Politix

Joe Biden's just broken his silence on the shooting at Donald Trump's rally moments ago ... condemning political violence but stopping short of calling this an assassination attempt.

President Biden just broke his silence following the shooting ... speaking to reporters and saying he's praying for his predecessor, Trump's family and everyone who attended Saturday's rally in Butler.

He slams political violence in his speech ... saying there's no place in our democracy for violence of this nature.

7/14 9:05 AM PT -- Donald Trump released a statement on Truth Social saying ... "I want to thank The United States Secret Service, and all of Law Enforcement, for their rapid response on the shooting that just took place in Butler, Pennsylvania. Most importantly, I want to extend my condolences to the family of the person at the Rally who was killed, and also to the family of another person that was badly injured."

"It is incredible that such an act can take place in our Country. Nothing is known at this time about the shooter, who is now dead. I was shot with a bullet that pierced the upper part of my right ear. I knew immediately that something was wrong in that I heard a whizzing sound, shots, and immediately felt the bullet ripping through the skin. Much bleeding took place, so I realized then what was happening. GOD BLESS AMERICA!"

5:07 PM PT -- The Associated Press reports the shooting is officially being investigated as an assassination attempt on ex-President Trump. The would-be assassin has yet to be identified, but is confirmed to be dead.

Bill Maher is not only positive it's only a matter of time before President Joe Biden withdraws from the 2024 presidential race, he knows the date it's gonna happen, and it's all because of Lindsay Lohan.

The "Real Time" host is confident because, he says, we live in a country where the media, the political parties and the public live to finish people off when they smell blood in the water.

He thinks Biden will throw in the towel on August 9 -- the same date Richard Nixon resigned his presidency.

Diane Warren's heart goes out to President Joe Biden ... saying she feels bad Hollywood's turning on him -- but, that doesn't mean she thinks he's going to take the L in November.

We caught up with the songwriter at her close friend Glen Ballard's Hollywood Walk of Fame Ceremony ... and, since Diane's big into politics, we asked her how she views the recent change in sentiment about Biden among celebs.

DW says she loves Joe, calling him a "kind and good man" ... and, her heart just breaks to see him getting put through the wringer.

Mark Zuckerberg's Meta is rolling back restrictions on Donald Trump's Facebook and Instagram accounts ... making the reversal only days after Trump ripped Mark online.

Meta announced Friday it was lifting all limits on Trump's official FB and IG pages as Trump gets closer to formally becoming the GOP nominee for president at next week's Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.

In a statement, Meta explains ... "In assessing our responsibility to allow political expression, we believe that the American people should be able to hear from the nominees for President on the same basis."

Common has a common view on the 2024 presidential election -- he's not happy with the choices.

We got the rapper in New York City on Thursday and our photog asked about celebs like George Clooney voicing concerns about President Biden's chances of beating Donald Trump.

Common -- who campaigned for fellow Chicagoan Barack Obama back in the day and Biden in 2020 -- admits he's disheartened about the nominees for president but says that's not an excuse to sit out this election cycle.

Abraham Lincoln had sexual relations with other men before he was elected president ... at least according to a new documentary.

Honest Abe's sex life is the subject of the upcoming doc "Lover of Men: The Untold History of Abraham Lincoln" ... namely, his alleged romantic relationships with dudes.

Lincoln's sexual preferences are pieced together via interviews with dozens of scholars, plus never-before-seen letters and photos.

Rep. Jim Clyburn says the conversation about President Biden stepping aside needs to end ... saying Biden's earned the right to run, and Dems need to focus on the issues.

The representative from South Carolina was on "TODAY" Friday morning, and asked about the increasing calls for POTUS to drop out of the race -- and he says it's time to shift the convo to Donald Trump.

Representative Clyburn says Democrats should be reminding the American people about the alternative should Biden lose ... instead of pushing him to quit.

