New York– President Joe Biden addressed the United States and the entire world from the Oval Office on Sunday night more than 24 chaotic hours after a gunman on a rooftop overlooking a rally for former president Donald Trump fired multiple shots and struck Trump’s ear in what law enforcement is calling an attempted assassination.Several rally attendees were injured and one was killed, police said.
Biden took to the Oval Office after addressing the nation twice since Saturday night.
“My fellow Americans,” Biden began his address. “I want to speak to you tonight about the need for us to lower the temperature in our politics. Remember, while we may disagree, we are not enemies.”
Biden continued, “We’re neighbors. We’re friends, coworkers, citizens. And most importantly, we’re fellow Americans. We must stand together.”
Biden once again offered his prayers for Trump and his family, saying he’s thankful the former president is not seriously injured.
Biden named the rally attendee, Corey Comperatore, a firefighter and father, who was killed in the attack, calling him a hero for sheltering his family from the bullets.
Biden reiterated that the motive of the shooter, who police shot dead, is still unknown, nor whether he had accomplices.
President Biden urges unity and non-violence amid political tensions
“I want to speak to what we do know,” Biden said. “A former president was shot. An American citizen killed while simply exercising his freedom to support the candidate of his choosing.”
America cannot again go down the road of violence, Biden said.
Biden identified several instances of political violence occurring during his administration, including the violent mob attack on the Capitol on January 6 2020 and a kidnapping plot against a city government.
“There’s no place in America for this kind of violence, for any violence, ever. Period. No exceptions,” Biden said. “We can’t allow this violence to be normalized.
Biden added that the political atmosphere of this country has gotten “very heated” and it’s time to “calm it down.”“We all have a responsibility to do that,” Biden said, later adding that politics ought to be an “arena for peaceful debate.”
Acknowledging the election, the president said the stakes are “enormously high,” a common phrase heard from him on the campaign trail.
This election is going to shape the future of America and the world for decades to come, he said, which is something he knows millions of his fellow Americans know as well.
“And some have a different view as to the direction our country should take. Disagreement is inevitable in American democracy. It’s part of human nature,” Biden said. “But politics must never be a battlefield, God forbid a killing field.”Biden called for standing for an America not of extremism and fury but of decency and grace.
“The higher the stakes, the more fervent the passions become. This places an added burden on each of us to ensure that no matter how strong our convictions are, we must never descend into violence,” Biden said.
Biden then acknowledged the start of Monday’s Republican National Convention where Trump will formally become the party’s presidential nominee.
“I have no doubt they’ll criticize my record and offer their own vision for this country. I’ll be traveling this week, making the case for our record and our vision of the country,” he said. “I’ll continue to speak out strongly for our democracy and for our constitution, the rule of law.”
Biden called for “action at the ballot box, no violence on our streets.”
“That’s how democracy should work,” he said. “The power to change America should always rest in the hands of the people, not in the hands of a would-be assassin.”
Biden called for Americans to get out of their political silos where people only listen to those with whom they agree, and misinformation “fans the flames of our division.”
“Let’s remember here in America, unity is our most elusive goal right now,” Biden said. “In our beginning, our founders understood the power of passion. So they created democracy that gave reason and balance a chance to prevail over brute force. That’s the America we must be.”
For American democracy, Biden concluded, decency, dignity and fair play aren’t just notions, but “living, breathing realities.”
“We owe that to those that came before us, to those who gave their life for this country and we owe that to ourselves,” Biden said. “We owe it to our children and grandchildren.”