Trump blames Biden and Harris' rhetoric toward him despite his own history of going after rivals

NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump claimed without evidence Monday that President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris' comments that he is a threat to democracy had inspired the latest apparent attempt on his life, despite his own long history of inflammatory campaign rhetoric and advocacy for jailing or prosecuting his political enemies.

With the election now just 50 days away and early ballots already being mailed out in some places, this year’s presidential campaign was among the most turbulent in American history even before Sunday’s apparent assassination attempt. Trump was safe after the incident in Florida and praised the Secret Service for protecting him but didn't shy away from blaming his opponents.

“Their rhetoric is causing me to be shot at, when I am the one who is going to save the country and they are the ones that are destroying the country — both from the inside and out,” Trump said in comments to Fox News Digital.

The Republican former president's statements are a sharp departure from how he reacted after an assassination attempt in July during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, in which a bullet grazed his ear.

Then, Trump called for national unity, saying in a social media post that “it is more important than ever that we stand United.” A few days later, though, the former president returned to sharply criticizing Democrats and relishing the political bombast.

While authorities continue to investigate the motives of both the gunman in Pennsylvania and the person arrested Sunday in Florida, Trump has made clear that he sees attempts on his life as politically motivated — and blames his rivals for them.

That's despite Trump himself drawing repeated criticism for his rhetoric. He has talked about prosecuting his political rivals and alleged without evidence that Democrats have brought the felony cases against him for political reasons.

His comments blaming Democrats' rhetoric were echoed Monday by his running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, and conservative activist Ralph Reed at the Georgia Faith & Freedom Victory Dinner, where Vance argued that Democrats cannot call Trump a “threat to democracy” and “a fascist” and expect that violence would not follow. Trump has also used those phrases to assail Democrats.

In a post on his social media site on Monday, Trump again claimed that he had been the target of politically motivated attacks, writing that the left “has taken politics in our Country to a whole new level of Hatred, Abuse, and Distrust.” He said “it will only get worse” and then veered into comments about immigration, even though there is no evidence the person arrested in connection with the apparent assassination attempt was an immigrant.

That follows the former president during last week's debate and in the days after it amplifying false rumors that Haitian immigrants in Ohio are abducting and eating pets. The community days later evacuated schools and government buildings amid bomb threats, adding to the sense of an especially unstable and tense moment in America even before Sunday’s stunning development.

Biden, by contrast, sought to steer clear of politics. He decried the apparent assassination attempt and said Monday that America must work to stop the scourge of political violence.

“America has suffered too many times the tragedy of an assassin’s bullet,” Biden said at the start of an address to the National HBCU Week Conference in Philadelphia. “It solves nothing. It just tears the country apart. We must do everything we can to prevent it and never give it any oxygen.”

Biden in his speech added that Ronald Rowe, the acting director of the Secret Service, was in Florida “assessing what happened and determining whether any further adjustments need to be made to ensure” Trump’s safety. The president later spoke with Trump on the phone and conveyed his relief that the former president was safe, according to the White House, which described it as a cordial conversation.

Trump, in an evening appearance on X, said Biden "couldn't have been nicer" during a Monday conversation his campaign described as being about Secret Service protection.

After Trump's shooting in Pennsylvania, Biden initially called on the nation to lower the political temperature, though he, too, eventually pivoted back to criticizing Trump as a threat to the nation's founding principles.

Rice University historian Douglas Brinkley said Sunday's “deeply troublesome” event coming on top of an already dramatic year with an election looming has created “a kind of uncertainty across the land.”

Brinkley said: “2024 has just unspooled in a chaotic and frightful fashion. It’s impossible for anybody to get footing in their daily lives with a news cycle that is so constantly grim and absurd.”

Trump had already been scheduled to spend Monday at his Mar-a-Lago home in Florida, according to a person familiar with his schedule. He was expected return to the campaign trail on Tuesday for a town hall in Flint, Michigan, and has appearances later in the week in New York, Washington and North Carolina.

Harris, meanwhile, met with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters at the 1.3 million-member group’s headquarters in Washington. She's looking to lock up yet another labor union’s endorsement, but it wasn't immediately forthcoming.

The vice president was scheduled Tuesday to campaign in swing-state Pennsylvania and planned later in the week to speak in Washington, Michigan and Wisconsin.

Their returns to the campaign trail are likely to be overshadowed by questions about the armed man engaged by Secret Service agents at the former president’s Florida golf course. The FBI was leading the investigation and working to determine any motive.

Beyond the first attempt on Trump’s life when he was grazed by a bullet at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania, the campaign was whipsawed over the past six months by Trump’s historic criminal trial and conviction; the crisis and eventual end of Biden’s reelection campaign after his floundering debate performance; and Harris taking his place, fundamentally shifting the race.

In August, Trump’s campaign disclosed it had been hacked and said Iranian actors had stolen and distributed sensitive internal documents. The Justice Department is preparing criminal charges in connection with the hack.

