Former President Trump was attacked at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday (July 13), shocking the entire United States. President Biden, in a speech on Sunday, once again emphasized that violence has no place in America. He stated that he has ordered a review of the security measures for rallies.
Biden, accompanied by Vice President Harris, Attorney General Merrick Garland, and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, gave a brief speech at the White House on Sunday. In his speech, he confirmed that he had a “brief but good” conversation with Trump following the shooting incident.
He condemned the assassination attempt on Trump, stating that such violence has no place in America. “This kind of violence, or any violence, has no place in America. An assassination attempt goes against everything we stand for as a nation,” Biden said. “We cannot allow these things to happen. Unity is the hardest goal to achieve, but nothing is more important than unity right now.”
Biden also mentioned that he has instructed a review of the security measures for the Pennsylvania rally where Trump was attacked, resulting in an injury to his right ear. “I have instructed a separate review of the national security for yesterday’s rally to assess what exactly happened,” Biden said. “We will also share the results of the independent review with the American people.”
The President emphasized that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is leading the investigation, which is still in its early stages. He urged the public not to make assumptions about the motives of the gunman. “There is no information yet on the gunman’s motives, but we know who he is,” Biden stated.
“I urge everyone…please do not make assumptions about his motives or affiliations,” Biden said. “Let the FBI do their job, let their cooperating agencies do their job.”
He mentioned that he has instructed the investigation to be “thorough, swift,” and assured that “investigators will have all the resources they need to complete the investigation.”
Regarding the upcoming Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Biden has directed the U.S. Secret Service to review all security measures for this event.
Trump announced that he would go to Milwaukee on Sunday afternoon before the Republican National Convention. He stated on his social media platform “Truth Social” that he initially planned to postpone the trip following Saturday’s assassination attempt, but ultimately decided he could not “allow the gunman or potential assassin to forcibly change the schedule or anything else.”
In the Saturday assassination incident, one rally attendee died, and two were severely injured. The deceased was identified as former firefighter Corey Comperatore.
During his speech, Biden expressed his and First Lady Jill’s “deepest condolences” to Comperatore’s family.
The President said that Comperatore was protecting his family from the gunfire at the time, resulting in his loss of life. “God bless him,” Biden said.
Biden will also address the nation at 8 p.m. on Sunday from the Oval Office of the White House. Following the shooting incident at the Trump rally, President Biden postponed his plans to travel to Texas on Monday (July 15).