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>> george: a gunman fires multiple rounds of former president donald trump. one pierces his right here. federal officials the shooting as an assassination attempt. one dead, two injured. >> i thought tfs it was a five-day forecast cracker. >> president biden condemns the attack. >> there is no place in america for this kind of violence. it's sick. >> george: this morning the fallout and fear in this dangerous climate. >> announcer: from abc news, this is a special edition "this week." here now is george stephanopoulos. >> four decades since an assassination attempt on a president. last night that terrifying scene played out at a rally in pennsylvania. the former president hit in a bullet in the ear before surrounded and taken away by secret service. the former president is safe. the suspect was killed opinion an innocent really attendee was

killed and this attack has shocked the nation and calling for condemnation across the nation and what was an unusual campaign already of our lifetime in a deeply divided country. we are covering all of the fall jowl this morning and we begin with rachel scott at the rally last night. good morning, rachel. >> reporter: george, good morning to you. we were, in fact, on the press riser 100 feet away from where the former president was standing as that gunfire erupted. trump had just taken the stage. he was less than ten minutes into his speech when those shots were fired. ♪ proud to be an american ♪ >> reporter: it should have been a normal campaign reallily by former president trump. instead? >> you want to see what really was said, take a look at what happened. >> reporter: an assassination attempt. the gunfire coming minutes into trump's speech. the former president grabbing his ear' ducking behind the podium. secret service members quickly

rushing on to the stage to shield him. [ screaming ] >> reporter: the crowd just feet away running for cover as agents lift the former president to his feet. >> let me get my shoes. >> hold on to your head. it's bloody. we have to move. >> reporter: the blood on trump's face is visible as he is hurried wraaway the former president pump is his 50s ifist the air. he was rushed to a medical center and trump said he was shot with a bullet that pierced the upper part of my right here but safe and returning to new jersey last night. authorities say the attack killed one attendee and critically injured two others. >> yeah, i saw the man that was hit in the head and there was a lot of blood. i knew there was no way he was going to survive that. >> reporter: law enforcement sources telling abc news as many as eight rounds were fire from a gunman perched on the adjacent rooftop outside of the event. you see law enforcement

officials are putting up caution tape around this area. this is very much an active scene at this moment. the fbi identifying the suspected gunman. they say he is dead as 20-year-old thomas matthew crooks. trump posting on truth social this morning we pray for the recovery of those who were wounded and hold in our hearts of the memory of the citizen who was horribly killed. in this moment it's more important than ever we stand united and show our true character as americans. president biden addressing the nation calling for unity. >> one of the reasons we have to unite this country. we cannot allow for this to be happening. we cannot be like this and cannot condone this. >> reporter: report that the two spoke by phone and not releasing the details of the conversation. last night's rally was slated the last before trump heads to the wauk -- in milwaukee

republic national convention. as well as house majority leader steve scalise who was shot and wounded in an attack at a congressional baseball practice back in 2017. >> it's left arming to think we came this close. to not having him with us. thank god that he is okay. >> reporter: a post on social media, trump also thanking the secret service for their quick actions responding to what happened just last night. an internal memo obtained by abc news, the trump campaign is telling its staff to avoid its offices in washington, d.c. and west palm beach. and also telling them to avoid commenting on what occurred publicly saying they will not tolerate dangerous rhetoric. george? >> racial, hel, you were there e scene. it must have been surreal and scary experience. >> reporter: yes, george. to be honest with you, it is something we are all still processing. i have been to almost every single campaign rally that the

former president has had this election cycle and these are events that are typically filled with excitement of trump supporters waiting in line for hours waiting to see the former president. that rally, once it started, was over within minutes. we were on the press riser about 100 feet away from donald trump as that gunfire erupted. we ducked for cover. we watched as people started shouting and yelling and screaming in fear and terror fuse confused by what happens. typically these events are extremely safe. you go through metal detectors and your bags are screened and unthinkable this would happen at a event with a former president but it did last flight. i will say, george, there was a sense of grief and sadness from everyone just leaving that rally last night. most people just could not even believe that this occurred just hours ago. george? >> george: everyone is thinking of the attendee who was killed and the others who were seriously injured. rachel scott, thanks very much. more on the investigation now from our chief justice

