Trump Shooting Trends In China As Xi Jinping Sends Message To Ex-POTUS
The attempted assassination of Donald Trump sent shockwaves not only through the U.S. but also across the globe.
On Saturday, a gunman identified as Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, opened fire at Trump's Pennsylvania campaign rally, killing one person and leaving three others injured, including the former president.
The assassination attempt became a top trending topic in China, with the entry "Trump was shot" gaining 300 million views on one of its biggest social media platforms, Weibo, within hours of the incident, VOA News reported.
At one point, entries related to the Trump rally shooting made up half of the top 20 searches on the microblogging site, which has more than 500 million monthly active users.
A significant number of Chinese social media users also searched President Joe Biden's reaction to the shooting, along with "Trump's right ear was shot through by a bullet," "One person died at the scene" and "The shooting suspect was killed."
Chinese President Xi Jinping extended his sympathies to Trump following the attack.
"President Xi Jinping has expressed sympathies to former President Trump," the Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a statement on its website Sunday.
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Xi joined the many world leaders who sent messages of support to Trump and condemned the attempted assassination.
In posts on X, formerly Twitter, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called the shooting "despicable," while French President Emmanuel Macron said that "France shares the indignation of the American people."
Justin Trudeau's office, meanwhile, said in a statement that the Canadian prime minister "wished the former President well and offered condolences to the shooting victims and to the family of Corey Comperatore," according to the Associated Press.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrote on X that he was deeply concerned by "the attack on my friend."
"Strongly condemn the incident. Violence has no place in politics and democracies," he added.
Deeply concerned by the attack on my friend, former President Donald Trump. Strongly condemn the incident. Violence has no place in politics and democracies. Wish him speedy recovery.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 14, 2024
Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of the deceased, those injured and the American…
The Trump shooting is currently being investigated as an assassination attempt and potential domestic terrorism
The gunman was shot and killed by the Secret Service moments after he opened fire with a semiautomatic AR-style rifle.
In addition to Trump, three rally attendees were struck with bullets.
Corey Comperatore, 50, was killed, while James Copenhaver, 74, and David Dutch, 57, were critically wounded, according to Pennsylvania officials.
Authorities have not yet determined the motive behind the attack.
Despite the attempt on his life, Trump did not slow down and instead attended the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee Monday with a bandage on his ear, which had been grazed by a bullet.
Trump, along with his vice presidential pick, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, was formally nominated as the Republican Party's presidential nominee for the 2024 race.
He is expected to formally accept the party's nomination Thursday.
