'Politics must never be a battlefield': Biden address after Trump assassination attempt

Following the assassination attempt on Donald Trump, US President Joe Biden addressed the nation on Sunday, stating that violence cannot be normalised at any cost and emphasising that differences in America are "resolved at ballot boxes, not with bullets."

In his Oval Office address Sunday evening, President Joe Biden stated that while some Americans disagree on the country's future, "politics must never be a battlefield."

"Disagreement is inevitable and American democracy is part of human nature...but politics must never be a literal battlefield or, God forbid, a killing field," the US President said, according to CNN. Biden further said that with the election approaching, there is an "added burden on each of us to ensure that no matter how strong our convictions, we must never descend into violence."

He went on to say that with the Republican National Convention coming up this week, "I have no doubt they'll criticise my record and offer their own vision for this country. I'll be travelling this week, making the case for our record and vision."

"We debate and disagree, we compare and contrast the character of the candidates, the records, the issues, the agenda, the vision for America. But in America, we resolve our differences at the ballot box, that's how we do it, at the ballot box, not with bullets," Biden further said.

"The power to change America should always rest in the hands of the people, not in the hands of a would-be assassin," he said. The US President further emphasised the need "to lower the temperature" in politics, CNN reported.

"I want to speak to you tonight about the need for us to lower the temperature in our politics and to remember, when we disagree, we are not enemies; we are neighbours, we are friends, co-workers, citizens and, most importantly, we are fellow Americans. We must stand together," Biden said in his address.

"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," he added.

An Oval Office address is a rare occurrence. This is only the third time US President Biden has done this.

The last time he spoke from the Oval Office was on October 19, 2023, after Hamas attacked Israel. According to CNN, an address from the Oval Office is usually reserved for the country's most solemn and heavy moments.

Biden reiterated that there is no place for such violence in America, referring to the attack on Trump during his Saturday rally in Pennsylvania.

"There is no place in America for this kind of violence. Any violence. Period. No exceptions. We cannot allow this violence to be normalised," he said.

In his address, Biden also listed a number of previous attacks that have taken place in US history on various public figures. Among the attacks he cited, the January 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol and the beating of Nancy Pelosi's husband were some that he mentioned, according to CNN.

Trump was on stage at a campaign rally on Saturday when gunshots rang out and Secret Service agents stormed the stage.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) identified the gunman as Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, with the case continuing to be under investigation.