correspondent pierre thomas. atf and secret service and fbi are involved. what do things stand? >> they are taking the lead on an attempted assassination and detail is under way whether the suspect had any support and whether if anyone knew about this before it happened. given the highly volatile threat environment, they can't take any chances. the early evidence is pointing to this being a lone wolf situation. a trace is being ton on the assault rifle to determine when it was purchased and what bought it. as far as the secret service they will be doing a postmortem what exactly what went wrong here and whether to push out further the security perimeter for events like this. the state police in pennsylvania will take the lead on investigating the murder of the spectator and two other men who were wounded in the crowd. >> george: so far, they think this was a lone wolf. what more do we know about the shooter? >> so far, no ties to

international terrorism have been uncovered. but authorities continue to look to see if there are any connections to domestic extremist and they are searching to see if the shooter it any social media presence and, if so, whether any indications of violence or extremism. we are told he is a registered republican. and as of yet, there is no signs of than extensive criminal background. but the question is why. why did he do this, george? >> george: anything pop up on social media yet? >> not so far that we are seeing. law enforcement we expect will get another briefing today. i'm told by fbi officials to look for some additional guidance about what they know about the suspect. >> george: pierre, you've been doing this an awful long time. you know, we all are familiar with presidential security. usually any kind of presidential event, you have all of the rooftops scoured looking for anything within range. how could this have possibly happened? >> that is the key issue. i'm told nothing was seen on the

roof but clearly a location that close should have been secured. we are told after the shots were fired, secret service snipers were immediately able to pinpoint the location of the shooter and kill him. but the question is why. why was he able to get on that roof, george? >> george: pierre thomas, thanks very much. now to the white house and our chief white correspondent mary bruce. we saw president biden upend his weekend plans going from delaware to the white house. >> reporter: the president racing back here last night before he came before the cameras and forcefully condemned this attack. the president saying there is no place in this country for this kind of political violence. he said it's sick and calling for the country to unite in this moment and trying to dial down the political temperature during what we know is already an incredibly divisive time in this country. he reached out to donald trump directly. the two of them speaking by phone late last night. it is, of course, incredibly rare for the two of them to speak. the white house is not, though, offering any details of their conversation.

but, of course, the president earlier in the night said he is grateful that donald trump is doing well and he is praying for him and the other victims. george? >> george: the campaign was already in turmoil. what do we know about how the campaign is reacting right now? >> reporter: right now, they are hitting the pause button and for now trying to put politics aside and stopping their political communication pulling their ads off of the air it is unclear if president will change or cancel any of his upcoming travel plans. this comes as the future of the president's candidacy is still very much being called in to question. the democratic party still in turmoil and remains to be seen how this assassination attempt will impact any of that. for now, the president is continuing to respond as the president first and not a candidate and back at the white house this morning and being briefed by his homeland security team and law enforcement official. george? >> george: mary bruce, thank you. john carl is in milwaukee for

the republican convention. we heard from president biden last night and he spoke to trump and he spoke to the former presidents. >> reporter: all former presidents obama and clinton and george w. bush put our statements strikingly similar and condemning what happened saying there is no place in our politics for violence and calling for the rhetoric to be turned down. that is message we are hearing from the former president but from the congressional leaders in both parties. we saw statements from hakeem jeffries and chuck schumer and speaker of the house johnson and mitch mcconnell and from a former speaker nancy pelosi who has experienced the impact on violence. obviously, her husband paul, less than two years ago, was attacked inside their home in san francisco by a crazed individual wielding a hammer and

