Fil-Am leaders condemn Trump assassination attempt, call for unity

Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump is helped off stage by US Secret Service agents at a campaign rally, Saturday, July 13, 2024, in Butler, Pa. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

NEW YORK CITY — Just two days before the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, a horrific incident took place in Butler, Pennsylvania. On Saturday afternoon, during a campaign rally for Donald Trump, gunfire was aimed at the former president in what the FBI described as an assassination attempt.

Reports indicate that the shooter was neutralized, and Trump, who survived the shooting, is safe and looking forward to attending the convention.

Filipino American Democrats and Republicans have condemned the shooting, calling it an attack on democracy.

“This is a very sad day for our nation,” Ron Falconi, the Fil-Am mayor of Brunswick, Ohio, told Inquirer.net USA. “My prayers go out to President Trump and his family. We should also pray for the rally-goer who was killed, as well as those who were injured in the assassination attempt.”

According to Mayor Falconi, the attacks against Donald Trump are unparalleled in American history. “He has faced relentless media scrutiny since announcing his candidacy for the 2016 presidential election. Consider this: He has been impeached twice, and his political opponents have used the courts to entangle him legally, hindering his campaign efforts. He has been convicted of 34 felonies, with more legal battles still ahead. He is looking at the possibility of jail time. Now, he has become the target of an assassination attempt! When will this end? It is painfully obvious that his adversaries will stop at nothing to defeat him. This is why Trump’s followers look up to him. It seems like he is willing to take a bullet for us. He was trying to make a political speech, and someone wanted to kill him for it.”

Trump issued the following statement after the incident:

“I want to thank the United States Secret Service and all of Law Enforcement for their rapid response to the shooting that just took place in Butler, Pennsylvania. Most importantly, I want to extend my condolences to the family of the person at the rally who was killed and to the family of another person who was badly injured. It is incredible that such an act can take place in our country. Nothing is known at this time about the shooter, who is now dead. I was shot with a bullet that pierced the upper part of my right ear. I knew immediately that something was wrong when I heard a whizzing sound, shots, and immediately felt the bullet ripping through the skin. Much bleeding took place, so I realized then what was happening. GOD BLESS AMERICA!”

‘Sympathy is power’

“Today’s assassination attempt on former President Trump and current Republican Presidential nominee is a criminal act that must be condemned by every American, regardless of political affiliation,” said a cancer survivor and co-founder of Filipino American Cancer Care based in Virginia.

Maria Luna Orth, a Fil-Am Republican from Seattle, criticized the security at the rally. “The security at the rally was not properly secured and verified. They were one inch away from a bullet through his brain. Now they have made President Trump a martyr. And no one can beat a martyr. That was a total of eight rounds of gunshots! Even people who were on the fence about Trump now sympathize with him. Sympathy is power! Trump will win in red waves. Thank God President Trump was not killed. This country would never be the same if Trump was killed today! July 13th will be remembered for thanking God for saving Trump’s life!” she said.

The Filipino American Democratic Club of New York issued a statement condemning the political violence in Pennsylvania. “FADCNY strongly condemns the act of political violence that took place in Pennsylvania today. We stand firmly against all forms of violence and wish for former President Trump’s full recovery,” the statement said.

No place in our democracy

Gina Ortiz Jones, former US undersecretary of the Air Force, expressed her relief, stating, “I am encouraged to hear former President Trump is doing well following today’s awful events. Political violence must always be condemned because it has absolutely no place in our democracy.”

Assemblymember Steven Raga of Queens’ District 30 called on everyone to unite in light of the horrific incident. “Today, we must unite as a nation to unequivocally condemn all forms of political violence, especially in light of the recent incident involving former President Trump,” he said. “I wish former President Trump a swift and full recovery.”

Vice President Kamala Harris said she and her husband, Doug, are relieved that Trump is not seriously injured. “We are praying for him, his family and all those who have been injured and impacted by this senseless shooting,” she said. We are grateful to the United States Secret Service, first responders and local authorities for their immediate action. Violence such as this has no place in our nation. We must all condemn this abhorrent act and do our part to ensure that it does not lead to more violence.”

President Joe Biden is also grateful to hear that Trump is safe and doing well. “I’m praying for him and his family and for all those who were at the rally, as we await further information,” he said. “Jill and I are grateful to the Secret Service for getting him to safety. There’s no place for this kind of violence in America. We must unite as one nation to condemn it.”

New York City Mayor Eric Adams described the events that unfolded at Saturday’s rally in Pennsylvania as horrific. “No matter our disagreements, we must all agree that violence of any kind is unacceptable,” he said. “I am praying for the safety of former President Trump and anyone else who may have been injured in the attack today.”

Skepticism

Meanwhile, amid the widespread condemnation and calls for unity, skepticism and conspiracy theories have begun to emerge. Some Filipino Americans, who chose to remain anonymous, expressed doubts about the authenticity of the shooting incident.

They speculated that the event might have been staged to elicit sympathy from non-GOP voters, suggesting that Trump is desperate to secure re-election in the upcoming November elections.

“How did the assassin miss?” asked one Fil-Am Democrat.

But a police officer, who identified as neither Republican nor Democrat, dismissed the doubt as “fake news.” He argued, “Trump was trailing Biden by 10 points this morning. One spectator is dead, and another is critically injured. Trump was two inches away from a headshot from a sniper rifle 200 feet away in an adjacent building that the Secret Service would have secured. There aren’t many buildings in that area to secure, unlike Manhattan. The Democrats need the sympathy, not Trump. They need to worry about a president who will soon be replaced. We have all been saying Biden (is showing) early signs of Parkinson’s and dementia. But Democrats have been lying all along, claiming that behind closed doors he’s energetic and on the ball. Lies! Biden called Zelensky ‘Putin,’ called Trump ‘vice president,’ and called Kamala ‘president.’ It’s the Democrats who need the sympathy, not the GOP. That was an attack on our freedom of speech; freedom to assemble and freedom to support any candidate.”

The shooting incident has not only shaken the political landscape but also raised serious concerns about security at political events. Many are questioning how a shooter could get so close to a former president and current presidential nominee. Security experts and law enforcement agencies are expected to conduct thorough reviews and implement enhanced measures to prevent such incidents in the future.

Despite differing opinions and conspiracy theories, the overarching sentiment across the political spectrum is one of condemnation of violence and a call for unity. Leaders and organizations are urging Americans to come together and reject any form of political violence.

This incident has underscored the deep divisions within the country, but it has also highlighted the resilience of its democratic values. As the nation moves forward, the hope is that this tragic event will serve as a catalyst for greater unity and a reaffirmation of the commitment to peaceful and democratic processes.