California Republicans said they are shocked at the apparent assassination attempt against former president Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania.
Some of the California GOP delegates at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee said they were gathered when the news broke that the former president was shot.
"You know, the president has done so many rallies in this campaign and this is the first time an incident like this has happened," said Jason Clark, the Bay Area regional vice chair for the California Republican Party.
"In person, I’ve talked to some people and they’re angry. They said that they think we live in dangerous times and they’re angry, and they really want to see President Trump go over the finish line," Clark added.
The RNC is set to start Monday, and it remains to be seen how the apparent assassination attempt will impact the convention. Several delegates said they expect to see impassioned speeches by Trump and others that reference this assassination attempt.
John Dennis, chairman of the San Francisco Republican Party, said concerns about political violence have been top of mind for him for decades. Dennis is also in Milwaukee for the RNC.
"I’m shocked like everyone else is," Dennis said. "Something that I’ve been concerned about for the better part of decades probably is how things seem to be escalating in the heated rhetoric and steps towards political violence being acceptable."
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Clark said that when it comes to the RNC, he expects to see heightened security.
"I think some people might be a little more fearful than they were," Clark said, while also noting, "I have complete confidence in the Secret Service and the Milwaukee Police Department. I’m sure we’ll be safe and sound, but I know people will be a little more on edge as a result of this going on."
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Dennis noted that at the convention, security was already elevated.
"The security is heavy, and it's omnipresent, and it's not like anything most people have encountered before, heavy military presence," Dennis said. "I think that’s already in place, and I expect measures to be stepped up a notch from there."
Dennis added he hopes to see bipartisan efforts to denounce political violence.
"It is an important time to maybe bring together politicians from across the aisle, to stand up at a press conference and say 'No more, we have to stop this right now. We are gonna have elections and resolve our differences through voluntary participation, not through violence,'" Dennis said.
Other Republican leaders mentioned they are worried about a culture of heightened political violence in America, something they've noticed locally too.
"As an elected official myself, I’ve personally had my own threats. They are serious, they are taken seriously, but this is something we just have to make sure our law enforcement, our campaigns, our nation, that they’re taking seriously," noted state Assemblymember Joe Patterson, a Republican who represents Placer and El Dorado counties.
Patterson said it's important for politicians to continue reaching out and connecting with their constituencies in person and for voters to not be deterred from participating in political events.
"But we can’t stop delivering our message -- Republican or Democrat -- for what’s better for the nation. The truth is we have to communicate with the people," he said.
Patterson also said he wants to see Americans come together and condemn acts of political violence.
"These kinds of acts are not acceptable," he said. "We can have disagreements. I mean my own family members, my mom, my stepfather, my brothers, we don’t all necessarily agree on politics, but we unify together that these kinds of divisive and disgusting and violent acts should not be tolerated in society, and they’re never acceptable," Patterson said.
The convention is scheduled to run through Thursday. It is where former President Trump is expected to accept the Republican nomination and announce his running mate.
Security will certainly be in focus at the Republican National Convention, which was already planning to have security provided by the Secret Service, the FBI, Milwaukee police, the National Guard and other agencies.
At the rally Saturday, Trump was stumping when he reached for the side of his face as popping sounds rang out over the crowd of supporters. He then crouched down as Secret Service agents rushed the stage and surrounded him. He was quickly escorted into a vehicle, walking off the stage with agents on all sides.
The former president took to social media and said a bullet pierced his upper right ear.
The FBI is leading the investigation into the shooting and shared an update in a news conference from Pennsylvania.
Federal authorities have identified the alleged shooter as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, the FBI Pittsburgh Field Office confirmed to NBC News.
Investigators are still working to identify a possible motive.