suffered a serious injuries. she is also saying this has no place in our politics. we must condemn it and make it clear no violence and turn down the rhetoric. >> george: how did this all play out at the convention site last night? >> reporter: i was on the floor of the convention when i heard what happened. i was speaking with the rnc chairman michael wattly steps away from here and told him what i learned. as i was doing that , an aid came with a fen rushed him off the floor. a sense that everything had changed almost immediately. there is an intense security posture here, obviously, already. my sense it's even further intensifyiv intensifyived. reence priebus is the chair of the host committee here and he has actually spoken to president

trump this morning. president trump reaching out to say that this convention has to go forward and absolutely not be scaled back. we will be talking to reince about what the former president had to say about what happened to the former president yesterday in pennsylvania. >> george: it's going forward galvanized? >> reporter: galvanized, absolutely. the image of the former president, blood dripping down his face, his arm raised, that image is now the symbol of this campaign, of this convention. perhaps a defining image for trump supporters, of trump, himself. this convention will go forward in a highly energized as one person involved in it said, we are going forward with a vengeance.

>> george: john thank you. i know, marriatha, you've trave around the country and talking to divided voters in our nation. in msways this is a symptom of the underlying issue in our country? >> reporter: it is and probably it will continue. we saw president trump raise his right hand asbestos john just described and we have seen those pictures. we could see him say what i believe was fight, fight. that was his first instinct. this is a country divided. this is a country -- we saw the violence yesterday, the horrific violence yesterday. and we have seen it in places. we have also seen this morning, we have heard president trump say he wants the country to come together to be united but others are directly pointing the finger at president biden with, of course, no evidence that he incited this or had anything to do with this assassination attempt. we heard j.d. vance, senator

j.d. vance, who is one vert of leading picks in vice president saying in a tweet this is not an isolated incident. the central premise of the biden campaign is that president donald trump is must be stopped at all costs and that led to president trump's attempt to assassination. again, there is no evidence of that. we do not know the motive of that shooter at this point. vivek ramaswamy saying, no amount a of verbiage today changes the toxic national climate led to this and you'll see a lot of supporters saying the same thing. we have to point out no matter who the shooter -- what the shooter's motives were, no matter who the shooter is, you are going to hear conspiracy theories going forward.

>> george: no question about that. you point out the statements from vans and ramaswamy. president trump and his supporters have contributed to this as well. >> reporter: we looked back to some of the former things that former president said. our country is being destroyed as they tell us to be peaceful. trump in january warned bedlam in the countries if the charges in him succeeded. in march he said if i don't get elected it's a blood bath for the whole and that is the least of it and it's going to be a blood bath for the country. that will be the least of it. he said he was partly joking and that that was taken out of context but those are, indeed, his words. you have heard it from supporters as well and supporters are certainly, in some parts, angry. let's remember january 6th. in so many ways for the

campaign, january 6th will probably be in the background after yesterday's event. this is a very difficult time for this campaign. i'm sure this week in milwaukee that president trump will highlight this and president biden is going to have to figure out how to go forward with his campaign and what exactly they say. >> george: thank you very much. john cohen worked with the department of homeland security and, john, thank you for joining us. we have talked so much over the recent years about this threat environment. you've been sounding the alarm bell. >> yeah, george. i mean, i have been working for the last year with law enforcement and election officials across the country so we can be better prepared as a nation to deal with the current threat and environment and, quite frankly, i will tell you what been saying to them this is the most complex, dynamic, and dangerous threat environment that i've experienced in the 40 years that i've been working in law enforcement and homeland security. the reason i make that assessment is, in part, because

of what we have been hearing so far on this show. we are an angry, divided nation. and that anger and division has become intertwined in our political discourse. there are a growing number of people in this country who believe that violence is an appropriate way to express their idea logical or political views or disagreement with others. we are experiencing sustained levels of violence in this country fueled by a media and online ecosystem saturated with conspiracy theories and other content that is purposely placed this by groups and individuals here and abroad, seeking to inspire and illegal and even violent activity. >> george: what kind of threats are you seeing through the system today? >> we are seeing calls for acts of violence directed at elected officials and law enforcement and at political candidates. we are seeing people government being doxed.

