Biden condemns ‘sick’ attempt on Trump’s life1 min read

President Joe Biden has condemned the assassination attempt on Donald Trump, calling on all Americans to denounce such “sick” violence.

The US president was quick to call for unity in the hours after a gunman shot Trump in the ear, killed one member of the crowd and injured two others at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. The gunman was shot dead by Secret Service agents.

In a statement issued within an hour of the attack, Mr Biden said there was “no place in America for this. We must unite as one nation to condemn it. It’s sick, it’s sick”.

The attack came amid a febrile election race between the pair, laden with personal insults and barbs over their records in office.

Seeking to present a united front, Mr Biden said in televised comments from his home in Delaware that “everybody must condemn” the violent scenes in Butler.

“We cannot allow for this to be happening. We cannot be like this. We cannot condone this,” he added.

He said he was “grateful to hear that he’s safe and doing well. I’m praying for him and his family and for all those at the rally. Jill [Biden] and I are grateful to the Secret Service for getting him to safety.”

The White House later said Mr Biden spoke to his Republican election rival by telephone after he had left hospital, while Biden campaign managers said they were pulling television adverts as quickly as possible in the wake of the attempt on Trump’s life.