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President Biden addressed the nation from the Oval Office on Sunday night, saying the attempted assassination of former President Trump is forcing Americans to ‘take a step back’ and calling on all sides to ‘lower the temperature in our politics.’

‘My fellow Americans, I want to speak to you tonight about the need for us to lower the temperature in our politics,’ Biden said. ‘Do remember, 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.’

The attempted assassination of Trump ‘calls on all of us to take a step back, take stock of where we are,’ he added.

Biden said he was ‘grateful’ that Trump is ‘doing well’ and said he is keeping ‘him and his family in our prayers.’ He also extended ‘our deepest condolences’ to the family of Corey Comperatore, who was fatally shot as he shielded his wife and daughters from the bullets.

The president linked several incidents of recent political violence to the attempt on Trump, pointing to the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021; the attack on former Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband; an attempted plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in 2020; and the ‘intimidation of election officials.’

‘There is no place in America for this kind of violence or for any violence, ever, period. No exceptions,’ Biden said.

The president stressed that ‘disagreement is inevitable in American democracy,’ and ‘part of human nature,’ but incidents like the shooting on Saturday can not be ‘normalized.’

‘Politics must never be a literal battlefield,’ Biden said, ‘God forbid – a killing field.’

Trump was hit as multiple shots were fired towards the stage from an elevated position near the outdoor venue where he was holding a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on Saturday. The bullet pierced the upper part of his right ear before the former president was rushed from the stage by Secret Service agents.

The would-be assassin was identified as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks. Crooks was killed by a Secret Service sniper soon after he opened fire.

But Crooks killed one spectator – Comperatore, a former fire chief in Buffalo Township, Pa.

Authorities say two other people were critically injured in the attack and the FBI is investigating the shooting as an assassination attempt.

‘Tonight I want to speak to what we do know: A former president was shot. An American citizen killed – simply exercising his freedom to support the candidate of his choosing,’ Biden continued. ‘We can not – we must not – go down this road in America.’

Biden said that politics should be an ‘arena for peaceful debate to pursue justice, to make decisions guided by the Declaration of Independence and our Constitution.’

‘We stand for an America not of extremism and fury, but of decency and grace,’ Biden said. ‘All of us now face a time of testing as election approaches. The higher the stakes, the more fervent the passions become.’

Biden pointed to the start of the Republican National Convention on Monday in Milwaukee, Wis.

‘I’ve no doubt they’ll criticize my record and offer their own vision for this country,’ Biden said. ‘I’ll be traveling this week, making the case for our record and the vision – my vision – for the country, our vision. I’ll continue to speak out strongly for our democracy; stand up for our Constitution and the rule of law. To call for action at the ballot box, no violence on our streets. That’s how democracy should work.’

Biden said that the parties need to ‘resolve our differences at the ballot box’ and called for Americans to ‘get out of our silos.’

‘Let’s remember here in America, our unity is the most elusive of all goals right now,’ he said. ‘Nothing is more important for us now than standing together. We can do this.’

Biden urged Americans to ‘never lose sight of who we are.’

The Oval Office address was Biden’s second opportunity to speak about the Trump assassination attempt on Sunday. Earlier in the day, he said he talked with Trump on Saturday night and the rivals ‘had a short but good conversation.’

Biden, during his afternoon remarks from the Roosevelt Room at the White House, vowed to ensure the U.S. Secret Service provides Trump with ‘every resource, capability and protective measure necessary to ensure his continued safety.’

Biden also said he has ‘directed the head of the Secret Service to review all security measures for all security measures for the Republican National Convention, which is scheduled to start tomorrow.’

Biden said he is ‘directing an independent review of the security at yesterday’s rally to assess exactly what happened, and we’ll share the results of that independent review with the American people as well.’

The Biden campaign on Saturday night announced it would be pausing all outbound communications and pulling down their campaign ads targeting Trump. The campaign was in the middle of a $50 million ad blitz this month, with spots running in all the key battleground states.

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Politics

Melania Trump’s call to ‘ascend above the hate’ should be rallying cry for all Americans

Two days before the opening of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, an assassination attempt on former President Donald J. Trump shocked the nation. The picture of a bloodied Trump pumping his fist in the air as Secret Service agents rush him off the stage will be indelibly burned into American minds for a very long time.

President Trump’s comments on Truth Social the evening of the shooting were calm and thoughtful, thanking the Secret Service and law enforcement, and extending condolences to the families of a rally attendee who was killed and the others who were seriously injured.

