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State of the Union
Investigation Into Trump Shooter Continues; Interview With Pennsylvania Senatorial Candidate Dave McCormick; Interview With Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA). Aired 12-1p ET
Aired July 14, 2024 - 12:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[12:00:42]
JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: Hello. I'm Jake Tapper at the Republican National Convention here in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where the state of our union is on edge.
We are learning more this hour about the shocking assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump at a Pennsylvania campaign rally yesterday afternoon. Multiple sources are telling CNN that authorities found explosive materials inside the car and the residence of the shooter, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, who was killed by the U.S. Secret Service after he fired upon former President Trump.
Also, crucial new information, the shooter was flagged by local law enforcement before the shooting because he was acting suspiciously around the security check outside the rally. So far, investigators have not found any initial signs, no social media or other writings that would help provide motive for his sick and twisted act.
Trump has said he was shot in the upper part of his right ear. He was examined at a hospital and released. One person attending the Butler, Pennsylvania, rally was killed in the attack. Two others remain in critical condition.
Right now, law enforcement agencies are briefing President Biden in the Situation Room on all the latest, a senior White House official tells CNN.
CNN's Evan Perez joins us now to break it all down.
And, Evan, it sounds as though this man was immediately on law enforcement's radar upon his arrival to the rally?
EVAN PEREZ, CNN SENIOR JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Jake.
This shooter, his name is Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20 years old from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania. Now, this is near Pittsburgh. It's about an hour from the venue where this -- the former president was holding a rally and where this shooting occurred yesterday.
One of the things that are -- we know the law enforcement is doing is trying to put together a picture of this shooter. How long has he been planning this? What was his motivation? And, as you pointed out Jake, not a lot is emerging. Certainly, he doesn't seem to have a social media footprint.
We know that the company that operates Discord, this chat group online, says that he had an account, but, again, not a lot of information there coming out as to what might provide an idea of his motivation.
We know that, according to his online registration, he was a Republican or he registered as a Republican. But we also found that, at 17 years old, he made donations to a Democratic-linked group, so, again, a complicated picture of a young man who's 20 years old.
What we know also is that this was an AR-15-style firearm that was used, a rifle. He was seen beforehand, Jake, near the magnetometers. The police believed that he was acting suspiciously. So they thought they were going to keep an eye on him. Apparently, they did warn this to Secret Service.
And then the next thing we know, according to witnesses, is, he is seen on that rooftop. And that's when you see -- some of the social media, you can see and hear from some of the witnesses raising the alarms, trying to get the attention of law enforcement about the presence of the shooter on that rooftop, which is about 500 feet from where the former president was speaking.
We know also that, in the search after the shooting, they found explosive material in his car. They also found it at the residence. Jake, he wasn't carrying any I.D. So one of the ways they were able to identify him initially was because of the firearm, which was traced back to his father.
We also know that, at this stage, they're trying to go through witnesses. They're trying to talk to his family members, his employer, all of that to try to put together a picture of how long he's been planning this attack on the former president at that rally, Jake.
TAPPER: All right, Evan Perez, thanks so much.
Let's go now to senior White House correspondent for CNN M.J. Lee
And, M.J., you have some new details on what President Biden is doing right now. Tell us.
M.J. LEE, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Jake, I'm told by a senior White House official that the president is currently in the Situation Room. He is being briefed by various law enforcement agencies.
And I should note this is precisely the reason that President Biden returned to Washington, D.C., overnight last night, instead of staying through the weekend in Rehoboth, as was the original plan, so that he can continue getting briefed and keep a close eye on this federal investigation into yesterday's incident that is now unfolding.
[12:05:14]
Last night, when we did hear the president speaking briefly in front of cameras, we heard him condemning political violence in this country, saying it is sick. We cannot be like this.
We also heard him saying that he wanted to get ahold of President Trump and speak with him directly. Well, we now know that they did briefly connect last night, and sources have told us, including White House officials, that this was a short and respectful call, and that, on this phone call, President Biden again reiterated how there's no place for political violence in this country, and that he is directing all of his federal agencies into a full-throated investigation into what happened yesterday.
Jake, just put aside the fact that the target of this assassination attempt was the former president and the president's political rival. The idea of political violence and the danger of political violence is one that you know very well the president has been incredibly sensitive to and very worried about.
So I wouldn't be surprised, Jake, just given the gravity of the situation and the moment that we are in of sort of national trauma, if we heard more directly from the president just in the coming hours as he gets a better handle from his advisers and law enforcement agencies on what exactly happened yesterday, Jake.
