Biden, Trump seek calm, unity
MILWAUKEE—Donald Trump arrived here on Sunday to be formally nominated as the Republican presidential candidate later this week, after surviving an assassination attempt that has aggravated an already bitter American political divide.
Democratic President Joe Biden has ordered a review of how a 20-year-old man with an AR-15-style rifle got close enough to shoot at Trump from a rooftop on Saturday. Trump, as a former president, has lifetime protection by the US Secret Service.
Trump, 78, was holding a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania—a key state in the Nov. 5 election—when shots rang out and a bullet grazed his right ear, leaving his face streaked with blood.
“That reality is just setting in,” Trump told the Washington Examiner on Sunday. “I rarely look away from the crowd. Had I not done that in that moment, well, we would not be talking today, would we?”
‘Take a step back’
In a statement on his Truth Social network, he said: “In this moment, it is more important than ever that we stand United.”
He said Americans should not allow “Evil to win,” adding that it was “God alone who prevented the unthinkable from happening” and that he would “FEAR NOT.”
Both Trump and Biden on Sunday sought calm and unity, following the shooting spree that left one person in the crowd killed and two others wounded.
Trump is due to accept his party’s formal nomination at the Republican National Convention on Thursday.
Upon his arrival he pumped his fist in the air several times as he descended the stairs from his plane.
But he told the Washington Examiner that his speech “will be a lot different, a lot different than it would’ve been two days ago.”
“This is a chance to bring the whole country, even the whole world, together,” he said.
On Sunday Biden delivered a televised address from the Oval Office, saying “There is no place in America for this kind of violence, for any violence ever. Period. No exceptions.”
“We can’t allow this violence to be normalized,” he said. “The political rhetoric in this country has gotten very heated. It’s time to cool it down.”
Trump’s shooting “calls on all of us to take a step back,” the President said.
“Tonight I’m asking every American to recommit,” he said. “Hate must have no safe harbor.”
Shift in focus
Biden and Trump spoke to each other on Saturday night after the shooting. First lady Jill Biden also spoke with former first lady Melania Trump on Sunday afternoon, said a White House official.
Trump and Biden are locked in a close election rematch, according to most opinion polls including by Reuters/Ipsos.
The shooting on Saturday whipsawed discussion around the presidential campaign, which had been focused on the question of whether Biden, 81, should drop out after a halting June 27 debate performance.
The FBI said there were no known threats to the Republican convention which kicks off on Monday, while the Secret Service said they do not anticipate any changes to the security plan.
The convention will feature speeches by rising Republican stars and Trump’s choice for a yet-to-be-announced vice presidential running mate. —REUTERS, WITH A REPORT FROM AFP
