The deadly gunfire that erupted at a Donald Trump rally in Pennsylvania late Saturday sparked anxiety and fear among the thousands of Republicans gathering to nominate the former president for a third time.
News of the shooting that left the Republican presidential candidate spattered with blood and at least two people dead quickly spread among Georgians already in Milwaukee or arriving ahead of the four-day Republican National Convention that starts Monday.
For many, it reframed a gala that was expected to be a triumphant gathering of Republicans buoyed over their chances of defeating President Joe Biden into a more serious affair as authorities investigate a potential assassination attempt.
“I’m in shock. I’m in total shock. My heart goes out to the victims. And I’m worried about Donald Trump,” said state Rep. Mike Cheokas, one of the GOP delegates. “I don’t know how it will change the convention. But I know there’s going to be a lot of prayer.”
Authorities said a shooter is dead and an attendee was killed in the violence at Trump’s rally in Butler, Penn. Trump’s campaign said he is “fine” after Secret Service agents rushed him off state and to a local medical facility. Trump said in a statement that the bullet pierced the upper part of his right ear.
His campaign said late Saturday that he was “doing well” and still planned to “share his vision” at the RNC this week.
Political leaders from both parties condemned the violence, with many echoing Democratic U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock’s statement: “We are better than this.”
“There’s no place in America for this type of violence,” Biden said in remarks. “It’s sick. It’s sick.”
Before the shooting, many in Georgia’s GOP contingent of 59 delegates and 56 alternates were focused on projecting unity around Trump while trying to exploit turmoil within the Democratic Party after Biden’s disastrous debate performance.
“We have a chance to show we are very much united,” Alec Poitevint, a longtime Republican official from Georgia who has attended every party convention since 1976, said before the shooting. “And we’ve got to use that chance to present that message to the American people.”
Interviews with more than a dozen Georgia Republican delegates before the shooting revealed conflicting emotions about the convention. While many are unabashedly optimistic about Trump’s chances some also express nagging worries about overconfidence.
But the violence likely reframed the political conversation surrounding the November race. Biden’s campaign planned to pause all messages to supporters and pull down its TV ads as quickly as possible. Some hoped Trump’s campaign would also turn down the volume.
Security was already expected to be tight with police officers from agencies across the country descending on Milwaukee. It’s unclear what, if any, additional security measures the U.S. Secret Service plans to implement in the wake of the Pennsylvania shooting.
Seanie Zappendorf, the Dawson County GOP chair, spent the last few weeks excitedly preparing for the four-day bash. After the shooting, she said, she had other concerns on her mind.
“We’re all going to be extra alert.”
Staff writer Shaddi Abusaid contributed to this report.
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