WNY Democrats and Republicans decry political violence after Trump shot at rally

In the hours and minutes after a gunman shot former President Donald Trump in the ear, elected officials from New York denounced political violence, wished Trump a speedy recovery, and — in the case of a few Republicans — condemned Democrats for rhetoric they say led to the assassination attempt.

“Any violence against a fellow American is disgusting and unacceptable. We must express political disagreements peacefully, civilly and respectfully,” New York Governor Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, said in an X post. “I am praying for the safety and health of former President Trump and all who are attending this event in Pennsylvania.”

Trump was shot while holding a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, a small city north of Pittsburgh. U.S. Secret Service agents shot and killed the gunman, Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi told NPR. One spectator was killed, and two others were critically wounded during the incident. Trump campaign Communications Director Steven Cheung said the presumptive Republican nominee was treated at a local medical facility and was fine.

In the wee hours of Sunday morning, law enforcement identified the suspected gunman as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, who lived an hour from the rally.

New York’s elected officials — ranging from Rep. Tim Kennedy and Sen. Chuck Schumer to State Senate Minority Leader Rob Ortt and Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz — called the violence unacceptable and wished Trump, often by name, a speedy recovery.

“At no time in our society is violence of any nature acceptable. In our nation we resolve our differences at the ballot box, not with violence,” Poloncarz said in his statement. “I’m thinking and praying for former President Trump's full recovery and any others who may have been injured during today’s event.”

Rep. Nick Langworthy, a Republican who represents Western New York’s Southern Tier, said during an impromptu press conference Saturday night that he was “heartbroken” for those who lost their lives in a “very disgusting and senseless act of political violence.”

“I strongly disagree with many of our Democratic opponents, but violence in our political system cannot stand. What we saw today was a stain on our democracy,” Langworthy said. “We need to turn down this rhetoric. I mean, the people that are out there saying that if President Trump’s re-elected, the country is doomed, that the country is going to change forever, he’s going to ruin democracy — that’s what leads us to moments like this.”

In response to a question from a reporter, Langworthy said the incident did not make him rethink his stance against gun control. Law enforcement officials said an “AR-style rifle” was recovered from the scene of the shooting, according to The Wall Street Journal.

“Guns don’t shoot themselves, people shoot guns,” the freshman Republican lawmaker said. “Without a gun, we wouldn’t have put that killer down today. The Secret Service agents used a gun to end that person’s [the suspected shooter’s] life. This is not the moment to have this debate. This is not about gun control.”

Rep. Claudia Tenney, who represents a geographically vast district stretching from Niagara County to Watertown, encouraged her followers to “please pray for President Trump and his family.”

In a series of X posts, Tenney criticized top Democrats for contributing to the shooting. In one post, she called President Joe Biden “evil” for telling donors in a private call earlier this month that “it’s time to put Trump in a bullseye.” In another, she blamed Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas for allegedly denying Trump’s requests for more Secret Service, echoing an accusation levied by another Republican congressman on X.

That congressman, Mike Waltz, didn’t present any evidence to back up his claims on Saturday. Mayorkas condemned the violence against Trump and said maintaining presidential candidates’ security “is one of our Department’s most vital priorities” in a statement Saturday.

Tenney also quote tweeted a video from Libs of TikTok purporting to show “two and a half minutes straight of Democrats explicitly calling for political violence.” Libs of TikTok, a collection of far-right social media accounts across several platforms, is known for spreading misinformation and has been banned on TikTok itself, according to The Washington Post and the Southern Poverty Law Center.

The video is composed of dozens of clips, some of which are taken out of context. One clip from 2017 shows Kathy Griffin holding a mock severed head of Trump, which resulted in her firing from CNN and threats of federal charges. Another shows Don Lemon telling viewers that the “biggest terror threat in this country is white men, most of them radicalized to the right” while covering the 2022 Tops shooting on Buffalo’s East Side. A third clip simply shows Samantha Bee telling Ivanka Trump to “do something about your dad’s immigration practices” on her former show “Full Frontal.”

“Blood on the hands of the left,” Tenney said in her quote tweet. “An innocent man was murdered tonight. A former and future President narrowly escaped assassination.”