President Biden on Tuesday called on Americans to reject all forms of political violence following the assassination attempt on former President Trump.
Speaking at the 115th NAACP National Convention in Las Vegas, Biden said he was “grateful” that Trump was not seriously injured and that he continued to pray for Trump and his family.
But all political violence must be condemned, not just some, he added.
“If we say we oppose violence, we must oppose all violence,” Biden said. “We must oppose the violence against George Floyd in Minnesota, the violence against Black veterans like Officer Eugene Goodman on January 6th, the violence against Black election workers like Ruby Freeman. We must oppose the violence and intimidation by white supremacists who took innocent lives at a grocery store in Buffalo, New York.”
Biden added that condemning political violence also includes speaking out against mass shootings such as the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre, the Uvalde Elementary School massacre and mass concert shootings like the 2017 Las Vegas massacre.
“If you’re going to be outspoken on one thing, you can’t be silent on another,” Biden said.
Trump was wounded by a gunman at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday evening. Authorities later said the shooting was an assassination attempt. Trump was not killed, but one rally attendee was killed and two others seriously injured. The gunman also died.
In his speech on Tuesday, Biden also called for gun control reform, noting that the gun used in the attempted attack was an AR-type weapon.
“If you want to oppose violence in America, join me in getting weapons of war off American streets,” Biden said.
