House Republicans gathered for a solemn security discussion less than 12 hours after the assassination attempt on former President Trump.
House Republicans spoke with their chair via conference call Sunday afternoon, with questions about security for the Republican National Convention dominating the discussion.
“I think most people are angry about the security failures yesterday,” one House Republican on the call told Fox News Digital.
The councilman said he feels safe “overall,” but noted that there is a local police presence in his driveway.
Trump shooting: ‘God’s hand of protection was on him,’ say Rev. Franklin Graham and others
Republican presidential candidate and former President Donald Trump is escorted away by security after shots rang out during a campaign rally at the Butler Farm Show in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, 2024. (Reuters/Brendan McDiarmid)
Another House Republican said he sensed a “low sense of trust” among lawmakers on the call. Asked if they felt that way about the RNC or about safety of lawmakers in general, lawmakers replied, “Everything.”
A second member said he felt “quite unsettled” following Trump’s shooting.
“The mood was pretty subdued and solemn, but clearly unified,” a third House Republican said of the meeting.
They said they were “comfortable” with security at the campaign but noted there was always a risk for members not in leadership positions.
“Unless there’s a special event or something that brings members of Congress together in the Capitol, the days that we’re not there, they’re generally unprotected,” the Republican said. “Unfortunately, you have to take some risk and hope that there’s no crazy people there on those days.”
Scrutiny of the safety of America’s elected officials has been renewed in the hours since a gunman opened fire at a rally for President Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday afternoon.
Emotional Graham delivers message of ‘love’ to Trump, says he needs to do ‘soul searching’
President Trump was shot on a rooftop nearby, outside the rally’s perimeter. (Rebecca Droke/AFP via Getty Images)
“Are our elected officials safe?[?] All you have to do is [do] violent [protests] “The past few years have seen cities destroyed, innocent lives lost and anarchy destroy the rule of law,” Rep. Ralph Norman (D-Lausanne) told Fox News Digital in a text message.
House Republicans who spoke to Axios said they were taking “additional precautions” for upcoming events and were “consulting with national security advisers about how to move forward.”
Lawmakers from both parties called for unity and urged people to refrain from divisive rhetoric after the shooting, which left one rally attendee dead and two seriously injured. The gunman was killed by the Secret Service.
Trump was injured but was escorted to safety by Secret Service agents, but not before pumping his fist on stage and yelling “fight” twice.
LIVE UPDATES: Former President Trump survives assassination attempt, FBI identifies perpetrator as Thomas Matthew Crooks
Downtown Milwaukee is under heavy security ahead of the Republican National Convention, which begins Monday. (Fox News)
“We need to de-escalate tensions in our country, and we need leaders of both parties to speak up and make sure that happens so we can move forward and maintain the free society that we’re all blessed to have,” House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana, said on NBC’s “Today” show Sunday morning.
Click here to get the FOX News app
Meanwhile, Rep. Jared Golden, a Democrat from Maine, issued a statement denouncing the current political environment, which he said is “led by irresponsible people who care more about their own well-being than the country, leading to a dark and almost hopeless future of diminished freedoms, increased violence and growing instability.”
“In pursuit of short-term political gain, they are intent on exaggerating our differences and portraying their political opponents as demonic caricatures bent on destroying the country,” he said.
