Californian Lawmakers, Candidates From Both Parties Put Aside Differences Following Assassination Attempt On Trump

Following the assassination attempt on former President and Republican Presidential nominee Donald Trump on Saturday, an outpour of both messages wishing him a quick recovery and condemning the act have come from all aisles in California.

Starting off from the top is Governor Gavin Newsom, a longtime Trump opponent who is also now serving as the biggest name surrogate for President Joe Biden in the election. In a post on X on Saturday, Newsom said that “Violence has NO place in our democracy. My thoughts are with President Trump and everyone impacted at the rally today.”

Violence has NO place in our democracy. My thoughts are with President Trump and everyone impacted at the rally today.

— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) July 13, 2024

Similar expressions came from the two U.S. Senate candidates in California: Former baseball star Steve Garvey (R) and Congressman Adam Schiff (D-CA). In a statement, Garvey said late on Saturday, “My thoughts and prayers are with President Trump for a speedy recovery and with the families of the innocent rally supporters who were tragically affected. We must also appreciate and thank the bravery of the Secret Service members who courageously protected the former president and everyone present.”

My thoughts and prayers are with President Trump for a speedy recovery and with the families of the innocent rally supporters who were tragically affected.

We must also appreciate and thank the bravery of the Secret Service members who courageously protected the former…

— Steve Garvey (@SteveyGarvey6) July 14, 2024

Schiff, a longtime Trump critic who led the first impeachment attempt on him, wrote that he was “Horrified by this apparent assassination attempt. There is no place for political violence in our democracy. Absolutely none. Grateful for the swift response by law enforcement and Secret Service. Wishing President Trump a swift recovery.”

Horrified by this apparent assassination attempt.

There is no place for political violence in our democracy. Absolutely none.

Grateful for the swift response by law enforcement and Secret Service.

Wishing President Trump a swift recovery.

— Adam Schiff (@RepAdamSchiff) July 13, 2024

At the Congressional level, sympathy was still strong. Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) delivered a strong message against it, in large part because of a political attack against her a few years ago. In 2022, Pelosi’s husband was attacked by an assailant in San Francisco who had planned to go after her but didn’t know she wasn’t in town that night. Naturally, Pelosi understood very quickly what Trump as going through.

“As one whose family has been the victim of political violence, I know firsthand that political violence of any kind has no place in our society,” said Pelosi on Saturday. “I thank God that former President Trump is safe. As we learn more details about this horrifying incident, let us pray that all those in attendance at the former President’s rally today are unharmed.”

As one whose family has been the victim of political violence, I know firsthand that political violence of any kind has no place in our society. I thank God that former President Trump is safe.

As we learn more details about this horrifying incident, let us pray that all those…

— Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) July 13, 2024

Messages from Congressional members came in all throughout Saturday and Sunday, with some even still coming in Monday morning. Congressman Kevin Kiley (R-CA) was one of those on Monday, giving a small speech on the incident:

“This Saturday, our country experienced a terrifying act of political violence – a murder, an attempted assassination, an assault on American democracy itself. My prayers are with President Trump and his family, who just endured, and by the grace of God survived, an unimaginable horror. Mere centimeters – perhaps a tilt of the head, or a gust of wind – made the difference between life and death. My prayers are also with the family of Corey Comperatore, a volunteer fire chief and American hero who died shielding his family from the gunfire, as well as with the two other victims who suffered severe injuries.

“Candidates for national office must be able to present their policies and ideas without fear that they are taking a mortal risk. And citizens who choose to participate in the electoral process by attending rallies and expressing their views must have the same assurance. Otherwise, democracy cannot work. We cannot have a society where a single bullet, fired by a single deranged individual, can override tens of millions of votes – transforming the parameters of our politics from persuasion and values to plotting and violence.

“The assassinations of John F. Kennedy and Robert F. Kennedy in the 1960s caused America to make significant changes to the training, techniques, and resources devoted to protecting presidents and presidential candidates. A similar moment of reckoning and reform followed the attempted assassination of President Reagan in 1981. In this moment, we face the same urgent task: to identify what went so wrong and take all necessary steps to fix what is broken. There is no time for a long, protracted process; we need immediate answers and immediate change. The protection of our national leaders – which amounts to the protection of our democracy – must be ironclad.

“This is a time to remember that our political opponents are not our enemies. Supporting a different party or presidential candidate should never tear apart the much deeper kinships of family, community, and country. Even in America’s time of greatest division, Abraham Lincoln, presiding over a country literally torn apart, called for “malice towards none” and “charity for all.””

A message from Congressman Kevin Kiley on the attempted assassination of President Trump

This Saturday, our country experienced a terrifying act of political violence – a murder, an attempted assassination, an assault on American democracy itself.

My prayers are with President… pic.twitter.com/d7HeT9oJmz

— Rep. Kevin Kiley (@RepKiley) July 15, 2024

Many political commentators noted on Monday that the outpouring will be temporary, especially among many California Democrats. However, they also said that the incident showed that both sides had the common ground in condemning the attack as well as expressing sympathy for all those other bystanders injured or killed in the attack.

“The event was terrible, but it also showed that, even when something terrible happens, humanity in lawmakers and political candidates come out,” said candidate issue advisor Neil Casey to the Globe on Monday. “Focusing on California, it’s important to note just how massive the messages in support of Trump’s recovery and condemning the attack are. They don’t want this kind of violence anywhere, and politicians deserve to say what they want to say.”

“When Trump was up there, he was going after Biden pretty hard. But within a few hours after the attempt, Biden had talked with him over the phone, the nastiness of the campaign disappeared temporarily, and other heated rivals hoped he would recover soon. Also, everyone condemned the attack. If there was any kind of silver lining, it showed that, in the wake of a tragic event, the U.S. can still come together.”

As of Monday, messages still are coming in in support of Trump and condemning the attack.