In a chilling account he wrote, ‘I was shot with a bullet that pierced the upper part of my right ear. I knew immediately that something was wrong in that I heard a whizzing sound, shots, and immediately felt the bullet ripping through the skin.’ He had nothing else to say except for a heartfelt, ‘GOD BLESS AMERICA!’

I spoke to President Trump on the phone on Sunday, and he told me that bringing the country together was a big part of the message he wanted to deliver now. He mentioned throwing out ‘a tough speech on Democrats,’ reworking it to fit his new intention.

The last time we faced such a terrifying picture was in 1981, when a gunman tried to assassinate President Reagan. Jerry Parr, the Secret Service agent who shoved Reagan into the car to get him out of danger before he even knew he was injured, once said that being president is dangerous. That would include former presidents. But does it have to be that way?

What do we do with our sense of horror? A lesson about that comes from our former first lady Melania Trump. By way of comparison with Mrs. Trump, I couldn’t help thinking about Jackie Kennedy in her blood-soaked pink suit the day JFK was assassinated some 60 years ago. Various people, including Lyndon Johnson, encouraged her to change into clean clothes, but she refused. She said, ‘Let them see what they’ve done!’

That anger and desire for retribution is a natural response, but I was struck by the way Mrs. Trump set a tone that was both deeply personal and healing for the nation.

She began with a moving account of her horror and sorrow. ‘When I watched that violent bullet strike my husband, Donald, I realized my life, and Barron’s life were on the brink of devastating change. I am grateful to the brave Secret Service agents and law enforcement officials who risked their own lives to protect my husband…

‘A monster who recognized my husband as an inhuman political machine attempted to ring out Donald’s passion—his laughter, ingenuity, love of music, and inspiration. The core facets of my husband’s life—his human side—were buried below the political machine. Donald, the generous and caring man who I have been with through the best of times and the worst of times.’

But then Mrs. Trump pivoted to what we shared as human beings and as a people—and our joint obligation to rise above our political differences.

‘Let us not forget that differing opinions, policy, and political games are inferior to love. Our personal, structural, and life commitment – until death – is at serious risk. Political concepts are simple when compared to us, human beings…

‘This morning, ascend above the hate, the vitriol, and the simple-minded ideas that ignite violence. We all want a world where respect is paramount, family is first, and love transcends. We can realize this world again. Each of us must demand to get it back. We must insist that respect fills the cornerstone of our relationships, again.’

I applaud Mrs. Trump’s dignity and her sense of public responsibility. Many others from both sides of the political frontier have expressed a similar desire.

In a Saturday evening editorial, even as the assassination attempt was fresh and emotions were still raw, the Wall Street Journal posed the possibility that the incident could be ‘a redemptive political moment.’ While commending President Trump for his ‘fortitude,’ the Journal urged him to use the moment as a time to call for unity.

‘His opportunity now is to present himself as someone who can rise above the attack on his life and unite the country,’ the Journal wrote.

The editors also warned both parties to stop describing the stakes of the election in apocalyptic terms. ‘Democracy won’t end if one or the other candidate is elected. Fascism is not aborning if Mr. Trump wins, unless you have little faith in American institutions.’

This point was also expressed by former Attorney General Bill Barr who called upon Democrats to stop referring to President Trump as an existential threat to democracy—a claim he called ‘grossly irresponsible.’

It was like a hard jolt to our public consciousness—a wakeup call that asked, ‘What are we doing here?’

There has been so much vitriol and demonization in our public debate, and we may have reached a tipping point, when people are finally willing to rein it in. Many voices from both sides of the aisle are echoing that plea.

Speaking Saturday night, President Biden called the attack ‘sick,’ and stated, ‘There’s no place in America for this kind of violence.’

He repeated that message Sunday afternoon, emphasizing, ‘Unity is the most elusive goal of all, but nothing is as important as that right now…We’ll debate and we’ll disagree, but we’re not going to lose sight of who we are as Americans.’

President Trump sent a message on Truth Social after Biden’s comments, saying simply, ‘UNITE AMERICA.’

Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell called the shooting ‘a despicable attack on a peaceful rally,’ also stressing, ‘Violence has no place in our politics.’

These calls for unity echo what I hear every week on my ‘Common Ground’ podcast as I host public officials from both sides of the aisle respectfully debating their differences. But now we are all facing together the question: What would it mean to back up these calls for unity with real action—to make them more than a post-trauma response that pays lip service to the need to come together?

