The captain of the Washington Capitals, forward Alex Ovechkin, became one of the latest athletes to share a message following the shots fired at a rally for former president Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13.
The FBI confirmed later it was an “assassination attempt” against Trump and identified the shooter as Thomas Matthew Crooks.
Ovechkin conceded an interview with a content creator from his native country of Russia on July 23, via HockeyNews.se, and he was thankful for Trump’s survival.
Ovetjkin om mordförsöket på Trump: ”Tack gode gud”https://t.co/u0birAgkoP#NHL #ALLCaps #Twittpuck
— HockeyNews.se (@HockeynewsSe) July 23, 2024
“I don’t understand how you can want to kill a person, even if you hate him,” Ovechkin told interviewer Amiran Sardanov. “Thank God he survived.”
Ovechkin added more context to his comments and political views and affiliations, saying he “doesn’t know a single Democrat,” and adding that “all my friends and those I talk to are Republicans.” The Capitals forward, however, made clear that he’s not quite interested in American politics.
“I am not a supporter of these political debates and conversations,” Ovechkin said. “What’s the point? To impose your opinion on someone, why?”
Athletes React to Donald Trump Assassination Attempt
Many sports figures–including journalists–from all disciplines shared messages on social networks during the aftermath of the Trump assassination attempt.
NFL Network host Rich Eisen shared a message that Kansas City Chiefs two-time NFL MVP Patrick Mahomes re-shared with his followers shortly after.
Thank you to the heroes of the Secret Service who threw themselves into what appeared to be a hail of bullets. Find whoever did this and prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law. None of this is OK. Praying for everyone there in Butler PA.
— Rich Eisen (@richeisen) July 13, 2024
“Thank you to the heroes of the Secret Service who threw themselves into what appeared to be a hail of bullets,” Eisen wrote. “Find whoever did this and prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law. None of this is OK. Praying for everyone there in Butler PA.”
The shooting took place in parallel to a UFC Fight Night event scheduled at Ball Arena in Denver. Evan Elder submitted Darrius Flowers on Saturday, July 13, and gave Trump a viral shoutout.
