On July 13, 2024, a gunman opened fire at a campaign rally for former U.S. President Donald Trump in an attempted assassination attempt, fatally shooting a bystander and critically injuring two other people. Pennsylvania State Police confirmed the identity of the man killed, Corey Comperatore , the following day.
And according to a report from the New York Post published on July 15, President Joe Biden, but not Trump, attempted to contact Comperatore's widow, Helen Comperatore, to offer his condolences.
Posts on social media sites including Instagram , Facebook and X criticized Trump's supposed lack of contact with the victim's family, pointing out unverified reports that the former president was seen golfing the day after the attempted assassination.
However, according to the Post's reporting, Helen Comperatore declined the call from Biden. "I didn't talk to Biden. I didn't want to talk to him," she said. "My husband was a devout Republican and he would not have wanted me to talk to him."
She added that she felt no ill will towards Biden, and that she did not hold him accountable for the shooting.
The posts criticizing Trump are now outdated, however. According to reporting from The New York Times and NBC News , both published July 16, Trump reached out to the family on July 15 and spoke with Helen Comperatore on July 16.
Sources:
Archive, View Author, et al.
Corey Comperatore's Widow Refused Biden Call after Trump Rally Shooting . 15 July 2024, https://nypost.com/2024/07/15/us-news/corey-comperatores-widow-refused-biden-call-after-trump-rally-shooting/. Editor, Adeola Adeosun Weekend Night. "Trump Hasn't Called Family of Supporter Killed at Rally, Wife Says."
Newsweek , 15 July 2024, https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-joe-biden-corey-helen-comperatore-wife-called-rally-1925577. Mascarenhas, Zoe Sottile, Kit Maher, Lauren. "Man Killed at Trump Rally Identified as Firefighter Corey Comperatore, Who 'Died a Hero' | CNN Politics."
CNN , 14 July 2024, https://www.cnn.com/2024/07/14/politics/corey-comperatore-trump-shooting-victim/index.html. Taft, Isabelle. "Widow of Slain Rally Attendee Says She Received Call From Trump."
The New York Times , 16 July 2024.
NYTimes.com , https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/16/us/widow-call-trump-biden.html. "Trump Assassination Attempt Live Updates: U.S. Learned of Iranian Plot to Kill Trump Weeks before Shooting."
NBC News , 16 July 2024, https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/live-blog/trump-assassination-attempt-live-updates-motive-still-unclear-secret-s-rcna162070. "Widow of Man Killed at Trump Rally in Pennsylvania Says She Declined to Speak with Biden."
MSNBC.Com , 16 July 2024, https://www.msnbc.com/top-stories/latest/corey-comperatore-widow-biden-call-trump-shooting-rcna162127. "Wife Of Man Killed At Trump Rally Has Not Heard From Former President."
HuffPost , 16 July 2024, https://www.huffpost.com/entry/helen-comperatore-corey-comperatore-killed-trump-rally_n_6695f614e4b0463bea24ad58.