government offices are being s.w.a.t.ed which means false 911 calls are being placed so that police will respond in an emergency crisis mode. we are seeing cyberattacks directed at government and nongovernment officials. we are seeing targeted acts of violence and destructive activity being directed at parts of our community who are targeted because of their faith, their political beliefs, their immigration status, their gender identity. these are the -- these are the issues that law enforcement is having to deal with on a day-to-day basis. >> george: in your view, what is the most important thing that can be done right now to combat it? >> i think, unfortunately, two things. we are going to need to do, one, we are going to have to dramatically expand the intelligence sharing and the reaction to intelligence via law enforcement. there will be a lot of questions about whether there was, as pierre pointed out, whether there was any type of forewarning of this attack. we need to look at intelligence differently.

secondly, we need to lower the temperature of our political rhetoric. part of the danger here is that the voices of extremism have become intermingled with mainstream and political figures who often mimic the same language and that adds to the volatility of a threat environment. >> george: john cohen, thanks so much. we will speak up next with someone in the rally.

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inez, let me ask you, you're using head and shoulders, right? only when i see flakes. then i switch back to my regular shampoo. you should use it every wash, otherwise the flakes will come back. tiny troy: he's right, you know. is that tiny troy? the ingredients in head and shoulders keep the microbes that cause flakes at bay. microbes, really? they're always on your scalp... little rascals... but good news, there's no itchiness, dryness or flakes down here! i love tiny troy. and his tiny gorgeous hair. he's the best. - make every wash count! - little help please. i was in the front row. and president trump had just announced me and said he was going to have me come up on the stage and said, well, wait a minute. then there were a number of shots. i think probably seven or eight shots. >> george: that was pennsylvania republican senate nominee david mccormick who was behind donald trump at the rally yesterday.

thank you for joining us. just expand what you were just saying from last night's special. >> good morning. >> george: what did you see happen and what did you hear and when did you realize what was going on? >> well, as i said, i was sitting right in the front row and the shots went off and it was pretty clear quickly -- you know a huge rally. lots of upbeat energy and pretty clear quickly this was a series of shots. and the president went down immediately and the secret service jumped on top of him and then he got up. you saw the pictures here now you're seeing on tv where his 50s came out and sort of a measure of, i think, defiance and reassurance and, you know, leadership. he really reassured people that he was okay. but, at the same time, over my shoulder it became clear that someone else had been hit. sadly, an innocent bystander was knocked over and it was clear that he was very, very injured and bleeding very balandly

two things going on at the same time one to my left and my right. the president was, you know, taken off the stage and there was a real confusion of what was going on, whether there were multiple shooters or where the shooting was done. really a sad day that the president, you know, an inch difference and the president would have been dead. it was a very scary moment. >> reporter: >> george: you've been out campaigning for months. how do you experience the toxic event we were talking to john cohen, the counterterrorism specialist? >> i mostly haven't, to be honest with you. obviously, i mean, we have two very conflicting visions of where to take the country. the democratic party versus the republican party. president biden versus president trump. so there is a real conflict of ideas, but, for the most part, i don't hear extreme rhetoric and, obviously, extreme rhetoric has no place in politics and, you know, as a father of six

daughters, it's scary. i spent my night talking to my daughters and reassuring them that their dad is going to be okay, even though he has decided to try to run for republican office and serve his country. so, you know, this is something that is unacceptable in political life and it's unacceptable wherever it comes from and so we have to push back on it and certainly it's not hard to imagine that some of the extreme rhetoric we see contributed to the attempt on president trump and, you know, steve scalise and other horrible tragedies that happened, paul pelosi and we need to come together and agree by that. >> it's echoed by speaker johnson and president biden saying we need to come together and republicans are seeking to blame democrats on this. how do we take t down right now? >> well, i think we, first of all, have to recognize we do