TAPPER: All right, M.J. Lee at the White House for us, thank you so much.
Joining us now is Pennsylvania Democratic Senator Bob Casey.
Senator, this is your home commonwealth, Pennsylvania. What's your reaction to the shooting? Can you tell us anything more about what happened or about the shooter or about the victims?
SEN. BOB CASEY (D-PA): Well, Jake, this is a terribly sad 24 hours for our commonwealth and our country. And we're just grateful that, despite the fact that we lost a Pennsylvania to this horrific shooting and that we have two in the hospital, that -- that President Trump is OK. We're thankful for that.
We thank God this wasn't worse, but it was -- it was -- it was horrific that this happened in our commonwealth. And I think it's a time for all of us in both parties, every elected official in the country should categorically condemn all political violence, whether it's a shooting or otherwise.
And we have got to take steps to reduce the likelihood of these kinds of horrific incidents.
TAPPER: It seems pretty clear that there was a security failure here.
CNN's learning that, according to a senior law enforcement official, local law enforcement spotted the shooter acting suspiciously near the magnetometers. That information was passed along to the U.S. Secret Service.
We also anecdotally heard of the Pennsylvanians there seeing the shooter on top of that roof, telling the police or trying to tell the police, signal to them that somebody was up there with a gun. What do you make of all these reports?
CASEY: Well, Jake, I think I'm like a lot of Americans. I'm not a law enforcement professional, but I think anyone would be justified in asking questions about what happened here, why it happened, whether or not we can make a determination after review and even, obviously, investigations whether or not there was a breakdown that put people at risk.
But I'm going to wait until we see more facts, but I think we have all got to be open to a thorough review of what happened here.
TAPPER: What more are you hoping to learn about the shooter as this investigation continues?
CASEY: Well, we know very little right now.
But, look, I think that, whenever something like this happens, we have all got to do our part, as citizens or, in my case, as an elected official, to take steps to reduce the likelihood that this will happen again. And part of that, of course, is learning more about the motives of this individual and what led him to be on that rooftop, because, if we better understand that, we're probably going to be better prepared to prevent this from happening again.
TAPPER: How do we take down the temperature? Because, obviously, we are in a place in this country there is increased polarization. Rhetoric is used by Democrats and Republicans painting the other side as not just opponents in the political sphere, but enemies of the United States.
You are obviously not somebody who uses that rhetoric. What is your message to your colleagues?
CASEY: Well, Jake, we all have a role to play, as I said, both as citizens and as elected officials.
What we should be categorically condemning is violence of all kinds, political violence or otherwise. Too often, what happens in our debates about policies, we categorically condemn the other side. And I think we have all done that at different points in time.
[12:10:11]
But I think what we have got to try to do going forward is to recognize that, in this country, there are steps that we can take to prevent putting a political figure at risk who's standing on a stage exercising his First Amendment rights to deliver a message at a rally.
But we can also take steps to condemn and to try to prevent political violence against the spouse of the speaker or children in classrooms who have been gunned down over and over again by the same weapon.
TAPPER: Thank you so much, Senator Casey. Appreciate your time today.
My next guest almost joined Trump on stage right before the shooting. He's going to tell me about it next.
And coming up, I will ask a former Secret Service agent about the news in the investigation.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
TAPPER: Welcome back to STATE OF THE UNION.
[12:15:00]
Tomorrow, this arena is going to be full of delegates in town for the Republican National Convention. The schedule is planning to move forward as had been previously planned.
Donald Trump's wife, Melania, the former first lady, plans to attend the convention. She just released a very personal statement about the attempted assassination attack on her husband, saying -- quote -- "When I watched that violent bullet strike my husband, Donald, I realized my life and Barron's life were on the brink of devastating change. A monster who recognized my husband as an inhuman political machine attempted to wring out Donald's passion, his laughter, ingenuity, love of music, and inspiration" -- unquote.
CNN's Kristen Holmes is in touch with all her Trump campaign sources.
Kristen, what are you learning?
KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, look, there's a lot of anger. People are clearly shaken, but they're also very defiant.
The anger comes from the fact that they don't understand how this could happen. Remember, many of them travel with him all the time. They see the protocols that go into place. They believe that, if any circumstances had been different on that stage, Donald Trump could have been killed.
Shaken because many of his senior advisers weren't actually with him on the ground. They were in Milwaukee getting ready for the convention, meaning that some of them were actually learning the details at the same time a lot of us were because of the security around the former president.
