President Biden addresses nation after Trump survives assassination attempt

US President Joe Biden delivers a prime-time address to the nation in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, US, on Sunday, July 14, 2024. (Erin Schaff/The New York Times/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

President Biden addressed the nation Sunday evening following an assassination attempt on his GOP rival, former President Trump, at a rally in Pennsylvania Saturday.

Speaking from the Oval Office, Biden implored Americans to “lower the temperature in our politics.”

“While we may disagree, we are not enemies. We’re neighbors. We’re friends, coworkers, citizens and, most importantly, we are fellow Americans. We must stand together,” Biden said.

Biden said Saturday’s shooting demands that everyone “take a step back, take stock of where we are.”

“Thankfully, former Trump is not seriously injured. I spoke to him last night. I'm grateful he's doing well and joy to keep him and his family in our prayers. We also extend our deepest condolences to the family of the victims who was killed,” Biden said.

The president reiterated that nation must not go down the road of political violence.

“We must not go down this road in America. We’ve traveled before, throughout our history, violence has never been the answer,” Biden said, invoking the Capitol riots on Jan. 6, and the attack on former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband in October 2022.

“There’s no place in American for this kind of violence – for any violence – ever. Period. No exceptions. We can’t allow this violence to be normalized,” Biden said.