In a primetime address Sunday from the Oval Office, one day after what the FBI described as an assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, President Biden delivered a message that sought to cool the heated political rhetoric of the 2024 campaign.
“My fellow Americans,” Biden began his address, “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. We’re neighbors, we’re friends, co-workers, citizens, and, most importantly, we’re fellow Americans.”
The primetime speech, the second White House address Biden delivered in a single day, came as the country struggled to come to grips with the shooting that left two people dead, including the shooter, and injured Trump and two others.
Here’s are the key takeaways from Sunday:
Taking stock of ‘where we are’
A theme of Biden’s primetime address was the need to step back from the fierce rhetoric that has become commonplace in American politics.
“Yesterday’s shooting at Donald Trump’s rally in Pennsylvania calls on all of us to take a step back, take stock of where we are, how we go forward from here,” Biden said, adding that he had spoken by phone with Trump, who was released shortly after being evaluated at a local hospital.
And while the president asked Americans on both sides of the political aisle to refrain from overheated attacks, he also made it clear that any acts of violence inspired by such words were unacceptable.
“There is no place in America for this kind of violence,” Biden said.
But the campaign, Biden added, would roll on.
“The Republican convention will start tomorrow. I’ve no doubt that they will criticize my record and offer their own vision for this country. I’ll be traveling this week making the case for our record and my — our — vision. I’ll continue to speak out strongly for our democracy, stand up for our Constitution and the rule of law,” Biden said, adding that there should be “no violence on our streets. That’s how democracy should work.”
What we’ve learned about the shooter
On Sunday, law enforcement officials identified the gunman at Trump’s rally near Butler, Pa., as Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, of Bethel Park, Pa..
Crooks had climbed to a rooftop of a building outside the Secret Service perimeter, approximately 160 yards from the stage where Trump spoke, the Associated Press reported. He was armed with an AR-style rifle that his father reportedly bought for him at least six months ago.
Some spectators alerted police about a man climbing onto the roof, the Associated Press reported, and an officer tried to engage Crooks, who pointed his rifle at the officer, forcing him back down a ladder. Crooks then turned and began shooting toward the stage.
A graduate of Bethel Park High School, Crooks was registered as a Republican in voter rolls and worked in the kitchen at a nursing home near his home, the BBC reported. As Biden noted in his remarks, law enforcement officials are still trying to determine the motive for Saturday’s shooting.
What we’ve learned about the victims
Corey Comperatore, 50, a former fire chief, was identified as an audience member killed during Saturday’s shooting.
Comperatore’s sister, Dawn Comperatore Schafer, first revealed his identity via a post on Facebook.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro described Comperatore as a “hero” during a Sunday press conference. Comperatore had attended the rally with his wife and two daughters, and when the gunfire erupted, he dove to shield his family.
“We lost a fellow Pennsylvanian last night: Corey Comperatore,” Shapiro said. “Corey was a girl dad. Corey was a firefighter. Corey went to church every Sunday. Corey loved his community. And most especially, Corey loved his family.”
The identities of two other shooting victims were also made public Sunday by Pennsylvania State Police. David Dutch, 57, and James Copenhaver, 74, both survived the gunfire and are now listed in stable condition at a nearby hospital.
Secret Service under scrutiny following shooting
Earlier in the day, Biden announced that an investigation had been ordered into the security breach that led to the shooting.
“I’ve directed an independent review of the national security at yesterday’s rally to assess exactly what happened and will share the results of that independent review with the American people,” Biden said.
Biden also directed the Secret Service to review all security measures planned for the Republican National Convention, which kicks off Monday in Milwaukee.
Numerous lawmakers were much less charitable to the Secret Service on Sunday, demanding to know details about the apparent security lapse.
“We need to know: How could an individual be at that elevation, that was seen by, apparently, bystanders on the ground; how could that not be noticed by Secret Service?” House Speaker Mike Johnson, of Louisiana, said Sunday morning on NBC. “Lots more questions than answers this morning.”
“Why was the rooftop not secured beforehand by the Secret Service? How could a shooter come so easily within firing distance of a presidential candidate?” Rep. Ritchie Torres, a Democrat from New York, wrote on X.
Trump arrives in Milwaukee for Republican National Convention
Trump landed Sunday evening in Milwaukee for the Republican National Convention, which kicks off tomorrow.
“Based on yesterday’s terrible events, I was going to delay my trip to Wisconsin, and The Republican National Convention, by two days, but have just decided that I cannot allow a ‘shooter,’ or potential assassin, to force change to scheduling, or anything else,” Trump wrote in a message posted to Truth Social earlier in the day.
