President Biden on Sunday night made a primetime appeal for de-escalating tensions in US politics after a gunman shot former President Trump at a rally the previous day.
“The political rhetoric in this country has become so heated. It’s time to calm down,” Biden said in a speech from the Oval Office. “This puts a heavy burden on all of us that we must never descend into violence, no matter how strongly we believe.”
The president’s seven-minute message of unity came after a 20-year-old gunman fired shots at a Trump rally in Pennsylvania, with the former president reporting a bullet grazed his ear. The gunman, identified by the FBI as Thomas Matthew Crooks of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, targeted the rally from a nearby rooftop.
“In America, unity is the hardest goal to achieve right now, but we must remember that nothing is more important to us right now than unity. We can do it,” Biden said.
“We must never lose sight of who we are,” he added.
Biden and Trump spoke on Saturday night and had a “good” conversation, Biden said early Sunday. After his remarks, Trump posted to his Truth social account, “Let’s unite America!”
“In these violent times, there is absolutely no room for violence of any kind in America. There are no exceptions. We cannot allow this violence to become normalized,” Biden said in a prime-time address.
He pointed to recent instances of political violence, including the January 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol, the attack on the husband of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and the plot to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer (D-Michigan).
The president acknowledged that he expects opponents at this week’s Republican National Convention to criticize his record and offer a competing vision for America, and said he would be traveling to promote his vision, including a visit to Las Vegas this week.
But he called on Americans to take action at the ballot box, not with violence.
“In America, we settle our differences at the ballot box. That’s how we do it — with the ballot box, not with bullets,” he said. “The power of change in America should always be in the hands of the people, not in the hands of wannabe assassins.”
“Tonight I ask all Americans to recommit themselves to making America what it is. Reflect: What is it that makes America so special? Here in America, everyone must be treated with dignity and respect, and hate must have no safe haven,” he added.
Biden began his remarks by saying the ongoing investigation has yet to reveal the shooter’s motive or ties, and he urged Americans early Sunday not to jump to conclusions about a suspect.
“Tonight I want to talk about what we know: a former president shot and murdered by Americans simply for exercising their freedom to support the candidate of their choice,” he said.
Biden condemned the assassination attempt early Sunday and said he had launched an independent investigation into the security situation at the rally. He also offered condolences to the victims.IdentifiedCorey Comperatore, a 50-year-old former firefighter, was protecting his family during the shootout.
The Biden campaign suspended communications on Saturday after the shooting but plans to resume them Monday night, a campaign official told The Hill. The president is scheduled to do an interview with NBC’s Lester Holt on Monday.
