Joe Biden was clearly trying to shift his tone in the wake of the attempted assassination of Donald Trump.
In a brief Oval Office address on Sunday, he attempted to erase the bitter and divisive rhetoric that has dominated his term in office, insisting that now is the time to come together as a country.
As the New York Post reported:
President Biden urged the nation to unite in a rare Oval Office address on Sunday night – a day after a gunman tried to assassinate former President Donald Trump at a Pennsylvania campaign rally.
“My fellow Americans, I want to speak to you tonight about the need for us to lower the temperature in our politics and to remember that while we may disagree, we are not enemies,” the 81-year-old president said.
“We are neighbors, we are friends, coworkers, citizens, and most importantly we are fellow Americans. We must stand together.”
Biden said that he was “grateful” that Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, survived with only a graze wound and hailed rally attendee Corey Comperatore, 50, who was fatally shot, as a “hero.”
It wasn’t that long ago, of course, that Biden said Trump needed to be placed in the “bullseye.”
Here is JOE BIDEN himself JULY 8th (Politico) saying,
“IT’S TIME TO PUT DONALD TRUMP IN A BULLSEYE!”#BIDENRESIGN pic.twitter.com/UsLYaMnFYp— Rob Schneider (@RobSchneider) July 14, 2024
The social media reaction to Saturday’s attack included many posts asserting that Biden deserves at least some of the blame.
Today is not just some isolated incident.
The central premise of the Biden campaign is that President Donald Trump is an authoritarian fascist who must be stopped at all costs.
That rhetoric led directly to President Trump’s attempted assassination.
— J.D. Vance (@JDVance1) July 14, 2024
This must be the RHETORIC Biden wants to tone down…..
Trump is Hitler, his supporters are Extremists, He’s a DICTATOR….
ON AND ON AND ON!!! pic.twitter.com/anxWB54mZG— Texas71 (@texan0371) July 15, 2024
Joe Biden’s rhetoric is what made yesterday a reality. @JoeBiden is a national security risk.
He needs to resign for calling on Trump to be “placed in the bullseye”.
He needs to be called out and apologize for inciting violence against President Trump.
Biden basically gave… pic.twitter.com/UGWnnB9Sor
— Laura Loomer (@LauraLoomer) July 14, 2024
Despite nearly being killed by an assassin’s bullet the previous night, Trump nevertheless echoed Biden’s call for unity.
According to The Hill:
Former President Trump and President Biden seemed to be sharing similar messages on Sunday.
Just minutes after Biden finished remarks on the attempt on Trump’s life the day prior, Trump posted “UNITE AMERICA!” to his Truth Social account.
A gunman fired shots into a Trump campaign rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday evening. The former president reported that a bullet pierced his ear, and he walked away otherwise unscathed. The shooter, identified by the FBI as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks of Bethel Park, Pa., targeted the rally from a nearby rooftop.
Biden revealed during his Sunday remarks that he has initiated an independent review of the security apparatus. He also again condemned the assassination attempt.
Here’s a clip of Biden’s address:
