US President Joe Biden emphasised that the upcoming November presidential election presents a ‘test’ for the nation, following the assassination attempt of former President Donald Trump.
This statement was made during a televised address to the nation from the White House yesterday.
“As the election draws near, we are collectively facing a period of trial,” said the Democratic President, “and when the stakes are high, passions can flame.” However, he urged that “however strong our disagreements may be, they must never, ever, descend into political violence […] It is time for us to cool down.”
Biden called for a cooling of political tensions, emphasising that political discourse should never devolve into a “deadly battlefield”.
He chose to open his address by saying, “I want to speak to you tonight about the need to lower the temperature of our political life.” This came in the wake of a recent attempt on the life of his Republican rival, Donald Trump, which resulted in the death of the assailant and a bystander, with Trump and his supporters injured. The attacker had opened fire with a semi-automatic rifle.
Biden continued by saying that the assassination attempt “serves as a reminder for all of us to step back.” He also conveyed relief that Trump had not suffered any serious injuries in the attack.
The President’s address followed his decision, in conjunction with his campaign team, to postpone planned rallies and swiftly pull political advertisements that targeted Trump. Biden has previously characterised Trump as a “threat” to American democracy.
Biden’s intervention, lasting under seven minutes, aimed to drive home the message that “we cannot allow (political) violence to become normalised” and that the country must put an end to “hate”.
“The political rhetoric in the US has become far too sharp,” Biden stressed, “and it’s time we turned down the temperature. We all share the responsibility to do so.”
This was just the third official address Biden has made from the Oval Office since assuming office in 2021.
His previous two addresses focused on the wars in the Gaza Strip and Ukraine, as well as a deal reached with Republicans regarding the public debt ceiling.
Deadly attacks involving the use of weapons are a daily occurrence in the US.
While political violence is rarer, it is not entirely uncommon. Four US presidents have been assassinated, and several others have survived assassination attempts. Several presidential candidates have also been targeted in attacks, some of which have proved fatal.ıncyprus
