Australian PM Calls for Calm and Unity After Trump’s Assassination Attempt

Prime Minister of Australia, Anthony Albanese, during post budget media interviews at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, on May 15, 2024. Tracey Nearmy/Getty Images

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has called for calm and unity following the assassination attempt of former U.S. President Donald Trump.

After the incident unfolded, the prime minister warned Australians to exercise caution when reading unverified reports of the assassination and advised them to seek out credible news sources.

“There’s still much that we don’t know about the incident. There’s nothing to be gained from speculating. We don’t know motives, all of these issues,” he told reporters.

“We all need to be on guard against those seeking to use misinformation to create division.

“And this is a time for unity, it’s a time for calm, it’s a time for allowing the authorities in the United States to do their jobs.”

Former President Trump was injured during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania on July 13 local time when a bullet fired by a suspected assassin pierced his right ear just 10 minutes after the event started.

One rally attendee was killed in the attack, while another two were injured. Both are currently hospitalised and in stable condition.

The attacker was shot dead by the U.S. Secret Service, and the FBI has named Thomas Matthew Crooks, a 20-year-old Pennsylvanian resident, as the suspect involved in the assassination attempt.

U.S. authorities said they believed Mr. Crooks acted alone. The incident is still under investigation; no motive has been identified.

Mr. Albanese and other world leaders have condemned the incident and wished former President Trump well.

Concerns About Political Hyperpolarisation in Australia

Mr. Albanese also expressed concerns about political hyperpolarisation in Australia.

“I’ve been talking for a long period of time about people having conflict fatigue in this country, about being able to have political discourse which is respectful,” he said.

“I’ve expressed my concern that people who just dismiss actions outside electorate offices, these things can escalate, which is why they need to be called out unequivocally and opposed.”

In a recent incident, the office of Jewish Labor MP Josh Burns was lit on fire and vandalised, with its windows smashed and graffiti reading “zionism is fascism” painted on its wall.

The prime minister noted that people could express their views democratically, but some incidents had crossed the line.

When asked about whether security measures to protect Australian politicians would be enhanced after the event in the United States, Mr. Albanese did not give a direct answer.

“The AFP (Australian Federal Police) do their job, and one of the ways that they do their job is not by me speculating out here, but by putting in place appropriate measures.”

Republican candidate Donald Trump is seen with blood on his face surrounded by secret service agents at Butler Farm Show Inc. in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, 2024. Rebecca Droke/AFP via Getty Images

Meanwhile, Treasurer Jim Chalmers said the assassination attempt of former President Trump could flare up extremism in Australian politics.

“I think this is one of the really concerning developments which turbocharges the extremism in our politics, the way that misinformation and disinformation and conspiracy theories can spread so freely and so easily around our communities and around our democracies,” he told ABC News.

He also advised Australians not to share information from unreliable sources with others.

“It’s important that people don’t believe everything that they read on social media,” he said.

“It’s important that people don’t repeat and share information which is from sources which aren’t credible, and unfortunately, we’re seeing more and more of that.”

Responses from the Opposition and Others

Meanwhile, opposition leader Peter Dutton expressed relief when he heard former President Trump was safe and sent his condolences to the victims.

“I send my best wishes to former President Trump after this shocking attempt on his life. It is a relief to see his statement, and I wish him a speedy recovery,” he said on social media.

“My thoughts and prayers are for the spectator killed and others hurt. Violence has no place in society,”

One Nation Party leader Pauline Hanson said she was shocked by the assassination attempt.

“What is the world coming to when political violence is shown toward our adversaries instead of policies and debate,” she said on social media.

“I stand with Trump in his call to fight on. Bullying, thuggery, and attempts to take one’s life only make those who want the best for their country and people stronger.”