have a real conflict of ideas. that is okay. you know? our country is faced with very significant choices and, you know, running for office, i believe that we are going in the wrong direction. and so i'm making the case as aggressively as i can that we need to go in a different direction. that is different than attacking people. that is different than breaking down people. that is different than threatening violence. so we need to embrace conflict. conflict of ideas, conflict in the direction of our country that needs to be addressed at the ballot box, but we need to resort and can't resort to violence as a way of promoting political agendas and i think the environment contributed i think to these acts of violence we are seeing, not just last night, but others, and it needs to be dialed back across the board. >> george: david mccormick, thank you four time this morning. up next, we speak with a retired secret service agent who served three presidents. stay with us.

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>> there is nothing specific and

nothing credible out there but we are tracking all threat teams and work with our partners at the fbi and other intelligence agencies that provide that information to us. i think the environment we are dealing with today is certainly different than it was four years ago and i'm sure we will see an evolution the next four years as well but it's definitely something we take into conversation. >> secret service agent kim cheatle joined us last sunday. paul, thank you for joining us. i want to ask what you asked pierre thomas earlier in the program. hard to believe that someone could get on a rooftop that close to a presidential rally. >> well, sir, when you look at the campaign events, they are designed far differently than presidential protection. many people are saying this was an attempt on president trump, realizing that it is former president trump. they are afforded less protection than sitting presidents by authorization and campaign events are designed for

access and viewing of mr. trump, rather than the security. the secret service does in these sites and they do it now because of the history of political violence in america and their response is going to be primary reactionary. and what we saw yesterday, if you dissect the tape, was a textbook response. i think it's important for people to understand when you see that countersniper techism take out the threat, that until he identified it as a threat, it was an individual from 200 yards moving on a rooftop. if he had neutralized that threat or shot an innocent civilian that just happened to be trying to get a view of former president trump, we would be having a very different conversation. he had a very difficult job and identified the threat and neutralized within a second. the agents willingly moved on to the stage, shielding former president trump with their own

bodies. i think that people need to realize that americans don't realize it's a very unique situation for the secret service as i experienced as well. secret service agents wear body armor but not to protect their own lives. it is to shield the protectee with their own bodies and their own flesh and to ensure has that any further attempts do not did -- go through them and protect the protectee. >> reporter: >> george: it is a matter of security. >> it is a constantly back and forth between the secret service and the campaign detail who decides where and when these events occur and how they are are secured. until that individual identified himself as a threat, nothing could be done. now, there will be a time to dissect and look at the security plan, but with the republican convention as a national special security event, far more security will be in place and when i watched those friends of mine and my former colleagues storm the stage going toward

gunfire, shielding, covering, evacuating the former president, it gave me a realization tha their meddle was tested and they passed that. secret service does advances in the white house throughout the world on the streets of war zones and, yesterday, it happened to be on a field in pennsylvania. when they shielded and covered and evacuated. today, president trump is alive because of the brave men and women of the secret service. >> george: there is no question that they were absolutely heroic in the immediate aftermath of that shooting. you hit on something else important there that i think you should explain to people. i remember for my time in campaigns in the white house, as well, there is actually an ongoing dialogue between the secret service and the candidates and there is always a back and forth over how approachable the candidate wants to be and what the secret service needs to do for protection. >> this there are constant conversations. i was the lead advance agent for

president obama's train stop in baltimore on the way for inaugura inauguration. they were relieved he would be in memorial park in front of 40,000 people in the center of baltimore. when we were doing the advance, they said it will be great because then the campaign, we put the magnetometer 75 yards away. i looked at them and said welcome to the white house. i will have the magnetometer three blocks away and shutting down the entire city center. there is an entirely different stance and protective advance and assets put in place for sitting presidents versus campaign stops and that is a constant given pick. the secret service would love nothing more than if the president stayed in the white house and stayed behind a security perimeter but not the reality of politics or the american democracy. the people demand and should expect access to the people that represent them. >> george: paul, thanks for your insight and your time. thanks very much. "round table" is up next. we will be right back.