You acknowledged some of that in a statement that we saw from Chris LaCivita and Susie Wiles out to some of these campaign aides, essentially saying that they were beefing up security, that people shouldn't be afraid, but if they were in D.C. or the West Palm Beach area, that they should stay away from those offices.
Now, when it comes to defiance, we often hear this word thrown around when it comes to Donald Trump, but I will tell you, Jake, seeing more resolve, an actual resolve from the former president's team around this election after this defining moment.
From Donald Trump himself, we heard a message this morning and it was one asking for the country to be united. Here's what he said in a statement on TRUTH Social. He said: "Our love goes out to the other victims and their families.
We pray for the recovery of those who were wounded and hold in our hearts the memory of the citizen who was so horribly killed. In this moment, it is more important than ever that we stand united and show our true character as Americans, remaining strong and determined and not allowing evil to win."
And, as you noted, we expect Donald Trump to keep the same schedule. He's expected to be on the ground in Milwaukee later today. Obviously, Jake, this is still a very fluid situation. And they are learning some of these security details at the same time or even from media reports.
TAPPER: All right, Kristen Holmes, thanks so much.
Joining me now is the Republican candidate for Senate in Pennsylvania, Dave McCormick. Mr. McCormick was at the Trump rally last night.
First of all, Dave, you were at the front row of that rally. And, in fact, just minutes before the shooting began, former President Trump gave you a shout-out, said he was going to have you come up on stage.
How are you doing? How's your family?
DAVID MCCORMICK (R), PENNSYLVANIA SENATORIAL CANDIDATE: You know, it was -- it was one of these moments where he actually -- I saw him beforehand, and he was very upbeat and excited about the rally because it had such a big turnout.
And then he got on the stage and I think he was thinking about that. So he said, in front of the whole audience: "Dave McCormick, I want you to come up right now."
So I started to walk up onto the stage. He said: "No, no, I will have you up in a little bit."
And then the shooting started a minute or two later. And so, had he not changed his mind, I think I would have been up on that stage.
And it was one of these surreal moments where you have -- you're watching and, all of a sudden, you hear this staccato of shots. And it was pretty clear somewhat quickly that it was a rifle. And the president went down behind the podium, and the Secret Service was on top of him.
And then, all of a sudden, they were up and ushering him out. And you saw this fist come out of the group with sort of defiance and reassurance and leadership and him yelling "USA."
And then, over my shoulder, it was -- all of a sudden became clear that someone else had been shot a few rows behind me and was in the prone position on the bleachers, with people trying to administer first aid and stop the bleeding. And so you had these -- on one -- to one side of me the president being ushered off the stage, the other trying to get medical care to this poor man who had -- innocent bystander who had been shot, and not knowing whether the shooting was over. You know, I thought, originally, there were two shooters, because
there were so many shots. And we didn't know for some time whether it was over or what was going on. And it was -- obviously, in a crisis like this, it's confusing. And you need to stay calm and try to sort things out and be in a position to help people if they need it.
And that's what I tried to do.
TAPPER: What was security like at this event? Are you shocked that the shooter was able to get so close, reportedly 500 yards away from the president, and get these shots out before being taken out?
MCCORMICK: I really am, yes. Obviously, that was a huge failure. We will find out, I guess, with time how that occurred.
[12:20:02]
But I came in through a separate private entrance because I was one of the speakers. And the Secret Service was there. I was -- the wand went all over me to make sure I was -- didn't have a weapon. The security seemed tight.
And the response when the president -- when the shots came, the Secret Service was immediately on top of him and very responsive. But the fact that a shooter could get in that kind of range, which is not that far away for a sniper at all -- that's very close -- seems almost inconceivable to me.
And so there will have to be great scrutiny, because another inch, and our president would have been dead. I mean, the idea that it missed him -- just hit his ear and missed it, I mean, it's just -- it's remarkable that he came out of this as he has. And we should all feel blessed and at the same time just heartbroken for those families.
TAPPER: So I followed your Senate race a couple years ago and following your Senate race now.
And you seem to be a candidate who does not let his rhetoric get overheated when it comes to the people you're running against or Democrats or President Biden. Obviously, you're critical of President Biden, but not in a way that dehumanizes him.
And I'm wondering what you think about the rhetoric that we hear from too many politicians on the left and the right, too many activists on the left and the right when it comes to this moment of polarization in our country.
MCCORMICK: Well, I heard your earlier segment describing it.
