ERIN SCHAFFPOOL-AFP
US President Joe Biden sought to calm a divided nation Sunday after his rival Donald Trump survived an assassination bid, saying in a rare Oval Office address that it was time to lower the temperature of America's hostile politics.
"It's time to cool it down. We all have a responsibility to do that," Biden said in a televised address following the attack in which Republican Trump was injured in the ear and a bystander was killed by gunfire.
As the country reeled from images of a bloodied Trump waving his fist after the gunman opened fire at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania, Biden added that US politics "must never be a literal battlefield, God forbid a killing field."
Join me as I address the nation from the Oval Office. https://t.co/0lbRNEt6OH
— President Biden (@POTUS) July 15, 2024
The 20-year-old shooter, Thomas Matthew Crooks, was shot dead by Secret Service agents amid scenes of chaos. Authorities say his motive remains unclear.
The FBI said it was investigating the attack as a potential act of domestic terrorism and studying Crooks's phone to discover any "ideologies" he may have had.
Biden, giving just the third Oval Office address of his presidency, also mentioned the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack by pro-Trump supporters as proof that the situation is getting out of hand.
"We can't allow this violence to be normalized," the 81-year-old Democrat said, adding that the November 5 election would be a "time of testing" for the United States.
The short but forceful speech went without any major hitches, bar Biden twice referring to the ballot box as a "battle box".
Democrats are closely watching the president following a disastrous debate performance renewed concerns about his age and ability to govern.
