Former President Trump on Sunday weighed in on the brutal hammer attack targeting Paul Pelosi, husband of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, at their San Francisco residence early Friday morning.
In a Sunday interview with the conservative Spanish-language network, Americano Media, Trump called the attack a "terrible thing."
"With Paul Pelosi, that’s a terrible thing, and with all of them, that’s a terrible thing," Trump said, before blaming a general rise in crime.
"Look at what happened to San Francisco generally. Look at what’s happening in Chicago. It was far worse than Afghanistan," he said.
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The former president said police officers must be given back their dignity and respect in order to solve the problem.
"But today if a police officer says something that’s slightly out of line it’s like the end of his life, the end of his pension, the end of his family," Trump said. "We can’t do that. We have to give the police back their authority and their power and their respect. Because this country is out of control."
Paul Pelosi, 82, remains hospitalized in San Francisco after undergoing surgery for a fractured skull and other injuries. Authorities say the suspected attacker – 42-year-old David DePape – was targeting the House Speaker when he broke into the couple’s San Francisco home and shouted, "Where is Nancy?" before striking Paul Pelosi with a hammer.
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Speaker Pelosi, who was in Washington, D.C., at the time, returned swiftly to California. Unlike presidents, congressional leaders have security protection for themselves, but not their families.
Police were dispatched to the home in the upscale Pacific Heights neighborhood around 2:20 a.m. Friday after Paul Pelosi placed a 911 call. San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins said DePape broke into the rear door and made his way upstairs to confront Paul Pelosi. Police said they arrived to see the two men struggling over a hammer when DePape struck Pelosi at least once before being tackled by officers.
DePape was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder, elder abuse, and other charges. Jenkins is expected to formally announce charges against DePape on Monday.
The incident sparked fresh security concerns for lawmakers and other elected officials before the midterms. With nearly 10,000 threats against members of Congress in the last year, U.S. Capitol Police have advised lawmakers to take precautions.
Chief Tom Manger, who leads the U.S. Capitol Police, has said the threat from lone-wolf attackers has been growing and the most significant threat the force is facing is the historically high number of threats against lawmakers, thousands more than just a few years before.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