I mean, I think the polarization and the political rhetoric that has contributed -- certainly, it has to contribute to an environment where Steve Scalise and the Supreme Court justices and Paul Pelosi and all these acts of violence just are so wildly unacceptable and un-American in every way.
And I would have -- I think that climate certainly probably contributed to what happened yesterday, although it's an environment that is somehow sanctioning violent -- violent behavior. And I think it's a responsibility for all of us to -- we have a big conflict. We have a conflict of ideas.
President Biden and the Democratic Party, in my opinion, and I think in many Republicans', are taking the country in a direction that is not good for America. And we think, as Republicans, that we have a vision that's much better than that. And we need to have a real debate and fight and argument, conflict about the right direction of the country.
But it need not be dehumanizing. It need not lead to violence. And, in fact, it can't. And my -- the baseline of my experience is, I was a platoon leader in the 82nd Airborne Division, and I had a young man from Alabama and I had an African-American man from Newark in my platoon. I had a platoon sergeant from Puerto Rico.
I don't remember ever talking about religion or politics. We were just Americans in support of a common mission. And whatever differences we have, and they are profound, the differences are profound, they are small in the context of we're Americans first.
And so I hope we can see a dialing back of that rhetoric. And I certainly am going to try to do my part in being a strong voice for where I think the country should go, but also one that speaks out against violent -- violent rhetoric that contributes to the horror we saw yesterday.
TAPPER: Dave McCormick, thank you so much for joining us.
MCCORMICK: Thank you.
TAPPER: And we will be right back.
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[12:25:22]
(JOINED IN PROGRESS)
GOV. JOSH SHAPIRO (D-PA): ... last night.
It's absolutely unacceptable and tragic. Lori and I are grateful that the former president is safe and, according to him and his team, is fine.
It's also important to note that, last night, three of our fellow Pennsylvanians were shot, one fatally and two in critical condition. I have just spent time speaking to the families, and I want to offer my prayers and the prayers of all 13 million Pennsylvanians for the two individuals who are being treated at this time.
We lost a fellow Pennsylvanian last night, Corey Comperatore. I just spoke to Corey's wife and Corey's two daughters. Corey was a girl dad. Corey was a firefighter. Corey went to church every Sunday. Corey loved his community. And, most especially, Corey loved his family. Corey was an avid supporter of the former president and was so excited
to be there last night with him in the community. I asked Corey's wife if it would be OK for me to share that we spoke. She said yes. She also asked that I share with all of you that Corey died a hero, that Corey dove on his family to protect them last night at this rally.
Corey was the very best of us. May his memory be a blessing.
Last night was shocking for this community and for this commonwealth and I know for this country. Political disagreements can never, ever be addressed through violence. Disagreements are OK, but we need to use a peaceful political process to settle those differences.
This is a moment where all leaders have a responsibility to speak and act with moral clarity, where all leaders need to take down the temperature and rise above the hateful rhetoric that exists and search for a better, brighter future for this nation. That's the work that I try to do every day here in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and that's the work that falls to each and every American right now.
And so I ask that you join me in prayer for the two Pennsylvanians who are in critical condition, that we continue to wish for a full and speedy recovery and pray for the former president, and that the Comperatore family remains in our thoughts and prayers.
They have some very challenging times ahead of them. They will have an empty seat at the dinner table for the rest of their lives. But we need to make sure that Corey's memory is forever a blessing. And here in Pennsylvania, we will see to it that that is the case.
And, with that, I will be happy to try and take a few of your questions.
QUESTION: Governor, a lot of folks are starting to ask the tough question about whether that building that the shooter accessed should have been secured. Should it have been secured?
And do the Pennsylvania State Police have any responsibility to have secured?
SHAPIRO: I'm not going to get into any questions regarding -- answer any questions regarding the ongoing investigation. I trust that the FBI and the Pennsylvania State Police will keep you posted throughout the day and in the days ahead as to their investigation.
QUESTION: Governor, there were some concerning items that the police had found in the suspect's vehicle. Do you have any update on those? And are you confident at this point the threat is over, that he acted alone, and that the public is in fact safe?
SHAPIRO: The investigation is ongoing, and law enforcement will update you on the status of their investigation throughout the day.
QUESTION: Can you share any more about your communications with former President Donald Trump or his team? SHAPIRO: I have not spoken directly to the former president. I have
wished him well, I think, multiple times last evening through statements. Lori and I have.
The people of Pennsylvania, I know, were praying for him. And, again, according to his team and himself, it seems as though he will be fine, obviously relatively speaking. And we're glad to see that. Violence is never acceptable.
