Indigenous congress members react to attempted assassination of Donald Trump

'This is an assassination attempt plain and simple. America is better than this’

Indigenous members of Congress and several national Indigenous organizations have condemned the attempted assassination on former President Donald Trump during a July 13 rally in Pennsylvania.

Trump was grazed by a bullet from an AR-style rifle on the upper part of his right ear. The FBI is still trying to determine a motive behind Saturday’s attempted assassination.

His aides said he was in “great spirits” and doing well. He arrived in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on Sunday evening for the convention, which began Monday, June 15.

Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin, Cherokee, was at a national wrestling tournament with his daughter in North Dakota when he heard about the attack.

“First of all, this should have never happened,” Mullin said to News 9. “We know that this should’ve never taken place. There’s no place in our country for this. There’s political differences, but it should never come to this.”

Mullin spoke by phone with Trump on Sunday morning.

“When I spoke with President Trump this morning, I said that was legendary, and I can’t understate that comment, legendary means that he did something that very few people in the world would be able to do, is hold composure after being shot at, being tackled by Secret Service, and then to still hold composure and still rally the troops,” Mullin said to Newsmax.

Mullin also posted to X: “The elites tried, the deep state tried, the FBI tried, and now assassins have tried. No one can stop the President and his agenda of putting Americans first.”

Oklahoma Rep. Josh Brecheen, Choctaw, said in a statement, “President Trump, even with blood on his face, is not going to stop fighting for the American people. Please join us in praying for continued Providential protection for our 45th President (and future 47th), the attendees at today’s rally, and all their families. We send our sincerest gratitude to the law enforcement who responded at the scene.”

The longest-serving Indigenous member of Congress, Oklahoma Rep. Tom Cole, Chickasaw, also condemned the attack.

“Forty-three years ago, in 1981, a gunman opened fire on President Ronald Reagan in Washington, DC. Luckily, the President survived; however, this was an occurrence that I hoped our nation would never be shook by again,” Cole said in a statement. “Yet, on Saturday, America was similarly shaken. The attempted assassination of President Donald Trump this weekend is truly chilling, as political violence of any kind is never acceptable and quite frankly, is un-American.”

Cole is glad that nothing happened to the former president and asks for unity.

“I thank God that President Trump is ok. He is a resilient man, who has consistently shown leadership and strength during times of adversity,” he said. “Now, in this moment, we must unite as a nation. What happened on Saturday was a horrific attack on democracy, but we must not allow it to prevail. As President Trump said in his statement, we must ‘show our true character as Americans, remaining strong and determined.’ The United States of America is the greatest country the world has ever known, and I am confident that we will overcome this dark chapter. In the meantime, please join me in praying for America, as we cannot, and will not, allow evil to win.”

Both Reps. Mary Peltola, Yu’pik, and Sharice Davids, Ho-Chunk, also denounced the attempted assassination.

“This is an assassination attempt plain and simple,” Peltola wrote on X. “America is better than this. My thoughts are with President Trump and his family, and all at the rally.”

“Horrified by the shots fired at the former president today and relieved he is okay,” Davids wrote on X. “Political violence is never acceptable. Thank you to the Secret Service and law enforcement who responded and are investigating.”

Mark Macarro, president of the National Congress of American Indians, also denounced the attack on the former president.

“The National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) strongly condemns the violence that occurred against former U.S. President Donald Trump,” Macarro said in a statement. “We extend our deepest condolences to those affected. Our ancestors have fought for and upheld the right to resolve differences through peaceful and rational discourse. It is through this legacy that we advocate for the use of rational dialogue and the democratic process, including the power of our vote, to address conflicts and shape our nation’s future.”

NDN Collective said this attempted assassination was the result of the United States’ “culture of violence” and not the political divisiveness in the nation.

“Today’s shooting was the direct result of an inhumane and irresponsible culture of violence,” NDN Collective said in a statement. “The shooting is not about the right versus the left – or merely the result of divisive rhetoric, as many will claim. Shallow messages of unity and reaching across the aisle will not solve this. Today’s shooting is yet another consequence of building and maintaining a nation based in violence, control, and bloodshed.”

They added, “We need and deserve leaders who understand safety and peace are not abstract ideas – they are policy choices. We refuse to be reactive or to take ‘sides’ in a culture of violence. Instead, we will continue to be advocates for the paradigm shift our world needs to build a culture of peace.”

A former fire chief was killed at Trump’s Pennsylvania rally and is being remembered as a “man of conviction.” The shooting wounded two other men.

“Corey Comperatore, a firefighter whose last acts were trying to protect his family, died a hero,” Cole stated. “My thoughts and prayers are with Corey’s family and loved ones as they grieve during this time, as well as President Trump and the other rally attendees who were injured.”

“We mourn lives lost today, and our prayers go out to their loved ones,” NDN collective said in a statement. “Many of us have experienced the trauma of gun violence. We send prayers for those who witnessed the shootings today, and hope all are in safe spaces with loved ones.”

Authorities say that Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, carried out the attack and is believed to have acted alone with his father’s gun.

U.S. Secret Service officers shot the gunman, officials said. It was later reported that he died.

Trump was showing off a chart of border crossing numbers when the gunfire began.

As the first pop went off Trump said, “Oh,” then raised his hand to his right ear and looked at it before quickly crouching to the ground behind his lectern.

Someone could be heard near the microphone saying, “Get down, get down, get down, get down!” as agents rushed to the stage. They piled atop the former president to shield him with their bodies as other agents took up positions on stage to search for the threat.

Investigators are hunting for clues and the absence of any clear ideological motive so far has led conspiracy theories to flourish. Investigators have found no threatening comments on social media accounts or ideological positions that could help explain what led him to target Trump.

The presumptive Republican nominee and his allies will face the nation unquestionably united and ready to “fight,” as the bloodied Trump cried out Saturday while Secret Service agents at his Pennsylvania rally rushed him to safety.

Anger and anxiety are coursing through the party, even as many top Republicans call for calm and a lowering of tensions. As elected officials, politicians and a few regular Americans address the conference, the question is which tone will prevail in the aftermath of the attack: Will it make speeches even more fiery or will calls for calm prevail?

Dateline:

WASHINGTON