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>> george: welcome. john karl is in milwaukee with the round table. hel hello. >> the assassination attempt sent a volt in milwaukee. the secret service is reassessing what is already a massive security presence in milwaukee. among the people that will be talking with to is reince priebus. a short while ago, he spoke to the former president and we will hear what trump had to say in pennsylvania and how he wants this convention to go forward. we will have that in just a moment. we will be right back. ♪ ♪ have you always had trouble losing weight and keeping it off? same.

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look. there is no place in america for this kind of violence. it's sick. it's sick. it's one of the reasons why we have to unite this country. we cannot allow for this to be happening. we cannot be like this. we cannot condone this. the idea that there is political violence or violence in america like this is unheard of and it's just not appropriate and we need everybody, everybody must condemn it. everybody. i'll keep you informed and if i'm able to speak to donald, i will let you know that as well. >> that was president biden last night. he eventually did speak with former president trump, although neither the white house nor the trump campaign have said anything about what was said in that conversation. i'm joined here on the floor of

the republican national committee in milwaukee by the current chair and host of the committee reince priebus and donna brazil and rachel bade. you just spoke with former president trump, reince. what did he have to say? >> well, i mean, he was grateful. i think that he was grateful for the miracle of what happened, at least in his case, but he was also sad. >> you mean the miracle that -- >> one quarter inch turned the other direction and we are, obviously, talking about something very different this morning. >> that is the way he saw it? >> totally. and he also expressed -- he was sad about, obviously, the person who had died, who he said he was just sitting there and now he is gone. and, you know, i just think that all of those emotions, all coming together at once.

he talked about he felt a knife went through his ear and then realized very quickly what was happening. >> did he say how he is now? >> i would say he is unwavering. >> but his condition. >> oh, strong. very strong this morning. i mean, he sounds like a person who is ready to go, very strong, unwavering. one of the reasons i was talking to him is because i'm the chair of the host committee in milwaukee. i wouldn't, you know -- i would leave things alone, but he wants to move forward. he was very clear to me, at least for the host committee events, that, no. we need to keep moving forward. >> this convention goes forward and not skarcaled back? >> if you were to ask me, i would this convention is going to be epic. we have a president, obviously, through tragedy yesterday and we had a loss of life and hopefully no more. but he is ready to go. and i think the -- you know, the

unwavering attitude that he is bringing now to milwaukee is going to even further energize this crowd. certainly, reflective, you know, in tragedy, god is our refuge and i think most people feel that way today, but we also, as americans, have to come out of this and move forward. there will be time to reflect and time to investigate and there will be time for politics, but, today, wasn't a day for that. that certainly wasn't anything the president was talking about. it was just sort of just grateful, unwavering, move forward. >> we have the two of you here. both former party chairmen and know what it's like to run a convention under extraordinary circumstances. donna, what was your reaction when you first heard of what happened? you saw those shots. you saw the president go down. >> first of all, this is my fifth republican convention. i know that sounds strange as a

democrat but i am always grateful that i am able to participate in these moments, to learn from the party, to learn how they are putting together their operation. i was talking with anne hathaway, your colleague, also mr. watley the chairman of the party. i was meeting the interns, you know? getting in the spirit. so when i heard, it was just somber. somber. i mean, i'm an american. acts of violence is unacceptable. it's unacceptable. and so my first reaction was one of prayer, because i'm a christian. it was one of thinking about the people at the rally. thinking about the former president, thinking about his family, thinking about the secret service men. i've been a part of the american political process for more than half of my life. indeed, most of my life. so it's a sombering moment and it's a moment of reflection.