[12:30:04]
I should also let that I did speak to President Biden. He called me last night to make sure that, here in the commonwealth, we had all the resources we needed. I assured him that we did. At the time, he had yet to speak to President Trump. I think they connected later in the evening and he wanted me to know that he was trying to reach out to the former president.
I think that that was the honorable and right thing to do. And I'm glad that President Biden did that. We have no unmet needs at this time. And we're working in concert with our federal partners. And I let the president know that.
QUESTION: Governor, have you talked to the families of those two who were critically injured? And do you have an update on their condition?
SHAPIRO: I spoke to the family of one of them and, the other, left a detailed message. And I'm not going to get into their status.
That will be shared by the Pennsylvania State Police and/or the family later today.
QUESTION: Governor, will you be asking for flags to be flown at half- staff across the state?
And, also, knowing that this is going to be a really contentious, even more so, battleground state for the rest...
(CROSSTALK)
QUESTION: .. what would your message be?
SHAPIRO: Can I say -- I just missed the last part of what you said.
QUESTION: No problem. The first was about the flags.
The second, knowing that this is going to be even more contentious now in the state of Pennsylvania, and that we're divided here, what is your message to people who live here?
SHAPIRO: I have directed that flags be flown at half-staff in Corey's memory. And our chief of staff is working through that process now.
My message to all Pennsylvanians, my message to all Americans is to be firm in your beliefs, to believe what you believe, to advocate for what you believe and to be engaged in the political and civic process, but to always do so peacefully, to remember that, while we may be Democrats or Republicans, above all else, we are Americans.
And if you look at the story of this great nation over the last 248 years, a nation that was born right here in Pennsylvania, it's been ordinary Americans at every single step of the way rising up, demanding more, seeking justice, advocating for change, and doing so peacefully.
And those who have advocated for such change peacefully, they have been the ones to bring that about. We have to remember that, even in these times where there are real divisions, that we have to address those divisions through engagement in the political and civic process in a peaceful manner. That is incumbent upon all political leaders of all parties, and it is incumbent upon the public.
I will tell you that, notwithstanding the tragedy that we saw last night here in Butler, the awful tragedy, that, every day, when I'm around Pennsylvania, I see the very best of Pennsylvanians, people who do have fervent beliefs, people who do have passionate beliefs, but who engage in a peaceful manner, and who love their neighbors, and who engage with people in their communities, even those that they might have differences from.
We need to learn from our history in this commonwealth and in this country, and we need to bring our better angels forward and carry that forward into this political season.
QUESTION: Governor...
SHAPIRO: I will take one more, yes.
QUESTION: ... can you expand on the situation of Mr. Comperatore's passing? Was he standing behind President Trump?
You said he dove in front of his family. Is there any more detail you can provide right now?
SHAPIRO: His wife shared with me that he dove on his family to protect them. As for any other information, that will be shared by law enforcement.
Thank you all very much.
TAPPER: That was the governor of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Josh Shapiro, speaking in the wake of the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump in the western part of Pennsylvania.
Governor Shapiro also identified the person killed in the rally shooting a man, a father, a husband named Corey Comperatore, father of two daughters, a firefighter. His widow says that he died a hero, jumping on the family, diving on the family to save them from the bullets that were coming in, apparently from the sniper, from the assassin, would-be assassin.
We are also now learning that President Biden will speak from the White House at roughly 1:30 p.m. this afternoon Eastern time to address this assassination attempt on the former president. I want to dive into what every -- to everything we're learning with a
national security panel right now that we're bringing to you live.
Andy McCabe, former deputy FBI director.
Just for anybody watching, we're at the Republican National Convention, and they're doing a sound check, obviously, with "The Star-Spangled Banner" being sung behind me. That's what you're hearing.
Anyway, Deputy Director McCabe, we're learning more about the details about the would-be assassin. A law enforcement official tells CNN that he had explosives in his car, explosives at his residence, that the rifle he used, the AR-style firearm, was traced back to his father.
[12:35:06]
What do these new details tell you, if anything?
ANDREW MCCABE, CNN SENIOR LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Well, Jake, I think -- that's pretty loud. That's the most cheerful thing I have heard in 24 hours.
I think, provisionally, what these details tell us about the shooter is that this was a highly organized person who was involved in an expansive plan. Like, to obtain those materials, to weaponize them into some sort of explosive devices or to be in that process, all of this stuff takes time and it takes decisions long before the rally yesterday.
So it gives us some insight that this was a very premeditated, well- planned action, one that probably included some sort of attack beyond just the shooting, the attempted -- the shooting of the president. We don't know. He may have intended those devices to go off remotely or in other places.
