Biden says after Trump’s assassination attempt: “It’s time to cool the situation down”

In a prime-time national address from the Oval Office, Biden said political passions may run high, but “we must never descend into violence.”

“There is no place for this kind of violence in America – for violence of any kind. Ever. Period. No exceptions. We cannot allow this violence to be normalized,” Biden said.

Biden spoke for about five minutes from the Oval Office. He noted that the Republican National Convention was opened in Milwaukee on Monday while he was traveling across the country to campaign for re-election.

He said emotions were running high on each side and that there was lots at stake within the election.

“We can do this,” Biden pleaded, saying the nation was founded on a democracy that provides reason and balance a likelihood to prevail over brute force. “American democracy – where arguments are made in good faith. American democracy – where the rule of law is respected. Where decency, dignity and fair play are not just fancy terms, but living, breathing realities.”

Biden had previously condemned the assassination attempt on his predecessor on Sunday. Trump cardas “contrary to everything we stand for as a nation” and said he would order an independent security review to find out how such an attack could have happened.

He called on the country to “unite as one nation,” promised a “thorough and swift” investigation and asked the general public to not “assume” concerning the shooter’s motives or connections.

The president said he had directed the U.S. Secret Service to review all security measures for the RNC. Hours later, Audrey Gibson-Cicchino, the Congressional Intelligence Coordinator, said the attack on Trump over the weekend had not required any changes to the Secret Service’s security plan for the event and officials were “fully prepared.”

In his remarks, Biden described the attack on Trump as “not who we are as a nation.”

“That’s not American. And we can’t allow that,” he said. “Unity is the hardest goal of all, but nothing is more important right now than that.”

The President said he and First Lady Jill Biden were praying for the family of Corey Comparatore – Translationa former fire chief who was shot and killed in the course of the Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on Saturday night.

“He protected his family from the bullets,” Biden said. “God bless him.”

The president also said he had a “brief but good conversation” with Trump within the hours after the shootings and said he was “sincerely grateful” that the previous president was “doing well and recovering.”

Trump, who has called for national resilience for the reason that shooting, posted on his social media account after Biden’s comments: “UNITE AMERICA!”

Achieving true unity will likely be far harder, especially within the midst of a bitter presidential campaign, with Biden’s team grappling with methods to navigate the trail forward following this weekend’s attack on the very person he’s searching for to defeat within the election. Elections in November.

Biden, who sees Trump as serious threat to democracy and the nation’s founding principles have temporarily suspended such political messaging. Shortly after Saturday night’s attack, Biden’s reelection campaign froze “all outgoing communications” and worked to tug its television ads.

The president also postponed a visit to Texas planned for Monday, where he was to talk on the Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library on the sixtieth anniversary of the Civil Rights Act. An NBC News interview between Biden and moderator Lester Holt will now happen on the White House quite than in Texas as originally planned.

Biden’s campaign said it will “continue to draw contrast with Trump” after the NBC interview airs Monday night and in the course of the Republican National Convention, even though it is unclear when promoting will resume.

Biden can also be continuing to plan a planned trip to Las Vegas, where a campaign rally will happen on Wednesday. Vice President Kamala Harris postponed her campaign trip to Florida, where she was to fulfill with Republican women, planned for Tuesday.

Trump, meanwhile, announced that he would bring forward his plans to travel to the Republican convention in Milwaukee, where Biden and the Democrats are sure to face heavy criticism.

The developments over the weekend were just the most recent shock in a Election campaign, which has been extraordinarily turbulent in recent weeks.

Biden’s shaky debate performance on June 27, his own party was so frightened that a few of crucial representatives and donors turned against him, and almost 20 Democratic members of Congress urged the president to offer up the race altogether. With doubts mounting about his suitability for a second term, Biden and his top advisers try to save lots of his campaign by Add events across the country and are criticizing Trump more aggressively.

Saturday’s attack thwarted this counteroffensive shortly before the Republican Party Convention – at the very least in the meanwhile.

The campaign also hopes that Biden can further make clear his position on unity in his Oval Office address on Sunday while demonstrating leadership that would appease nervous critics inside his own party.

“We will debate and disagree, that will not change,” Biden said in his afternoon remarks. “But we will not lose sight of who we are as Americans.”

Although the investigation into the events and the background remains to be in its early stages, some Biden critics accuse the president of claiming in a personal phone call with donors on Monday: “It’s time to target Trump.”

An individual acquainted with the comments said the president was attempting to indicate that Trump has gotten away with a light-weight public schedule after last month’s debate, while the president himself is under intense scrutiny. The person spoke on condition of anonymity to talk more freely about private conversations.

In the conference call with donors, Biden said: “I have one job, and that is to defeat Donald Trump. … I am absolutely certain that I am the best person to do it.”

He continued: “So, we’re not talking about the debate anymore. It’s time to take aim at Trump. He’s gotten away with doing nothing for the last 10 days except driving around in his golf cart and bragging about results he didn’t get. … Anyway, I’m not going to comment on his golf game.”