Steve Kerr Reacts to Trump Assassination Attempt: A Demoralizing Day for America

Steve Kerr, USA Olympic men's basketball coach, condemned the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, focusing on America's dangerous gun culture. Kerr, whose father was killed in 1984 by Islamic Jihad, said the incident underscored the nation's political division. His words echoed those of point guard Stephen Curry, another Trump critic.

USA Olympic men's basketball coach Steve Kerr, who lost his father to gun violence 40 years ago, described the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump as a demoralizing day for America, bringing to light the nation's dangerous gun culture. Kerr, an outspoken critic of Trump and advocate for gun control, recalled the 1984 shooting of his father, Malcolm Kerr, by Islamic Jihad while he was president of the American University of Beirut.

"Just a terrible, sad spectacle. Two people dying, it's such a demoralizing day for our country," Kerr stated during a U.S. team practice session in Abu Dhabi on Sunday. "It's yet another example of not only our political division but also our gun culture, a 20-year-old with an AR15 trying to shoot the former president. It's hard to process everything and it's scary to think about where this goes."

Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, was shot and killed by the Secret Service moments after he fired shots at the stage where Trump was speaking in Pennsylvania on Saturday. One rally attendee was killed and two other spectators were wounded. Kerr noted that the incident reinforced the team's dedication to representing the nation well at the Paris Olympics. "It makes you want to do that even more, because this is really shameful," he added.

USA point guard Stephen Curry, also a prominent Trump critic, stated that the attack invoked strong emotions around the need for gun control. Following the Golden State Warriors' 2017 NBA championship win, Curry refused to visit the White House. "(It) invokes a lot of emotions around things that we need to correct as a people, obviously gun control first and foremost," Curry said of the attack on Trump. "This adds another blemish to what's going on; sadness is the word."

The American team aims to defend their title and is heavily favored to win gold in Paris.

(With inputs from agencies.)