But, nevertheless, he spent the time and effort necessary to obtain those materials, to deploy them in some way. You have them in two separate locations there. At least in the car, that seems more like a deployment than just a storage issue.
And so it kind of paints a better picture about this individual. It also, I think, elevates the chances that he may have been working with someone else, or at least that someone in his orbit may have had some idea of what he was doing, because, again, that planning cycle takes time. It usually provides opportunities for communication to share your plans or your intentions with other people.
So I would expect that the investigators are really focusing now on his communications with others, social media, anything he may have written or notes or manifestos, things like that, that may be around the house and in his vehicle. It really opens up a lot of additional avenues for investigation.
TAPPER: Former Philadelphia police commissioner Charles Ramsey, CNN is also learning that local law enforcement officers saw the shooter prior to the event. They thought he was acting suspiciously near the magnetometers, presumably outside the magnetometers.
They said on the radios to keep an eye on him. They also say that the information was passed on to the U.S. Secret Service. However, after the shooter left the magnetometers, he was not seen again, as far as we can tell, until later, when they saw him on the rooftop.
As a former law enforcement official, what do you make of these initial reports, with, obviously, the understanding that these are still early reports?
CHARLES RAMSEY, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Well, the early reports, but, clearly, there's a breakdown of some kind in terms of security.
Granted, he was outside the perimeter, but a would-be assassin should never get close enough to be able to actually attack a protectee. And that did occur. So, there are a lot of questions. If they observed someone acting suspiciously, did anybody bother to stop this person, to question them, to find out who they were?
There was a building nearby, obviously. This wasn't just a rural area with cornfields and so forth where there was no elevated position. Was anyone supposed to be on the rooftop? Were they using drones to be able to cover the outer perimeter to see whether or not there was any kind of threat?
The Secret Service, the FBI, the local police, State Police, everyone's going to have a conversation around this to find out what happened, because that event took place yesterday. They have got to focus now on tomorrow and beyond. I mean, you have still got two conventions coming up. You have got two major protectees.
You have got a former president and a current president, other people, a lot of heated rhetoric. They're going to have to really rethink security in general, in my opinion.
TAPPER: Jonathan Wackrow, you're a former U.S. Secret Service agent. What do you make of all this new reporting and what obviously was some sort of failure in law enforcement protection of the former president yesterday?
JONATHAN WACKROW, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Well, Jake, this is a seminal moment for the United States Secret Service. They need to act quickly and conduct a mission assurance review to go over the entire security plan that was put forth at this site to really understand, where were these lapses? Where were these failures?
I mean, we are now hearing that the suspect tried to -- or was seen in and around the magnetometers. What type of behavior was that? Was that some sort of penetration testing to see if they could launch an attack there? If not, then did they move to a secondary location, which was the elevated shooting position top of that roof?
Again, there are a lot of questions here that the Secret Service must answer very quickly and then readjust future security plans quickly because we are in the middle of the campaign season. We are going to have a lot of outdoor rallies. We're going to have a lot of activity around the two political candidates all through November.
[12:40:12]
So the Secret Service must reassure the public and our political leaders that they are safe to go and engage in this political activity. So, hopefully, we will start getting those answers quickly.
TAPPER: Juliette Kayyem, you're a former top official of the Department of Homeland Security. You have a new piece in "The Atlantic" magazine saying that this assassination attempt reveals failures in our democracy.
What do you mean? And how do we address that?
JULIETTE KAYYEM, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Well, I mean, one is, obviously, we need to address it as a security matter and talk about things like security perimeters, and why was the rooftop left vacant, and should we expand the security perimeters? But that's only one piece of it.
And we're starting to hear it from people, but which is that this exposes a major fracture in our democracy. We will have people blame this side or that side. But to the extent that violence is viewed as a natural extension of our political differences, that needs to stop.
And that's -- there's no security perimeter you can put around that. So the moral clarity that I think all leaders can have and all columnists and all analysts and everyone is that, whatever our disagreements and even, honestly, Jake, fears about whether Trump is president or Biden remains president, that violence can be condemned.
And so what I hope -- you're looking for silver linings at this stage, because this is not just historic -- it's very scary, what could have happened yesterday -- is that one hopes that what we can unify around is the condemnation of violence -- we can disagree as much as we want -- as part of that democratic discourse, whether it comes from the right or the left, whether it's nurtured by the head of a party or it's nurtured by commentators on TV.
