Condemnations from leaders in the tech and business sectors surged after an assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump during a rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday.
The leaders conveyed a unified message: Political violence is a threat to democracy in the U.S.
Trump is safe after the shooting, which resulted in the death of one spectator and critically injured two others at the rally. The alleged shooter, identified as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, is also deceased, according to the Secret Service. Despite the incident, Trump is still slated to speak at the Republican National Convention this week in Milwaukee.
In the wake of the attack, executives from some of the world’s largest and most influential companies, including Apple, Microsoft, and Meta, condemned the violence.
“Praying for a quick recovery for President Trump,” Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg wrote on Saturday night. “This is such a sad day for our country. Political violence undermines democracy and must always be condemned.”
Apple CEO Tim Cook strongly condemned the violence as well. Satya Nadella, the CEO of Microsoft, shared similar sentiments: “There is simply no place for any type of violence in our society. Sending my best wishes to President Trump for a speedy recovery and to all those impacted by today’s horrific event,” he wrote on X.
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Tesla CEO Elon Musk also expressed their condemnations of the assassination attempt. Musk, after the attack, stated: “I fully endorse President Trump and hope for his rapid recovery.”