WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden urged Americans to “turn down the heat” on political rhetoric in a speech from the Oval Office Sunday night, calling for more respectful conversation and civility in the wake of the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump.
“Disagreement is inevitable in American democracy,” Biden said, but politics should never become a “killing field.”
“Even if we disagree, we are not enemies,” Biden said during the nearly six-minute statement. “We are neighbors, friends, colleagues, citizens and most importantly, we are compatriots. We must stand together.”
The speech is Biden’s third from the Oval Office during his tenure. Presidents traditionally reserve the Oval Office for high-profile speeches, usually for war and peace.
During a rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday, a gunman opened fire on Trump, leaving him with blood in his ear. A counter-sniper killed the suspected shooter before Trump was whisked to safety by Secret Service agents.
The assassination attempt on Trump ended a political season marked by dire warnings from both sides accusing each other of criminal wrongdoing. Social media has served as a catalyst, infuriating partisans on both sides, as the nation heads toward Election Day.
“There is no place in America for this kind of violence — never for any kind of violence. Period. No exceptions,” Biden said. “We cannot allow this violence to be normalized.”
National unity is a theme Biden first emphasized when he took office, but has been largely sidelined in the shadow of a tough re-election fight.
In his 2021 inauguration speech, Biden called on Americans to “end this uncivil war of red against blue.” As his term expired and he ran for re-election, his comments became more partisan. He presented the Trump-led MAGA movement as a dire threat to American democracy that should be dismantled, not accommodated.
Biden softened his language after the shooting. He used Sunday night’s address to remind Americans that politics is a forum for rational debate. He said that resolving disagreements through violence is a curse to the country’s democratic traditions.
“We stand for an America of decency and grace, not extremism and anger,” he said.
“In America, we settle our differences at the ballot box, not with bullets,” he said. “The power to change America should always be in the hands of the people, not in the hands of would-be murderers.”
Biden’s speech comes as his future as the Democratic nominee is in doubt. After his poor debate performance last month, several Democratic lawmakers stepped forward and called on him to drop out of the race in favor of a younger candidate.
Biden’s every public appearance, now 81, is scrutinized for signs that he is slipping and unsuited to the rigors of the job.
The shooting left Biden in an awkward spot. Over the years, Trump has shown little empathy when it comes to threats against his Democratic enemies. After a man broke into Nancy Pelosi’s home in San Francisco and attacked her husband with a hammer, Trump brazenly told California Republicans last year, “Does anyone know how her husband is doing?”
One of Trump’s favorite foils, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, He wrote an essay in 2020 Threats against his family increased when Trump insulted him.
Now that Trump has become a target for assassination, Biden has shown a measure of compassion that Trump has rarely shown amid his challengers. Biden’s campaign canceled his ad, and the president took the rare step of calling Trump — “The Donald,” as he calls him — to check on him. He described the call as a “short but good conversation,” adding that he and his wife, Jill Biden, “keep him and his family in our prayers.”
It won’t be long before hard campaign attacks resume. Republicans are holding their convention this week in Milwaukee.
“Milwaukee conventioneers are extremely grateful for President Trump’s chance,” said GOP nominating convention adviser Corey Lewandowski. [Trump] he walks into the arena for the first time, the decibel level will be so high it’s almost impossible to measure.
Meanwhile, Biden will engage in some counterprogramming. He flies to Las Vegas for events on Tuesday and Wednesday.
“If you’re fighting someone who you see as an existential threat to democracy and the liberties of this country, there’s no day off,” said Cornell Belcher, who polled former President Barack Obama.
A Biden campaign official added that after Biden sat down for an interview with NBC News anchor Lester Holt on Monday, “both DNC [Democratic National Committee] The campaign will continue to contrast our positive vision of the future with Trump’s and Republicans’ backward-looking agenda week after week.”
After the shooting, Biden made three public appearances. Speaking at the White House on Sunday morning, he warned Americans not to “speculate on this.” [the shooter’s] motives or his affiliation”.
He recalled a briefing he received in the White House Situation Room, which included Vice President Kamala Harris and senior White House advisers.
Biden also said he asked the director of the Secret Service to review all security arrangements for the Republican convention. Biden said at Saturday’s rally that he wanted an independent review of security and promised to make the results of that review public.
In it initial comments reacting to the shooting On Saturday evening, Biden condemned the violence, saying: “This is sick. This is sick. This is one of the reasons why we should unite this country. … We cannot accept this.”