it's a moment of reflecting on what we say, how we say it and what we do. i'm thinking about the delegates occupying this space the next four days. they are the people i want to say come, enjoy yourself and enjoy the great moment and the great barbecue i had but more importantly celebrate when we do as american citizens. the culture is toxic and more than rhetoric that meets the mind from both sides and cooler minds will prevail. i'm grateful that president biden went out last night and reached out to former president trump and the statements from former presidents clinton and obama and the carter center. >> and george w. bush. >> and george w. bush. it's a moment for our country to take a deep breath about who we are, the reflection and words all over this planet. we are americans. the culture of violence, the

political rhetoric, we have to end it. >> this is to both of you but have you heard anything about that phone call? >> no, i have not. one of the things i was going to say people should know there is a lot of mutual respect among party leaders. there is a lot of things that we have in common, the things that we do, the delegates. the members of our party actual choose our nominee and there is a process and that is this is. you know, it was just said that when people don't care about their own life and they don't care about someone else's life, we got to, you know, we, obviously, got a problem that somehow or another, we have got to address. >> i want to play the reaction that we heard this morning from the speaker of the house from mike johnson talking about the need to turn down the rhetoric. take a listen. this is mike johnson. >> we can

discourse and gebdebates but it shouldn't be personal and not targeting people. president biden said in recent days it's time to put a bull's-eye on trump. i know he didn't mean what is being implied there but that kind of language on either side should be called out and we have to make clear that this is part of our system, we can have vigorous debate but it needs to end there. >> now that was speaker johnson on the "today" show. rachel, you've been monitoring all of the reaction from across the political spectrum, other congressional leaders. what are you hearing? >> yeah. it seems like there is an attempt this morning to very much bring the temperature down. i mean, yesterday, you know, all across twitter and a lot of public comments from republicans, you know, they were accusing democrats of trying to basically demonize donald trump and triggering this violence. you heard things from like tim scott who was, you know, a potential v.p. candidate saying the assassination attempt was

ardent and abated by the rad el left and media and j.d. vance say things that were similar. people like matt saying tried to impeach and imprison him and now they are trying to kill him. i think, clearly, republican leaders are looking at that rhetoric and saying this is not what we want to do. i mean, donald trump had a post on truth social this morning. he didn't have any of that kind of language, right? he talked about unifying and he talked about reaching out to the families and of the victims and showing sympathy. so i think that there is a sense amongst republican leaders that what we heard last night from a lot of very high ranking republicans is probably not the attack they want to take. >> yes. this wasn't like back -- potential trump running mates coming out and somehow saying this is biden's fault. so, i mean, are we -- are we going to hear more of that at this convention?

it's notable we have not heard that from donald trump. >> yeah, obviously, the rnc is going to do -- they make the call on programming. chairman wattly is, obviously, a well experienced chairman. as a former chairman, i don't expect that. i think what you're going to see at this convention ask a unified spirited convention, but with the idea that as americans and something we witnessed yesterday, we need to come together. i certainly think that the rhetoric does need to cool off, but i also believe that the president understands and he is feeling it in his heart that we need leadership and that that is going to be the focus. what does a strong leader do. what does a brave leader do. and taking that spirit and moving forward at this convention. >> you know, what struck me in the reaction and it came from all corners, but to listen to gabby giffords come out who

sustained of course, life-threatening injuries when, you know, she was targeted during one of her campaign events. we saw steve scalise who was gravely wounded when he was shot practicing for a congressional baseball game. and speaker pelosi who, you know, a deranged, crazed person came in to her home and gravely wounded her husband paul. >> but, john, let me say this. i mean, so many of my friends, republican and democrat, they are getting death threats. people -- we get death threats. >> oh, yeah, yeah. >> when i ride the milwaukee -- a man looked at me and said, you know, we are not on the same side but i like you and i looked at him and i said, baby, but we are on the same team. >> yeah. >> the death threats and this political discourse has to

change. it has gotten too volatile in a country that is heavily armed. these conversations need to lead us to a greater more tolerance so teachers can teach and preachers can preach and people can gather in their community without trepidation and this is that moment. i reached out to conceive sk la because he is my brother and mike johnson. we are brothers. we love gumbo and eggs and rice and that is who we are. we are americans. values are freedom of justice and equality. we bring that to our political discourse. that is why i talked to this man about his rules and how he is able to get all of his delegates on the floor because the chairman knows how to do this. we have to lower the rhetoric and lead one another and i'm

