West Michigan reacts to Trump’s assassination attempt

OLIVE TOWNSHIP, Michigan (WOOD) — Nearly 500 miles away in Pennsylvania on Saturday, former President Donald Trump Was shot while giving a speech to his supporters.

The day of celebration was felt throughout the country, including in Grand Rapids, whether at Gerald R. Ford’s wreath-laying ceremony or outside on the lakeshore, where Ottawa County Democrats met for lunch.

“We should have the opportunity to hear each other’s points of view and then make our own decision at the ballot box. We should not allow decisions to be made by people who are willing to do harm,” said Margo Walters, who lives in Holland.

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Lawmakers insisted that the violent rhetoric and actions were unacceptable.

“This is a traumatic event. Our thoughts and prayers are with the former president, the victims and all who witnessed this horrific violence,” said Democratic U.S. Representative Hillary Scholten of Grand Rapids.

“What worries me is the division in this country. That we are being played off against each other. Our strength lies in the motto ‘United we are strong, divided we are weak,'” said Democratic U.S. Representative Debbie Dingell of Ann Arbor.

Others seemed to believe it was only a matter of time.

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“I was kind of shocked, but not really because he was inciting violence. This time it was directed against him,” said Michael Youngstrom.

On both sides of the political spectrum, calls for unity are growing louder.

“My good friends are people I work with across party lines. We have different life experiences, we bring different perspectives, but we love this country and we need to make sure we don’t destroy it,” Dingell said.

Many agree that yesterday’s events will have a major impact on the upcoming election.

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