Republican strategist David Urban, a Trump ally, said it was too soon to know how Sunday's close call might affect the days and weeks ahead in the campaign, but in his conversations with those in Trump’s orbit, he was picking up a deep sense of shock and uncertainty.

“We’ve said unprecedented so many times this year," Urban said. “I don’t know if we can even say the word anymore.”

Weissert reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Ayanna Alexander in Philadelphia, Darlene Superville and Aamer Madhani in Washington, Steve Peoples in New York, Bill Barrow in Atlanta, and Adriana Gomez Licon in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., contributed to this report.

Republican vice presidential nominee Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, speaks during the Georgia Faith and Freedom Coalition's dinner at the Cobb Galleria Centre, Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

Ronald Rowe Jr., the acting director of the Secret Service, speaks during a news conference by law enforcement officials, Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, at the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office in West Palm Beach, Fla., to provide an update on the investigation into the apparent assassination attempt of Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

Police patrol on a bridge beside the Mar-a-Lago estate of Republican presidential nominee and former President Donald Trump, as a supporter flies flags to express support for Trump one day after an apparent assassination attempt, in Palm Beach, Fla., Monday, Sept. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

A newspaper is displayed in a vehicle outside of the Mar-a-Lago estate after the apparent assassination attempt of Republican presidential nominee and former President Donald Trump Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Police officers direct traffic near Trump International Golf Club after the apparent assassination attempt of Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump in West Palm Beach, Fla., Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Terry Renna)

FILE - The motorcade for President Donald Trump arrives at Trump International Golf Club, Feb. 15, 2020, in West Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)

Photos that show an AK-47 rifle, a backpack and a Go-Pro camera on a fence outside Trump International Golf Club taken after an apparent assassination attempt of Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump, are displayed during a news conference at the Palm Beach County Main Library, Sunday. Sept. 15, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Stephany Matat)

NEW YORK (AP) — Sean “Diddy” Combs is in custody after being arrested and indicted by federal authorities in New York. He is accused of operating an empire of sexual crimes dating back to at least 2008.

The major move comes 10 months after sustained public allegations of sexual and other abuse against the music mogul. His attorney says he is innocent and he has pleaded not guilty.

Here is a look at the key events that have unfolded since late last year.

Cassie says in a lawsuit that Combs subjected her to years of abuse, including beatings and rape. The R&B singer whose legal name is Casandra Ventura, signed to Combs' label in 2005, and the two were on-again-off-again romantic partners for more than a decade starting in 2007. The lawsuit filed in federal court says Combs was “prone to uncontrollable rage” and subjected her to “savage” beatings. It says he plied her with drugs, forced her to have sex with other men, and raped her in her home as she was trying to end the relationship in 2018. Combs, through his attorney, “vehemently denies” the accusations.

With staggering speed, Ventura's lawsuit is settled the day after it is filed. The terms of the agreement are kept confidential. “We have decided to resolve this matter amicably," Combs says in a statement. "I wish Cassie and her family all the best. Love.”

Combs makes multiple calls that he recorded to another victim of his sexual abuse, according to a later court filing from prosecutors, asking for her support and “friendship” and attempting to convince her that “she had willingly engaged in acts constituting sexual abuse.”

Prosecutors say the calls came at the beginning of months of attempts to coerce and bribe potential witnesses against him as allegations emerged.

Two more women accuse Combs of sexual abuse in lawsuits filed on the eve of the expiration of the Adult Survivors Act, a New York law permitting victims of sexual abuse a one-year window to file civil action regardless of the statute of limitations. The lawsuits, filed by Joi Dickerson and another woman who was not named, allege acts of sexual assault, beatings and forced drugging in the early 1990s by Combs, then a talent director, party promoter and rising figure in New York City’s hip-hop community. Combs' attorneys call the allegations false.

Combs temporarily steps down as chairman of his cable television network, Revolt, because of the wave of sexual abuse allegations. It would be one of several business setbacks for Combs brought on by the lawsuits.

A woman alleges in another lawsuit that in 2003 when she was 17, Combs and two other men raped her. The lawsuit filed in federal court in Manhattan says she was living in a Detroit suburb and was flown to a New York studio, where she was given drugs and alcohol that made her incapable of consenting to sex, and the men took turns raping her.

The same day, Combs posts a statement on Instagram broadly denying all the allegations in the mounting series of lawsuits. “I did not do any of the awful things being alleged,” the post says. "I will fight for my name, my family and for the truth.”

A music producer files a lawsuit alleging Combs sexually assaulted him and forced him to have sex with prostitutes. The lawsuit gives a long list of potentially illegal activities dealing with drugs and sex that the producer says he witnessed. A lawyer for Combs calls the allegations “pure fiction.”

Homeland Security Investigations serves search warrants in early morning raids on Combs’ homes in Los Angeles and Miami in what officials tell The Associated Press is a sex-trafficking investigation. Combs was at one of his homes in Miami at the time. His two sons, at his home in Los Angeles, were handcuffed during the search, Combs' attorneys said.

Combs’ lawyer calls the raids “a gross use of military-level force” and says Combs is “innocent and will continue to fight” to clear his name. The attorney, Aaron Dyer, says there is "no excuse for the excessive show of force and hostility exhibited by authorities or the way his children and employees were treated.”