That would be -- that's the security perimeter I'm hoping for. You can always put more Secret Service people out there. That's not going to solve the problem.
TAPPER: All right, thanks to all of you.
An assassination attempt on the Republican presidential presumptive nominee four months before Election Day.
My political panel is next.
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[12:46:20]
TAPPER: Welcome back to STATE OF THE UNION.
My panel is here to help try to make sense of the senseless, this tragic and turbulent moment in which our nation finds itself.
David Urban, let me start with you.
It feels crass to even try to talk about politics, but we are at the Republican National Convention. They are going to bang the gavel and have the roll call tomorrow, and the Republican delegates here are going to nominate Donald Trump to be their nominee for president of the United States. We're even going to find out who his vice presidential pick is this week.
So, the show goes on. How do you think what happened yesterday is going to impact what happens here this week?
DAVID URBAN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Yes, so, listen, I think, when America has kind of digested this and gotten over the grief -- now we know the name of the gentleman who was killed. His daughter posted on social media, and the heart goes out to that family.
When people get to digest that and move on and get to this venue. the Trump voter will be energized, right? The Republican base will show up. Nobody in the Republican Party will be staying home this election, I promise you. They're going to come out and vote for their candidate who, after being shot, stood, you know, defiantly and raised his hand and said, come with me, follow me.
And on cue, I get the national anthem here.
(LAUGHTER)
URBAN: So it's great. But...
TAPPER: They're doing sound. Just so people know...
URBAN: Oh.
(LAUGHTER)
TAPPER: ... this isn't in honor of David, as patriotic as he is. They are doing sound checks. This is the second or third time we have heard "The Star-Spangled Banner."
But you are a great American anyway, David. Keep going.
URBAN: I feel badly talking over the national anthem, unfortunately.
(LAUGHTER)
URBAN: The Republican Party will rally. They will show up, they will turn out in record numbers for Donald Trump this election.
And I think the way Democrats are going to talk about Donald Trump moving forward is forever changed.
TAPPER: So, speaking of Democrats, we do have this fresh image from the White House Situation Room, where President Biden is being briefed today on all the -- what happened yesterday in Western Pennsylvania and the precautions that are obviously going to be taken to increase security for President -- former President Trump and also for Biden and for other elected officials potentially.
The imagery is rather striking, the iconic now -- I think it's fair to say it will be an iconic, if not already iconic image of President Trump having been shot by a would-be assassin's bullet standing defiantly on stage with his fist in the air.
And I have heard Republicans say that this does feed into a contrast that they already were planning on presenting to the American people in their construct, Trump strong, Biden weak.
ASHLEY ALLISON, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Yes, I mean, I just have to say, I don't think anybody knows what yesterday's event -- is actually going to happen. Like, nobody knew what COVID would do to the American population, and we're still seeing some of those impacts.
I will say, though, I have often said this that, in moments like this, communities in various parts of the world have different types of conversations. And I asked Kristen, I said, what's your Twitter feed saying? Not that Twitter is the real world, but...
TAPPER: No, but yes.
ALLISON: But what's your group chat saying?
And I think that people are digesting this and experiencing this in different ways. And what we will be telling is how the campaigns go and start to communicate with those voters. I'm sure Republicans will.
The thing that is so unique about this moment is that I have always said that this election is about democracy. And even after the events of yesterday, I still believe that. But the beauty of democracy is that candidates should be able to get up on stage, tell their views, and not be under threat of violence.
We decide how we feel about issues with voting, not violence. And so I -- we have been saying this for a very long time. This is the most consequential election probably of all of our lifetimes. Yesterday just raised the stakes.
[12:50:08]
And it will be determinative, I think, on how the campaigns are able to communicate moving forward.
TAPPER: Well, so what is your social media feed like?
(LAUGHTER)
KRISTEN SOLTIS ANDERSON, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: So, I have often wondered, what would happen if something like 9/11 happened today in the social media world we live, in the polarized world we live in, the kind of event that is the sort of thing where you remember where you were when you learned about it, where you remember where you were when it happened?
And we're about to find out, does the country unite? Does the country set aside its differences? Does the country say we all need to come together, this is horrible, but being American is more important than any of these divisions or not?
When I hear something like Democratic Governor Shapiro, who just gave a really great set of remarks, he didn't shy away from the fact that the man who was killed was a strong Trump supporter. And that doesn't matter, because he was an American, and his family is going to be missing somebody at the dinner table.
