US President Joe Biden sent a message of unity a day after his rival-turned-predecessor Donald Trump survived an assassination attempt, and called on the nation to turn down the temperature of hostile politics.
In a rare Oval Office address on Sunday, Biden said fellow Americans are not enemies but friends and colleagues who must stand together despite their differences.
“I want to speak to you tonight about the need to lower the temperature in our politics and to remember that while we disagree, we are not enemies, we are neighbors, we are friends, colleagues, citizens, and most importantly, we are fellow Americans. We must stand together,” he said.
Republican Trump, 78, whose presidential nomination is all but certain, was left with a bloodied face after being hit on the ear during a rally in Pennsylvania, while a spectator was killed in the attack.
The attacker, Thomas Matthew Crooks – a registered Republican, was shot dead at the scene.
Trump also offered a message of unity after the attack, saying Americans must “not let evil win.” “Only God prevented the unthinkable from happening,” he said on social media.
Biden, in a televised address from behind the historic Resolute Desk, said it was time to “calm down” the country’s political record.
Addressing the nation, he said, “The shooting at Donald Trump’s rally in Pennsylvania yesterday calls on all of us to take a step back, assess where we are, how do we move forward from here… Unity is the most elusive goal, but there is nothing more important right now – unity.”
The 81-year-old Democrat said the responsibility to normalize the situation lies with both parties.
Biden earlier condemned the shooting in an online post, saying there was no place for violence of any kind in the United States. Earlier in the day, he said he had a “short but good conversation” with Trump after the attack.
“The assassination attempt is contrary to everything we believe in as a nation. This is not America and we cannot allow this to happen,” he said earlier in the day.
