Montana officials respond to attempted Trump assassination

Montana’s senior U.S. Sen. Jon Tester, a Democrat, in a Saturday evening press release said “I am appalled by the violence at the political rally in support of former President Trump. There is absolutely no place for political violence in America and anyone found responsible for this needs to (be) prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. I will continue to monitor the situation and am praying for President Trump’s safety, as well as all of those who peacefully attended this event.”

Tester’s statement was issued before the FBI identified a 20-year-old who was killed at the scene as the suspected shooter.

Montana’s Republican junior Sen. Steve Daines on Sunday morning said in a press release “Cindy and I join with millions of Americans in relief that President Trump is still alive after an assassin attempted to take his life. We also mourn with the families of the fallen at yesterday’s rally. No one, from our political candidates to innocent Americans should feel unsafe at our political rallies.”

One person was killed at the rally to support Trump in Pennsylvania on Saturday evening, and two others were seriously injured.

Republican U.S. Rep. Matt Rosendale, who represents Montana’s eastern congressional district, posted several times on the platform X, formerly Twitter, on Saturday and Sunday.

“There is no place in a civil society for violence in politics. This is a very sad day for our country,” Rosendale said.

Later he wrote: “Thankful for President Trump’s safety and the law enforcement who acted swiftly to protect him. Jean and I will continue to pray for those who lost loved ones during this heinous and unprecedented attack. God bless President Trump, and may God bless America.”

Republican U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke, who represents Montana’s western congressional district, wrote on X to “Pray for the president and our country” and also posted “While a lot of information is still unknown and reports are conflicting, if it is true that there was a gunman on a nearby roof there was an absolute failure of security today. I have secured perimeters in combat zones as a (former Navy) SEAL and have been inside the perimeter as a protectee for presidential events. I cannot think of a single time where a point of elevation so close in range would have been accessible and not already occupied by security forces. There will be a thorough investigation. The American people and our leadership deserve better.”

Zinke’s campaign said he condemns violence and vitriol.

Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte said in a post on X that “Susan and I are praying for President Trump, his family, and our nation. We’re also keeping close to our hearts the other victims of this heinous attack. We’re grateful to U.S. Secret Service and law enforcement for their swift response.”

Candidates for top offices in Montana were also quick to condemn the violence.

Republican Tim Sheehy, who is running against Tester for the Senate seat and secured Trump’s endorsement earlier this year, said on X, “Please join Carmen and me in praying for President Trump and everyone attending his rally” and later posted “President Trump is STRONG. He’s an American warrior fighting to save America. God bless President Trump!”

Democrat Monica Tranel, who is running in the western congressional district against Zinke, wrote on X that “The American government is one where all agree on the rules, and violence has no place in our democracy. We make our voices heard at the ballot box. Freedom to assemble and freedom from fear are foundational to making our voices heard.”

In the eastern congressional district, Democratic candidate John Driscoll issued a statement saying “I’m impressed by the speed and quality of Secret Service response, given that so many are being deployed to protect threatened officials and personalities. I’m glad former President Trump is still alive to make his best effort to counter our American Revolution. No assassin‘s actions should replace the votes of well-informed thoughtful citizens.”

Democrat Ryan Busse, who is running against Gianforte in the governor race, wrote on X that “I’m saddened by this shooting and any injury or loss of life. I’m grateful President Trump is safe and I wish him a speedy recovery. And I’m grateful for the quick work of the Secret Service and law enforcement.”

In 2018, Trump held four massive rallies in Montana in support of Rosendale as he ran against Tester in that cycle’s Senate race. The events drew thousands to venues like the fairgrounds in Great Falls, hangars at the airports in Belgrade and Missoula and the arena at MetraPark in Billings. Attendees at the events were screened by security, and Trump, who was president at the time, was escorted in and out of the events by Secret Service and other law enforcement or made a short walk from his plane to a nearby stage.

State and local agencies were involved in security. For example, the Montana Highway Patrol provided 41 troopers for the Great Falls rally, the Associated Press reported at the time. 

In Billings, the Yellowstone County Sheriff’s Office reported 411 hours of work for the September 2018 event, in addition to 851 hours of overtime for “protection, traffic management, crowd control, protester management, and technical and logical support,” The Billings Gazette reported. Law enforcement shut down two blocks of downtown for about 20 hours to accommodate Trump’s overnight stay.

Police Chief Rich St. John described planning for the 2018 event like this: “The Secret Service makes a security assessment and then make their requests based on that. Those requests are the cat’s meow perfect way to do it. Then we say, ‘This is what we have available,’ and we come up with a plan to do that.”