President Biden made a primetime plea Sunday night to lower the temperature in American politics after a gunman shot at former President Trump at a rally the day prior.
“The political rhetoric in this country has gotten very heated. It’s time to cool it down,” Biden said in remarks in the Oval Office. “This places an added burden on all of us that no matter how strong our convictions, we must never descend into violence.”
The president’s seven-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 one bullet grazed his ear. The shooter, identified by the FBI as Thomas Matthew Crooks of Bethel Park, Pa., targeted the rally from a nearby rooftop.
“Let’s remember here in America, while unity is the most elusive of goals right now, nothing is more important for us now than standing together. We can do this,” Biden said.
“Let’s never lose sight of who we are,” he added.
Biden and Trump spoke on Saturday night and had a “good” conversation, Biden said earlier Sunday. After those remarks, Trump posted “UNITE AMERICA!” to his Truth Social account.
“There is no place in America for this type of violence, for any violence, ever. Period, no exceptions. We can’t allow this violence to be normalized,” Biden said in the prime-time remarks.
He mentioned recent instances of political violence, including the Jan. 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 Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D).
The president acknowledged that at the Republican National Convention this week, he expects the other side of the aisle to criticize his record and offer a competing vision for the U.S. He said he will also travel to make the case for his own vision, including on a trip to Las Vegas this week.
But, he called on Americans to take action at the ballot box and not with violence.
“In America, we resolve our differences at the ballot box. That’s how we do it, at the ballot box, not with bullets,” he said. “The power of change in America should always rest in the hands of people, not in the hands of a would-be assassin.”
“Tonight, I’m asking every American to recommit to make America … what it is. Think about it, what’s made America so special? Here in America, everyone must be treated with dignity and respect and hate must have no safe harbor,” he added.
Biden began his remarks by saying that ongoing investigations still haven’t revealed a motive or affiliations of the shooter. Earlier Sunday, he asked Americans not to jump to conclusions about the suspect.
“Tonight, I want to speak to what we do know. A former president was shot, an American citizen killed while simply exercising his freedom to support the candidate of his choosing,” he said.
Biden also made remarks earlier Sunday, condemning the assassination attempt and saying he initiated an independent review of the security situation at the rally. He offered condolences to the victim, who has been identified as Corey Comperatore, a 50-year-old former firefighter who was protecting his family during the gunfire.
Biden’s campaign suspended communications Saturday after the shooting and plans to start them back up Monday night, a campaign official told The Hill. The president is participating in an interview with NBC’s Lester Holt on Monday.