World leaders on Sunday expressed outrage over the attempted assassination of former US President Donald Trump, who was shot and wounded at a rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday.
The former White House resident was hit in the right ear. The alleged shooter and a spectator were killed, two other spectators were seriously injured.
The UN and NATO
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned “unequivocally this act of political violence.”
“Political violence has no place in our democracies. NATO allies stand united to defend our freedom and our values,” NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on X.
Europe
For the head of European diplomacy Josep Borrell, “once again, we are witnessing unacceptable acts of violence against political representatives.”
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, “shocked by the shooting”, said that “political violence has no place in a democracy”.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called the assassination attempt “despicable,” saying political violence poses a threat to democracy.
For French President Emmanuel Macron, “this is a tragedy for our democracies. France shares the shock and indignation of the American people.”
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer expressed his dismay: “Political violence in any form has no place in our societies.”
His Hungarian counterpart Viktor Orban sent “thoughts and prayers” to Donald Trump “in these dark hours”.
The head of the ultra-conservative Italian government, Giorgia Meloni, expressed “her solidarity”, asking that “dialogue and responsibility prevail over hatred and violence”.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that “such violence has no justification and no place in this world.”
For Russia, which also condemned the attack, it came as no surprise. “After numerous attempts to remove candidate Trump from the political arena, first using legal tools (…) it was obvious to all outside observers that his life was in danger,” according to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said he was “appalled” and said “political violence is unacceptable in our democratic societies.”
The attempted assassination of Trump is a “moment of shock not only for America, but for the entire free and democratic world,” Polish President Andrzej Duda said.
His Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, strongly condemned “the assassination attempt against the 45th president and presidential candidate of the United States.”
Americas
“Everyone must condemn” these shootings, declared US President Joe Biden, who spoke in the evening with his rival in the November presidential election.
Brazilian leader Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva called on advocates of democracy and political dialogue to “strongly condemn” the attack.
“As a country that has suffered violence, we reaffirm that it has no place in the political and electoral debate,” the Colombian government said.
“Despite our deep ideological and political differences, violence, wherever it comes from, must always be rejected by everyone,” Bolivian President Luis Arce said.
Asia
Chinese President Xi Jinping on Sunday expressed “compassion and sympathy” to Donald Trump. “China is closely following the situation regarding the shooting of former President Donald Trump,” a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said in a statement.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida called for “standing firm in the face of any form of violence that challenges democracy” and wished Donald Trump a “speedy recovery.”
His Indian counterpart Narendra Modi said he was “very concerned”. “I strongly condemn this incident. Violence has no place in politics and in democracies,” he said.
As for Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, he described the attack as “worrying”, expressing his relief that Mr Trump was safe and sound, and in turn saying that “political violence in all its forms (was) never acceptable in our democracies”.
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos said he was relieved that former President Donald Trump “is doing well.”
Middle East
“We pray for his safety and speedy recovery,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wrote.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has expressed hope that the US election campaign will continue in “a peaceful and healthy atmosphere.”
Qatar’s foreign ministry said that regardless of the motives behind the attack, it shows “the need to adopt dialogue and peaceful means and avoid political violence and hatred to resolve conflicts at all levels.”
Vatican
The Holy See expressed its “concern” following this attack which “hurts people and democracy.”
