U.S. President Biden delivered a prime-time speech at the White House, condemning the assassination attempt against former President Trump and telling Americans that American politics must not become a “killing field.”
Republican presidential candidate Trump suffered an ear injury after being shot by a gunman at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. The attack killed one person and seriously injured two others.
In an Oval Office speech – only the third of his presidency – Biden urged Americans to “take a step back” and warned that “political rhetoric in this country has become very heated.”
“No matter how strong our convictions are, we must never descend into violence,” Biden said in a speech that lasted less than seven minutes.
His short but powerful speech, which was being watched closely after a series of high-profile verbal gaffes, went largely smoothly.
In a prime-time address, the president called on Americans to unite and warned that growing political polarization meant the November election would be a “testing time.”
Pre-election polls showed that Biden and Trump’s approval ratings were still neck and neck.
Speaking from behind the Resolute Desk, Biden cited the growing number of violent political acts that have occurred in recent years.
“We cannot, must not go down this road again. We have been down this road before in our history,” he said, citing shootings of members of Congress from both parties and the husband of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. was attacked and the shooting that occurred on January 6th.
“In America, we resolve our differences at the ballot box,” he said. “At the ballot box.” Not with bullets.
The attack on Saturday shocked the United States, with Trump being shot in the ear shortly after he began speaking in Butler, Pennsylvania.
In images that have been shared around the world, the 78-year-old can be seen dripping blood from his ears and face, holding up a defiant gesture as Secret Service agents pulled him from the stage to a waiting car. fist.
The FBI identified the gunman as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, who was shot dead on the spot by Secret Service agents. Law enforcement officials told the BBC’s US partner CBS News that they found explosives in his nearby vehicle and at his home.
Officials said they were still investigating the motive for the attack. According to media reports, Crooks is a registered Republican who previously donated $15 to liberal campaign groups in 2021.
Classmates described him as a quiet young man who was often bullied at school. He confirmed he was a member of a local gun club near his home in Pennsylvania.
In his speech, Biden said he was praying for the family of Corey Comperatore, a 50-year-old former firefighter who was shot and killed during the rally and two others were also seriously injured. The father-of-two was killed while protecting his family from bullets as they roared past Trump and struck the audience.
Biden called Competore a “hero” who was killed “simply while exercising his freedom to support the candidate of his choice.”
Trump’s allies were quick to blame President Joe Biden and his campaign for the attack, claiming the top Democrat was trying to stoke concerns about his rival’s return to office.
“The core premise of the Biden campaign is that President Donald Trump is an authoritarian fascist who must be stopped at all costs,” Republican Senator J.D. Vance, who is considering the vice presidential nomination, wrote on X (formerly Twitter) .
President Biden avoided responding to the criticism during a speech Sunday night, even as his campaign temporarily pulled attack ads against Trump.
The former president himself has tried to strike a conciliatory tone since the shooting, thanking his Secret Service agents for their quick action and calling on citizens to “come together” and “show our true character as Americans.”
He arrived in Milwaukee on Sunday night for the Republican National Convention, where he will accept the Republican nomination for president.
Trump is also expected to announce his running mate. US media reported that only three men are still considering running for the vice presidential position: Florida Senator Marco Rubio, North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum and Ohio Senator Vance.
At a news conference earlier Sunday, the Secret Service said it had no plans to implement additional security measures around the convention and said they were satisfied with existing arrangements.
The agency has come under scrutiny despite reports that viewers pointed out to police how Crooks came to be so close to Trump.
