Kamala Harris talked to Donald Trump after assassination attempt
WASHINGTON - Vice President Kamala Harris spoke with former President Donald Trump in a phone call on Tuesday, following a second assassination attempt on him in West Palm Beach, Florida on Sunday.
“I checked on him to see if he was okay, and I told him what I have said publicly. ‘There is no place for political violence in our country,’” she said in an interview with the National Association of Black Journalists in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on Tuesday.
“And in a democracy, there is no place for political violence. We can and should have healthy debates and discussion and disagreements, but not resort to violence to resolve those issues,” Harris added.
The second assassination attempt took place at Trump’s Florida golf course just before 1:30 p.m. ET. Secret Service agents spotted a gun barrel in the bushes and opened fire but the suspect, Ryan Routh, did not fire back. Instead, he fled, leaving behind the gun, a GoPro camera and other belongings — all of which the FBI said are being analyzed for DNA.
Routh appeared in federal court Monday and was charged with two federal firearms offenses—possession of a firearm while a convicted felon and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number—and faces up to 20 years in prison.
The incident follows an assassination attempt in July, when Trump’s ear was grazed after a gunman opened fire at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
President Joe Biden, who also spoke on the phone with Trump after the second attempt, urged more resources for Secret Service.
“Thank God the president is OK,” Biden told reporters Monday. “One thing I want to make clear: the Service needs more help. I think Congress should respond to their needs.”
Contributing: Francesca Chambers, John Bacon, Michael Collins, Josh Meyer, Aysha Bagchi, Rick Jervis, David Jackson