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On Saturday, a 20-year-old repeatedly fired on a Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. One audience member was killed, more were injured, and former President Donald Trump’s ear was injured.
The shooter was killed by rally security and the Secret Service took Trump to a local hospital to receive medical care.
Like dozens of other Alabama politicians, Governor Kay Ivey quickly released a statement asking “Alabamians to join me in praying for [Trump’s] swift recovery.”
Lieutenant Governor Will Ainsworth announced on Sunday that he has been praying for everyone who had been affected, from “the innocent Trump supporters who were killed and wounded” to “the federal, state, and local law enforcement officers and first responders who answered the call of duty.” Like Ivey, he asked Alabamians to join him in doing so.
President Biden said “there is no place in America for this kind of violence” in a live address Saturday night. “It’s sick. It’s sick,” he continued. “It’s one of the reasons why we have to unite this country.”
Alabama Senator Katie Britt promptly denounced all forms of political violence as well.
“Political violence of any kind is completely un-American. It’s deplorable and unequivocally unacceptable,” she said. “We have to remember we are one nation, under God. And we have to remember in moments like these, we must pray for the healing of this nation.”
Alabama Democrats were also quick to condemn the shooting, with Representative Terri Sewell tweeting: “I condemn this attack in the strongest possible terms. Political violence of any kind has NO place in the United States of America.”
Tuscaloosa Mayor Walt Maddox called the violence “sickening and disheartening” and said “Tuscaloosa is grateful for the quick response of the Secret Service and law enforcement.”
While most politicians’ reactions to the shooting were relatively nonpartisan, some rushed to blame liberals and the media.
John Wahl, the chairman of the Alabama Republican Party, said “the mainstream media’s relentless demonization and vilification of Donald Trump is partially responsible for this tragedy.” He “[called] on the Democratic Party and mainstream media to stop their inflammatory attacks, which incites individuals against Donald Trump and his supporters.”
In Ainsworth’s statement, the lieutenant governor claimed that the “radical left in this country has declared a jihadist-style attack on this country” and an “assault on the American family.” He then said the “rhetoric from the radical left is a big part of the problem.”
State Senator Arthur Orr, R-Decatur, reposted a tweet about “Assassination Porn and the Sickness on the Left” that accused specific liberal media figures and politicians of inspiring the shooting.
However, at this point the shooter’s motives remain almost entirely unknown. He registered to vote as a Republican in 2021 but months before that he donated $15 to a progressive PAC on Biden’s inauguration day. He was also wearing a shirt featuring the popular gun YouTube channel Demolition Ranch on Saturday. The channel is mostly apolitical but has collaborated with conservatives like Brandon Herrera.
A full accounting of what happened Saturday will likely not be available any time soon. Many are now calling for an official investigation into how the Secret Service seemingly failed to properly secure the rally area.
Alabama Congressman Robert Aderholt has said he supports Speaker of the House Mike Johnson’s “call for a full House investigation of this clear lapse in the protective barrier around President Trump and those in attendance.”
