Several Republican leaders in the Lehigh Valley said Sunday they are grateful former President Donald Trump survived an assassination attempt and that they believe the energy it has generated among Republicans could carry him to victory in November.
Trump and three attendees were shot Saturday evening at a rally in Butler County. Trump was shot in his right ear, but his campaign said he was fine. One attendee, a former fire chief, was killed and two were critically injured, according to the Associated Press .
The act drew condemnation from Trump’s presumed Democratic rival, President Joe Biden, and from leaders across Pennsylvania and the globe.
Thomas Carroll, a Lehigh Valley area delegate to the Republican National Convention, said he’s been in Milwaukee for the convention since Wednesday and was with other delegates preparing for the week when the shooting occurred. Trump is expected to accept the Republican nomination for president Thursday at the convention.
“We had the TV on in the lobby watching the rally and the woman I was sitting next to is from that part of the state,” Carroll said. “We all had friends that were sitting directly behind [Trump], so we were watching. It was an absolute shock, but I don’t think anybody was surprised that this would happen in light of the vitriolic language that has come from the left over the last however many years and months.”
The attempted assassin was identified by the FBI as Thomas Michael Crooks, 20, of Allegheny County. He was killed at the scene by a sniper with the Secret Service. The Associated Press reported that law enforcement officials said bomb-making materials were found in Crooks’ vehicle, and at his home.
Glenn Geisinger, Northampton County Republican Committee chair, said he is grateful the president survived.
“I’m very, very grateful that it was a failure and that it’s an attempt and not successful in any way, shape or form,” Geisinger said. “I remember the assassination attempt on Ronald Reagan, I was a teenager when that occurred. I was a small child when Bobby Kennedy was shot and that same kind of atmosphere, that divisiveness, that anger, is definitely something that seems to be pervading our politics today. I hope that people will be able to take a step back from this and realize that rhetoric needs to calm down.”
The attempt on Trump’s life is the first time an American president or presidential candidate has been wounded in an assassination attempt since the botched attempt on Reagan’s life in 1981.
Robert E. Smith Jr., an alternate convention delegate from the Lehigh Valley, said he was shocked the attempt was able to happen but is glad Trump survived. He said he will be attending the convention to support Trump.
“We were very emotional. At first, we wanted to make sure he was safe and OK, then I was angry I couldn’t believe this still could happen in our country, assassination attempts of a president. I’m just glad he stood up defiant and strong,” Smith said. “He’s something else.”
Geisinger said he expects the attempt on Trump’s life will energize Trump’s voter base.
“I think this whole incident is actually going to galvanize people and it already has. At 6:30 yesterday afternoon, my phone started just exploding with people saying, you know, they miss him. ‘How do I help? We need to make sure this man is victorious in November,’ and variations of that.”
Carroll said the attack has strengthened Republicans’ motivation.
“I think attendees at the convention were already tremendously motivated,” he said. “There’s a lot of unity, I’ve not seen this kind of unity in the Republican party, ever. It’s not even necessarily about Trump, it’s about saving our country.”
Pennsylvania politicians across the political spectrum condemned the violence shortly after the shooting Saturday .
Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro, in a post on X, condemned violence directed at political leaders and said he had been briefed on the situation. Democrats, including U.S. Sens. Bob Casey and John Fetterman, D-Pa., and Rep. Susan Wild, D-7th District, also condemned the violence.
“I want to reiterate my strong condemnation of any and all violence in our political space,” Wild posted on X.
Republican State Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, who is running for Congress against Wild, said the actions were “unacceptable.”
“Actions like this are unacceptable and threaten our democracy,” he wrote on X. “It must be condemned by anyone, regardless of your political affiliation.”
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