trump, his family, and everyone in Pennsylvania affected by today’s senseless violence. Evil will not win, this is America.”
U.S. Rep. Daniel Wilson, who represents DeSoto County, posted a photo of Trump in the moments after the attempt on his X page.
“Thank you God for protecting President Trump,” it stated.
The Republican Party of Sarasota County had its own statement Saturday night.
“The Republican Party of Sarasota County encourages all Americans to pray for President Trump, his full and speedy recovery, and his safety going forward,” stated Jack Brill, chairman of the Republican Party of Sarasota County.
Brill asked for prayers for the attendee who was killed.
“This is a terrible day for America. But in this time of so much vitriol and hatred, we also ask Americans to pray for calm and peace in our nation.”
Charlotte County Sheriff Bill Prummell also added a statement on social media.
“Earlier (Saturday), a cowardly act of violence occurred during a political rally in Pennsylvania. Simply put, there is no place in our great nation for such action, regardless of any political affiliation or opinion,” he wrote on social media. “As Americans, we must unite to ensure an incident of this nature never happens again. My prayers are with all who are affected by this heinous attempt.”
North Port resident Michelle Pozzie, who is running for the Florida House of Representative and is involved in GOP politics, called it a “miracle.”
“I am hoping this is a time when we can unite together behind a presidential candidate that is willing to put his life on the line to fight for what he believes in,” she wrote in a statement. “America 1st candidates like myself are standing in solidarity, for our freedoms, liberties, and the ability to have an opposing point of view without being threatened by sniper fire.”
She stated people are praying for God to “put a hedge of protection around Trump, his family, and all those who are standing up to use their voice to speak truth, no matter how uncomfortable and inconvenient it may be.”
Pozzie blamed the mainstream media, Democrat party and “hate that has been allowed to poison this election system” for the events Saturday.
“As the only candidate in my race to have endorsed President Donald Trump for President, I believe we witnessed a miracle (Saturday), knowing that could’ve ended so tragically,” she stated. “We need to do better, we can do better.”
Her opponent in the primary, Florida Rep. James Buchanan, also sent a statement to The Daily Sun.
“I will continue to pray for President Trump and our nation but there are so many emotions we as a nation are experiencing,” he stated in a text message. “I’m hurt. I’m confused. I’m angry.”
He said “America First” Republicans should “redouble” efforts for a November win to restore “America’s promise.”
“Violence has no place in politics,” Buchanan wrote. “We are Americans, and we resolve our differences peacefully at the ballot box.”
Conni Brunni told The Daily Sun she was coming out of a grocery store when she glanced at her phone to see the news and people’s reactions.
“It’s that moment when you just go ‘Huh? Is this real?’ It’s just shock,” she said.
Brunni is president of the Sarasota County Republican Assembly Chapter.
Like Gruters, she is wanting an investigation. She recalled a situation where she went to attend a Trump rally in Orlando — but decided to stay outside the perimeter. She and her partner set up a camp and watched a big screen. But their presence just on the outside led Secret Service to talk with them and drones flew over them.
“If we had done anything remotely weird, we would have been mowed over. It is unthinkable how this occurred,” she said. “Having been to these rallies ... something is seriously wrong. It makes no sense.”
On Sunday, she was leading a prayer and a rally for Trump and those killed and injured.
“I’m incredulous and I’m more committed than ever. We have to have a fierce show of coming together in this country,” she said.
She said his reaction showed “strength” and that will be what is remembered.
“I think the picture of him getting up and pumping his fist with blood coming down his face is the picture of the decade.”
Bill Abbatematteo, chairman of the Charlotte County Republican Party, issued a statement Sunday as well.
“What we observed last night is deplorable and shocking, and should be repudiated by all Americans. It is Providential that we didn’t witness an assassination of a former President and the presumed Republican nominee for President of the United States,” he wrote.
Abbatematteo noted the killing of Corey Comperatore and the other injuries.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with them and their families. Political disagreement must never become violent nor deadly...The Charlotte County Republican Party and our members condemn and reject such evil, malice and vitriolic treatment of any candidate for office. We stand united behind Donald Trump in his effort to put America First and encourage our residents to pray for America and to thank God for his Blessings of Liberty,” he wrote.
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