President Joe Biden characterized the recent attack on Donald Trump as an "assassination attempt" and called for "national unity" in the aftermath of the shocking event that occurred just a day prior.
On Saturday, Trump, 78, narrowly escaped an assassination attempt when a 20-year-old gunman opened fire at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania, injuring Trump’s right ear. The incident, which resulted in one spectator's death and left two others critically injured, is currently being treated as an attempted assassination. The attacker was fatally shot by a Secret Service agent.
Biden addressed the nation on Sunday afternoon, following a briefing from his top national security advisors in the White House Situation Room.
“As I said last night, there is no place in America for this kind of violence or any violence for that matter," Biden said. Biden emphasized.
"An assassination attempt is contrary to everything we stand for as a nation. Everything. It’s not who we are as a nation. It’s not American. And we cannot allow this to happen,” he said.
Biden stressed the importance of unity, acknowledging that while debate and disagreement are inherent to American society, maintaining a sense of national unity is paramount. He had returned from his weekend vacation in Delaware at midnight to address the situation.
“Unity is the most elusive goal of all, but nothing is more important than that right now. Unity. We’ll debate, and we’ll disagree, that’s not going to change. But we’ll not lose sight of who we are as Americans,” said Biden, who returned from his weekend vacation in Delaware at midnight.
The FBI is leading the early stages of the investigation into the shooting. “We don’t yet have any information about the motive of the shooter. We know who he is. I urge everyone, everyone, please, don’t make assumptions about his motives or affiliations. Let the FBI do their job and their partner agencies do their job,” he said.
President Biden has ordered an independent review of national security measures at the election rally in Butler town to determine what transpired. He emphasized that this investigation must be thorough and swift.
“As this investigation continues, here’s what we’re going to do. First Mr Trump as a former president and nominee of the Republican Party already receives a heightened level of security. And I’ve been consistent in my direction of the Secret Service to provide him with every resource, capability and protective measure necessary to ensure his continued safety,” Biden said.
He also instructed the Secret Service to review all security protocols for the upcoming Republican National Convention, which begins tomorrow. An independent review of security at the rally will also be conducted, and the findings will be shared with the public.
Biden shared that he had spoken with Trump, expressing relief that he is recovering well. “We had a brief but positive conversation. Jill and I are keeping him and his family in our prayers,” he said. He also extended condolences to the family of the deceased victim and wished for the full recovery of the injured.
Leaders from both Republican and Democratic parties have condemned the attack. Despite the incident, Trump announced on his social media platform Truth Social that he will attend the three-day Republican Party convention starting Monday in Milwaukee, where he will be nominated as the party's presidential candidate. Originally planning to delay his arrival, Trump confirmed his intention to proceed as scheduled, according to CBS News.
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