��һ�ǿ�����

New Zealand’s political leaders are condemning political violence as they convey the country’s message to former United States president Donald Trump and the American people following today’s fatal shooting.

Trump, the Republican candidate for the upcoming election, was speaking at a rally in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania when several shots were fired, grazing Trump’s right ear.

The local District Attorney said two people at the rally were dead, including the shooter.

Secret service agents rushed onto the stage to protect Trump, who had blood around his right ear and across his face. He was whisked off stage but not before he raised his fist to the crowd who roared in support.

According to a spokesperson for the former president, Trump was “fine” and being checked at a local medical facility.

In a statement, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said he was “shocked” by what had occurred at today’s rally.

”My thoughts are with the former President, his family, and the victims of this attack,” Luxon posted to social media.

”No country should encounter such political violence.”

Luxon, who would be in the US on holiday for much of this week, had only just concluded his visit to the US where he had attended the Nato summit in Washington DC. He held several meetings with world leaders as well as members of the US Senate and Congress.

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon met with President Joe Biden at the Nato summit last week in Washington DC.

Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters, who is currently travelling to Korea, said he was shocked by today’s violence.

”New Zealand and the United States are two of the longest-running democracies in the world,” he said in a social media post.

”We share a proud tradition of political differences being settled at the ballot box, not by violence. We are shocked by the violence directed at former President Donald Trump’s rally today.

”Our thoughts are with the American people directly affected at this difficult time.”

Given Luxon was overseas on holiday and Peters was travelling to Korea, Act leader David Seymour was the Acting Prime Minister.

In a statement on social media, Seymour said New Zealand’s thoughts were with Trump and “the American people”, as he condemned “political violence in all its forms”.

He acknowledged Trump and the person reported to have died as a result of the shooting while at the rally.

He said the United States and New Zealand were similar in how they were founded on “free debate, peaceful assembly and non-violence that are essential to democracy.

”New Zealand condemns political violence in all its forms, wherever it occurs,” Seymour said.”Nobody should ever be intimidated out of participating in any democracy by violence. We will never let such people win.”

Labour leader Chris Hipkins said political views should be put aside to condemn violence directed at politicians “in the strongest possible terms.

”There is no place for violence in democracy. Regardless of your political views, violent attacks on any political candidate should be condemned in the strongest possible terms,” he said in a statement.

Labour leader and former Prime Minister Chris Hipkins also condemned the violence shown at the rally. Photo / Mark Mitchell

”My thoughts are with the American people, former President Trump, and all those at the rally today.”

In a brief press conference, US President Joe Biden said he had tried to contact Donald Trump, who was “with his doctors”.

“There’s no place in American for this kind of violence - it’s sick,” he said of the shooting.

“The bottom line is a Trump rally should have been able to be conducted peacefully without any problems,” Biden told reporters.

“Everybody must condemn it.”

Asked whether he believed the shooting was an assassination attempt, Biden said he didn’t have enough information to comment on that.

Adam Pearse is a political reporter in the NZ Herald Press Gallery team, based at Parliament. He has worked for ��һ�ǿ����� since 2018, covering sport and health for the Northern Advocate in Whangārei before moving to the NZ Herald in Auckland, covering Covid-19 and crime.