A lawsuit that names Combs as a co-defendant alleges that his son Christian “King” Combs sexually assaulted a woman working on a yacht chartered by his father. The lawsuit filed in Los Angeles Superior Court says Sean Combs created the circumstances that led to the assault and paid to cover it up afterward. An attorney for the two men calls the allegations “outrageous.”

In the first major piece of legal pushback from Combs and his team, they file a motion to dismiss several elements of Dickerson's lawsuit because they were not illegal in 1991 when the alleged incidents occurred. While the legal objections are procedural, the filing also slams the “numerous false, offensive, and salacious accusations” in the lawsuit.

Combs asks a federal judge to dismiss the Dec. 6 lawsuit that alleged he and two co-defendants raped a 17-year-old girl from Michigan in a New York recording studio. Again, the objections are procedural — alleging the lawsuit was filed too late under the law — but the court document calls its claims “false and hideous.”

CNN airs video that shows Combs attacking Ventura in a hotel hallway in 2016. The video closely mirrors an assault described in her lawsuit, which said Combs had already punched her that night, and she was trying to leave the InterContinental Hotel in Los Angeles when he woke and came after her. In the footage, a man who appears to be Diddy, wearing only a towel, punches Ventura, kicks her, and throws her on to the floor. The lawsuit alleges Combs paid $50,000 to take away the video at the time.

The Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office says it cannot prosecute Combs for the attack shown in the video due to statute of limitations, noting that no case had been presented to prosecutors. But the beating would be cited by federal prosecutors in Combs' indictment as part of conspiracy allegations, and used as a key example of his tactics.

Combs posts a video on Instagram and Facebook apologizing for the assault on Ventura. It's his first real acknowledgement of wrongdoing since the recent stream of allegations began.

“My behavior on that video is inexcusable," Combs says. “I take full responsibility for my actions in that video. I was disgusted then when I did it. I’m disgusted now. I went and I sought out professional help. I got into going to therapy, going to rehab. I had to ask God for his mercy and grace. I’m so sorry.”

At the request of New York Mayor Eric Adams, Combs returns a key to the city. Adams sent letters to Combs rescinding the honor as part of the fallout of the leak of the video of Combs beating Cassie. Adams says he was “deeply disturbed” by the video. Adams awarded Combs with the key at a ceremony in 2023.

A day earlier, Howard University announced it had rescinded an honorary degree given to Combs and disbanded a scholarship program in his name.

As part of a multi-faceted pushback against the lawsuits filed against him, Combs asks a federal judge to throw out the February lawsuit from the music producer. His lawyers say the suit was overrun with “tall tales,” “lurid theatrics,” “legally meaningless allegations” and “blatant falsehoods” whose intent is only to “generate media hype and exploit it to extract a settlement."

Combs travels to New York and checks into a Manhattan hotel in anticipation of an indictment and turning himself in, according to a motion later filed by his attorneys.

Diddy is sued by singer Dawn Richard in a case describing years of psychological and physical abuse, including groping, that she says she suffered as he helped launch her career. Richard, a member of the girl group Danity Kane and is well-known for appearing on the MTV reality show “Making the Band,” alleges in the suit that she witnessed Combs abuse Cassie and was afraid of the mogul.

Diddy's representatives accuse Richard of making “an attempt to rewrite history” by manufacturing “a series of false claims all in the hopes of trying to get a pay day — conveniently timed to coincide with her album release and press tour.”

Combs is arrested on a Monday night at his Manhattan hotel after a grand jury indictment. Combs' attorney calls it was an unjust prosecution of an “imperfect person” who is “not a criminal." The attorney says Combs planned to make arrangements to turn himself in, but he was arrested first.

The indictment against Combs is unsealed. It describes him as the head of a criminal enterprise that engaged or attempted to engage in sex trafficking, forced labor, interstate transportation for purposes of prostitution, drug offenses, kidnapping, arson, bribery and obstruction of justice.

It says he “engaged in a persistent and pervasive pattern of abuse toward women and other individuals,” including physical violence, in order “to fulfill his sexual desires, protect his reputation, and conceal his conduct."

Combs appears in a federal court in New York, where he pleads not guilty. A judge orders that he be held without bail as he awaits trial.

The Associated Press doesn't typically name people who say they have been sexually abused unless they come forward publicly, as those named here have.

This story was first published on May 18, 2024 and was updated on Sept. 18, 2024, to correct the spelling of the first name of Casandra Ventura.

FILE - Sean "Diddy" Combs arrives at the LA Premiere of "The Four: Battle For Stardom" at the CBS Radford Studio Center on May 30, 2018, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Willy Sanjuan/Invision/AP, File)

FILE - Host Sean "Diddy" Combs presents the revolt black excellence award at the Billboard Music Awards, May 15, 2022, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File)

FILE - Music mogul and entrepreneur Sean "Diddy" Combs arrives at the Billboard Music Awards, May 15, 2022, in Las Vegas. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File)