I mean, that, to me, feels like the kind of unifying thing, right? And then you open up that phone, you look on social media, and you see -- it's like lifting up a rock and you see the spiders all crawling out. And I just -- I worry that -- I hope that our nation is up to the task of dealing with this moment, and I'm worried very much that we might not be.
TAPPER: And some of those spiders are elected officials, I might say.
ALLISON: Yes.
DAVID AXELROD, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Yes.
TAPPER: I mean, some of those spiders are not just randos on Twitter. They're...
(CROSSTALK)
AXELROD: Well, that's one of the...
URBAN: But kudos to Governor Shapiro. Just make sure...
(CROSSTALK)
SOLTIS ANDERSON: Yes, absolutely.
TAPPER: Yes, kudos to Shapiro, of course, yes.
AXELROD: But the fact -- you say some of them are elected officials. One of the questions about this -- by the way, stop reading your stuff, and you will feel better.
(LAUGHTER)
AXELROD: But one of the things about this week, there's no doubt Trump is going to arrive here as an enlarged figure because of what happened yesterday.
And he will be welcomed as a sort of martyr almost to the cause of -- that drew these people here. The question is, will the tenor of the convention follow in that kind of spirit, or will there be anger?
And that's, strategically, if you were doing the right thing, they would get big, not small. They would get more unifying, less angry. And we will see if the speakers follow that and if the campaign can enforce that in their candidate and in their speakers.
URBAN: Well, the statement put out this morning on TRUTH Social...
TAPPER: Yes.
URBAN: ... struck the right tenor, tone.
AXELROD: Yes.
URBAN: Spot on. Great job.
TAPPER: Yes, without question.
Thanks, one and all. Really appreciate it. Be safe this week.
We keep hearing from politicians that there's no place for political violence in America. That is not our reality, sadly.
We will be right back.
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[12:56:38]
TAPPER: I keep hearing from politicians this morning that political violence has no place in America.
Would that that were true. We are living in an era of political violence. Last night, as you all know, horrifically, a shooter opened fire and tried to assassinate former President Donald Trump at a campaign rally. This was the closest call, in terms of a major assassination attempt on a U.S. leader on that level, in more than 40 years, since Ronald Reagan in 1981.
We do not yet know the specific motivations behind this would-be assassin, sick and twisted though they assuredly are.
But, sadly, this is not the first time we have seen this kind of repugnant and un-American violence. In 2011, then-Democrat Congresswoman Gabby Giffords was shot in the head and nearly killed by a gunman at a constituent event. Other innocent people were killed.
A 2017 shooting at a Republicans' congressional baseball practice left Congressman Steve Scalise in critical condition. Then, of course, there was the Unite the Right white supremacist rally in Charlottesville that year. In 2020, violence exploded in protests after George Floyd's horrific murder, then, on January 6, 2021, an attack on the U.S. Capitol and that aftermath, which left multiple Trump supporters and Capitol Police officers dead.
An individual who left pipe bombs outside the Republican National Committee and the Democratic National Committee buildings, that individual has still not been identified. In 2022, former Democratic Speaker Nancy Pelosi's husband, Paul, was attacked with a hammer in his own home by an intruder searching for the former speaker. Another man with a gun, a knife, and zip ties was arrested outside the
home of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, to say nothing of lesser attempts, Cesar Sayoc, who sent pipe bombs to Democrats and members of the news media, including CNN, in 2018.
Last year, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security warned of a high threat of violence from radicalized individuals, lone offenders or small group attacks that occur with little warning and said that the 2024 election cycle will be -- quote -- "a key event for possible violence" -- unquote.
The assessment warned of violence against -- quote -- "government officials, voters, and elections-related personnel and infrastructure, including polling places, ballot drop box locations, voter registration sites, campaign events, political party offices, and vote counting sites" -- unquote.
There is something troubling the American soul right now. Too many Americans see those with whom they disagree as the enemy, to be shunned, to be banned, to be ostracized, to be threatened with violence, or even to have that violence carried out.
As with so many prior acts of violence, we right now see too many awful responses out there to this hideous attack on former President Trump, responses that are part of this trend. That includes those who, without evidence, are blaming this act of violence on those with whom they have disagreements.
We are praying for former President Trump's recovery today and praying for his family and for those victims of the attack.
And we urge in the strongest possible terms that this election and all our political differences must be determined by ballots and votes, not by bullets, and that this rhetoric of dehumanization stop.
[13:00:08]
Political violence has no place in America? I wish that that were true.
Thank you so much for joining us. My colleague Kaitlan Collins picks it up right now.
I will see you tomorrow.
