By Aarón Torres, Jamie Landers and Chase Rogers
Gov. Greg Abbott was among dozens of Texas lawmakers who asked for prayers and condemned what officials are investigating as an attempted assassination against former President Donald Trump on Saturday at a rally in Pennsylvania.
“They try to jail him,” Abbott posted on X. “They try to kill him. It will not work. He is indomitable.”
The Secret Service whisked Trump, who appeared to have streaks of blood smeared across his face, off the stage as he raised his fist to the crowd. Trump was “fine,” his campaign spokesman Steven Cheung said in a statement, adding he was getting checked out at a local medical facility.
The Associated Press reported that the shooter was dead and a rally attendee was also killed.
Shortly after the gunfire, Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller, a staunch Trump supporter, wrote on X he was “shocked, but thankful” Trump survived.Millerconfirmed to The Dallas Morning News that he was at the rally, standing about 30 feet behind Trump, when the shooting occurred.
“It was panic and chaos,” Miller told The News. “People’s ducking down and laying on the ground scared.”
Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said on X he was left “shaken by the assassination attempt” and shared a text he sent to Trump.
“By the slightest turn of your head in a mere microsecond or the shield of a teleprompter, your life was spared by the Grace of a Merciful and Holy God,” the text read in part. “No man could survive all you have been through without the Grace of God upon you.”
Patrick signed the text with “Your friend always.”
Attorney General Ken Paxton wrote on X that he was “praying for complete healing.”
“The world is evil,” Paxton said. “Praise God that President Trump was able to walk away on his own.”
“This is horrific & wrong & evil,” U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz also said on X. “Thank God he appears not to be seriously injured. Heidi & I are lifting President Trump up in prayer right now.”
Former Dallas Mavericks Majority owner Mark Cuban took to social media to thank the Secret Service “who put themselves in harms way to protect the former President.”
“This is not the way,” Cuban posted.
George W. Bush, the 43rd president and former Texas governor, released a statement calling the shooting a “cowardly attack.”
“Laura and I are grateful that President Trump is safe following the cowardly attack on his life,” the statement said.
Several Democrats also denounced what happened.
“Guns have no place at political rallies,” said state Sen. Roland Gutierrez of San Antonio. “Or in elementary schools. Or churches. Or grocery stores. It’s time to stop this madness America.”
Gutierrez represents Uvalde, home of Robb Elementary School, where 19 children and two teachers were killed by a gunman in May 2022. The tragedy led Gutierrez to fight for legislation in Texas that would place new restrictions on firearms.
Colin Allred, the Democratic candidate challenging Cruz, said on social media that “violence of any kind has no place in our democracy.”
He prayed Trump makes a full recovery.
The shooting drew reactions from Dallas officials as well.
In a statement on X, Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson, who is among those scheduled to speak at next week’s Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, said he was relieved Trump was safe and “deeply saddened” by the news a rally attendee was killed.
“This heinous and despicable violence has no place in our nation,” Johnson said.
Despite the shooting, Trump planned to attend the convention in Milwaukee, the former president’s campaign and the Republican National Committee announced in a joint statement.
In a statement to X, Dallas County Judge Clay Lewis Jenkins called for prayers for Trump and the family of the rally attendee who “lost his life to a cowards bullet.”
“There is another spectator in serious condition. We are praying for them as well,” Jenkins continued. “This obviously could have gone longer but for the quick response of [the] Secret Service.”
This is a developing story and will be updated.
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