glad that the former president is lowering his volume. the current president lowering his volume. >> is he going to last? rachel? is he going to last? >> i've been on that. practically, i wonder what that looks like, right is in the political theme for the democrats right now is that donald trump is a threat to democracy. and if you reelect him, say good-bye to the republic. this is the sort of language that republicans are now saying could incite violence. >> it's policies that we disagree with. >> but i also -- >> no, no no. i think rachel is making a very important point here. >> i understand. >> when you're talking about somebody as a threat to the republic on one hand or on the republican side, all this talk, this is our 1776 moment. >> yes. >> the stuff steve bannon has been saying. the stuff that far beyond bannon but this notion that this is a

revolution, the country cannot survive if biden wins and basically democrats saying the country cannot survive if trump wins. >> or it's not a legitimate lex in bielection if biden wins reflex. >> today is a day of calm and community spirit. we are going to have so much time to dive into this at a later time. i mean, thank god the former president is safe. sad that someone had died. sad that we have this situation in our country. but we have got to just spend the day, pray, and remain calm. >> i agree. >> mary bruce, our chief white house correspondent, is reporting the phone conversation between the former president and the current president was short but respectful. i saw a proposal put forward, something that won't happen, but what was quite interesting from bobby kennedy jr. who is, of course, running as an independent, and knows something

about political violence. bobby kennedy jr. suggested the two of them should stand together and make a statement together before the cameras. that is not going to happen but the kind of thing that probably should happen. >> well, we need leadership. that is the missing ingredient in american politics today. we need leaders who understand that we are americans. those values that we celebrate. why we come together. and i just hope we can do that. >> so it was in milwaukee in 1912 during the heat of the fall campaign when teddy roosevelt was shot giving a speech one block away survived, in part, of the papers of his speech and he continued to finish that speech and that became a rallying cry for teddy roosevelt. that image we saw of the president raising his fist, blood dripping down his face is

a symbol. >> it will be a symbol 300 years from now when we are all gone. it will still be there. >> the fact we can hold rallies in american. the people who gathered to be there is the other symbol. it's the people that matters. not just the politicians. it's the people. they came to that rally and, this morning, i hope their spirit is not shaken. i hope their resolve is not broken. the people -- this is who we are. we are the people. not just the politician. by the way, i love all political leaders even those i disagree with. >> in terms of the mechanics of this convention. >> yeah. >> how does it change? >> i don't think it will change, much, if anything. we got 50,000 people here in milwaukee coming in today. i've heard numbers that they may have gotten over 30,000 members of the president that are here. -- members of the press that are here. it will be an enormous lift. i think the rnc has done an incredible job and the trump campaign has done well here, too.

you can look around and see this magnificent >> what does it mean for the timing of president trump announcing his running mate? >> it's not my call. obviously, we will leave that up to them but they got a few more days to roll that out and maybe they will take their time even more. >> yeah. >> i can also say it's the role of the media that also matters. you guys have big voices. i know i'm just a little small voice in the ocean but i guys have big voices and to make sure that you are playing your role. not in stage and the volatility and putting more of that but the media has a role to play this week as well. >> unfortunately, the division is very profitable in america and we need unity to be profitable. >> on that note, we will be right back. thank you. a quick break. former president trump is safe after shot at a rally. the shooter and one bystander is found dead.

stay with abc news for more. that's all for us today. we will have continuing coverage

on abc news live and tonight at abc on 10:00 p.m. eastern with an abc news special. the latest on the assassination attempt on former president trump. tune in to abc all week for coverage of the republic national convention live from milwaukee. have a good day.

>> robin: good morning, america. the assassination attempt on donald trump. >> you know, that's a little bit old that chart. >> robin: the chaotic scene