USA Olympic men’s basketball coach Steve Kerr expressed deep concern following the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, emphasizing the incident as a stark reminder of America’s pervasive gun culture. Kerr, who has been a vocal critic of Trump and an advocate for gun control, drew from his personal tragedy; his father, Malcolm Kerr, was assassinated in 1984 by the militant group Islamic Jihad while serving as the president of the American University of Beirut.
At a U.S. team practice in Abu Dhabi, Kerr reflected on the incident, describing it as a “terrible sad spectacle” and a demoralizing event for the country. “Two people dying, it’s such a demoralizing day for our country,” he said. “It’s hard to process everything and it’s scary to think about where this goes,” he added.
The assassination attempt occurred in Pennsylvania during a rally where 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks fired shots at Trump that only glazed the politician, but were fatal for one and two more were injured.
Stephen Curry, the USA point guard and another outspoken critic of Trump, shared similar sentiments. “It invokes a lot of emotions around things that we need to correct as a people, obviously gun control first and foremost,” Curry stated.