President Biden on Sunday night made a prime-time call to lower the temperature in American politics after a gunman shot former President Trump at a rally the day before.
“The political rhetoric in this country has become very heated. It’s time to calm things down,” Biden said in Oval Office remarks. “This places an additional burden on all of us, for no matter how strong our convictions are, we must never fall into violence.”
The president’s 7-minute message of unity came after a 20-year-old gunman fired shots at a Trump campaign rally in Pennsylvania, with former President Trump reporting that a bullet grazed his ear. The shooter, identified by the FBI as Thomas Matthew Crooks of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, targeted the demonstration from a nearby rooftop.
“Let us remember here in America that although unity is the most difficult goal at this time, nothing is more important to us now than standing together. We can do this,” Biden said.
“Let us never lose sight of who we are,” he added.
Biden and Trump spoke Saturday night and had a “good” conversation, Biden said early Sunday. Following these comments, Trump posted “UNITE AMERICA!” to your Truth Social account.
“There is no place in America for this time of violence, for any violence, ever. Period, no exceptions. We cannot allow this violence to be normalized,” Biden said in prime-time remarks.
He mentioned recent instances of political violence, including the January 6, 2021, riots at the U.S. Capitol, the attack on former Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-Calif.) husband, and a plot to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer ( D).
The president acknowledged that at this week’s Republican National Convention he expects the other side of the aisle to criticize his record and present their competing vision for America. He said he will also travel to advocate for his own vision, including on a trip to Las Vegas this week.
But he urged Americans to act at the polls and not with violence.
“In America, we resolve our differences at the ballot box. This is how we do it, at the polls, not with bullets,” he said. “The power for change in America must always be in the hands of the people, not in the hands of a would-be murderer.”
“Tonight, I ask all Americans to recommit to making America… what it is. Think about it: what made America so special? Here in America, everyone should be treated with dignity and respect and hate should have no safe haven,” she added.
Biden began his comments by saying that ongoing investigations have not yet revealed the shooter’s motive or affiliations. Earlier Sunday, he urged Americans not to jump to conclusions about the suspect.
“Tonight, I want to talk about what we know. A former president was shot, an American citizen killed while simply exercising his freedom to support the candidate of his choice,” he said.
Biden made remarks early Sunday, condemning the assassination attempt and saying he had begun an independent review of the security situation at the rally. Biden also offered condolences to the victim, who wasidentifiedas Corey Comperatore, a 50-year-old former firefighter who protected his family during the shooting.
The Biden campaign suspended communications Saturday after the shooting and plans to resume it Monday night, a campaign official told The Hill. The president will participate in an interview with NBC’s Lester Holt on Monday.
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