Money, or the lack thereof, might talk loudest when it comes to President Biden's reelection bid -- because most of the Democrats' biggest donors are growing impatient with him ... TMZ has learned.

Amid the calls this week for Biden to step aside, one major donor tells us ... virtually all of the folks who've been pouring millions into the Biden-Harris campaign are "Vehement. What are they waiting for???"

We're told frustration is growing as the donors wonder why it's taking party leadership so long to convince Biden he needs to be replaced on the ticket.

President Joe Biden was defiant during a rare news conference ... fighting back at critics who are calling for him to drop out of the race.

POTUS is trying to show voters he's still got the mental chops to beat Donald Trump and carry out the duties of president for another term ... and while he made a few trademark flubs -- like saying "Vice President Trump" in referring to Kamala Harris -- he was confident in his ability to win another election, and pushed back on narratives about his mental fitness.

Biden called his debate disaster a "stupid mistake" ... saying he was off his game because he traveled all over creation in the weeks before ... including from Italy to L.A. to go to the fundraiser with George Clooney. He said he won't make that mistake again.

Run-DMC legend Darryl McDaniels isn't endorsing President Biden or Donald Trump this November, instead the king from Queens says he just might be the best candidate going forward!!!

TMZ Hip Hop caught up with DMC in NYC, where the 60-year-old hip-hopper told us age isn't a hindrance in the race of life, but in politics ... well, he's still trying to determine how it's impacting POTUS' capability of running the country for another 4 years!!!

We know he's not going for Trump either ... he instructed us to revisit his 2021 patriotic track "America," and joked Tom Morello will be his vice president and Bumpy Knuckles AKA Freddie Foxxx his head of security!!!

President Biden couldn't possibly have a worse start to the NATO event -- he just screwed the pooch while introducing Ukraine's President ... in a moment where his mental acuity is under the microscope.

POTUS was introducing President Zelensky in Washington, D.C. when he flubbed and said, "Ladies and gentlemen, President Putin." Folks in the room had already started applauding, and continued right through the screw-up, which gave Biden time to recover.

President Biden quickly said, "President Putin? He's gonna beat Putin! President Zelensky!"

Sen. Joe Manchin says George Clooney pulling support for President Biden's reelection bid is a huge deal ... and he's strongly suggesting Clooney could trigger a change.

The Senator from West Virginia was on the Hill Thursday, when a photog asked about George's damning Biden op-ed in The New York Times ... something he says is critical, because of the source.

Manchin, a Democrat, called George's letter "very telling" and "very serious."

President Biden's campaign funding might slow to a trickle if he stays in the race ... at least according to a 6-figure donor who says democratic supporters are analyzing poll numbers and reacting.

Whitney Tilson's an author and investment expert who gives at least $100k a year to the Dems, but Thursday on "TMZ Live" he told us more and more donkey party donors are revolting -- over the president staying in the race -- the best way possible ... by closing their checkbooks.

Tilson explains donors aren't panicking because of the polls, but instead, they're making cold, calculated decisions based on concrete data -- numbers that show there's a low probability Biden's gonna win in November.

ABC brass did NOT threaten to take "Good Morning America" anchor George Stephanopoulos off the air if he didn't apologize for taking a dig at President Biden's political future ... TMZ has learned.

Our network sources tell us George's ABC bosses never once threatened he would be stripped of airtime for telling a man on an NYC sidewalk he didn't think Biden could serve another term.

There is a report out claiming ABC threatened to bench the 'GMA' anchor if he didn't apologize for the Biden remark. Our network sources tell us George's conversations with network honchos never reached the point of threats about airtime.

Donald Trump is set to officially receive the Republican nomination next week at the party's National Convention in Milwaukee ... and we now know who will introduce the former President -- longtime friend and UFC CEO Dana White!

The Wall Street Journal broke the news on Thursday, reporting the UFC honcho will make his third consecutive appearance at the RNC, serving as the co-main event for one of the biggest nights in politics.

Of course, Dana and Donald go back years.