“Calm down,” Biden advises the public following the attempted assassination of Trump.
After his opponent, Donald Trump, escaped an attempted murder, President Joe Biden attempted to soothe a polarized country by declaring in an unusual Oval Office speech on Sunday that it was time to temper America’s divisive politics.
“You know, there’s a lot of controversy about this nation’s political record.
In the televised statement, which was only his third appearance behind the storied Resolute Desk during his administration, Biden declared, “It’s time to calm down.”
After a gunman opened fire at a Pennsylvania rally, the nation was shocked to see pictures of a bloodied Trump shaking his fist.
Ahead of a fiercely divided election that would now be a “time of testing” for the United States, the 81-year-old Democrat warned that all sides had a duty to defuse the tension.
With the exception of Biden twice referring to the ballot box as a “battle box,” the brief but impactful address went down without a big hitch.
The aging president is under intense criticism after a dismal debate performance against Trump earlier this month.
Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, was shot dead by snipers at the event in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday after firing several bullets with a semi-automatic rifle that was lawfully purchased.
According to investigators, they are currently looking into Crooks’ motivations.
On Sunday, Trump stated on social media that it was “more important than ever that we stand united” and that Americans should not allow “evil to win.”
Later on social media, the 78-year-old Republican said that “God alone” was the reason he had been saved. Trump’s spouse Melania referred to the gunman as a “monster.”
- Questions about security
Trump managed to raise a defiant fist to the crowd as Secret Service officials hauled him away, despite the fact that the attack killed a bystander and left him with a bleeding face and an injured ear.
Later on Sunday, he touched down in Milwaukee for the Republican National Convention, where he is expected to be declared the party’s presidential nominee.
His supporters are hoping that his assault would help him win over more people in November.
Even after the attempt on Trump’s life, the US Secret Service claimed that it is “fully prepared” to manage security at the sizable Republican meeting and that it will not be altering its standards.
But how the gunman was able to get onto a rooftop about 500 feet (150 meters) away from where Trump was speaking and fire many rounds raises serious issues for the agency.
Prior to the attack, Biden claimed to have had a “short but good conversation” with Trump.
Now, as investigators try to determine the gunman’s motivation, the FBI has stated that it believes Crooks acted alone and did not have a predetermined ideology.
Assistant Director of the FBI Counterterrorism Division Robert Wells told reporters, “We are looking at this as a potential domestic terrorist act, but we are also investigating it as an assassination attempt.”
The shooter’s father is thought to have purchased the AR-style 556 rifle, according to the FBI, but they are unsure of how the gunman obtained it or whether he took it without the father’s knowledge.
A “suspicious device” was also discovered by investigators in the gunman’s vehicle.
“Bullied”
Crooks was quiet and frequently came across as lonely, according to his old classmates.
Though he was calm, he was being tormented. Jason Kohler, who claimed to have gone to the same high school as Crooks, told reporters, “He was bullied so much.”