Is there a way to restore civility even as we fiercely debate different positions on the issues?

This is a critical moment when we have the choice to do that. As we move into the political convention period with the opening of the Republican Convention on Monday, we can all use that strong reality check from Melania Trump and heed her call to ‘ascend above the hate.’

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Politics

Tale of two conventions: GOP united behind Trump while Dems in disarray

The 43rd Republican National Convention kicks off Monday. Since the first, in 1856 at a concert hall in Philadelphia, the Grand Old Party has picked the winner 24 times. Delegates are bullish this year will mark the 25th.

Their confidence and unity entering the big week contrasted sharply with the party of the sitting president even before Saturday’s deadly assassination attempt. By Monday morning, even those Republicans on the fence over the Democrats’ lawfare against Donald Trump will be prepared to crawl over broken glass for their man. A mountain-cry away sit the Democrats, who begin the week afraid, angry, suspicious and unsure about what the summer will bring.

President Joe Biden was supposed to be the man. While his age and stamina were issues on the 2020 primary trail, Democrat leaders had seen in the former vice president a safe alternative to the radicalism gripping his fellow candidates. These party officers, led by Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.), rallied black and southern voters to the man primary voters in Iowa and New Hampshire had rejected, winning a string of victories from South Carolina on, and sealing the job for the oldest nominee in major party history.

All that mattered was beating then-President Donald Trump. No one was thinking four years down the road. Well, four years down the road, they’re paying for it.

When Biden took the stage two hours late Friday night to talk about NATO, dozens of House and Senate Republicans had statements calling for his withdrawal ready to fly. While he mixed up names, sank into his strange stage whisper a couple of times, and yelled like an angry old man a few others, his command of the details and ability to hold court with reporters for a full hour held the onslaught at bay. Elected Democrats watching from their airplane rides back to their home states weren’t elated, however. Many would have preferred a decisive disaster — and the certainty that ‘Joe must go’ it would bring.

Instead, barring a rumored surprise announcement during the president’s Monday trip to Austin, the party rebellion continues in guerrilla form, planned on Signal threads and fought through polls, leaks, and anonymous quotes. While the chatter suggests the resistance has finally begun to come to grips with the reality that Vice President Kamala Harris is the only workable replacement, there’s little chance Democrats return from their week’s vacation with an actual plan of action.

… barring a rumored surprise announcement during the president’s Monday trip to Austin, the party rebellion continues in guerrilla form, planned on Signal threads and fought through polls, leaks, and anonymous quotes.

It’s difficult to imagine this chaotic scene contrasting more vividly than it does with the Republicans in Milwaukee.

That’s not to say there haven’t been hiccups. No nominee since then-President Richard Nixon in 1972 has exercised such imperial control of the platform process as Trump has. Party delegates were vetted for loyalty before they met last week, and once on site, were forced to surrender their phones while the campaign brushed away subcommittees and amendments to create a dramatically shortened platform, personally edited by Trump to reflect his political preferences.

While there’s much for conservatives to cheer in the new, shortened platform, the process and the loyalists were abused — and decades-old planks defending traditional marriage and the sanctity of life were erased or watered down. Any looming threat of a convention conflict was snubbed on a field in Pennsylvania on Saturday, however. The image of the former president raising his fist, his face splattered with blood and his lips curled in defiance, calling for his supporters to ‘Fight!’ will dominate everything. Nothing brings a family together like the proximity of death and the realization that we’re all in this together. A party is no different.

Even before the rally in Pennsylvania, there wasno comparison to the last time tens of thousands of Republican faithful met in person — in Cleveland, Ohio eight years prior. Then, the D.C. rumor mills swirled with ridiculous plots to somehow replace the insurgent nominee before it was too late. This nerdy convention-coup fantasy crested with Texas Sen. Ted Cruz’s call for delegates to ‘vote your conscience.’ He was loudly booed, and the rest is history. There will be no such plotting this year.

It’s been more than half a century since the parties entered the summer with more different optics than 2024. You have to go back to 1968, when Democrats last held their convention in Chicago. While Republicans confidently nominated former Vice President Richard Nixon in Miami Beach, the story was different for the incumbents. The year had begun with a deeply unpopular president, Lyndon B. Johnson, declining to run for re-election after an unexpected near loss in the New Hampshire primary. In the ensuing months, young Robert F. Kennedy was gunned down after winning the major California primary. His brother had been assassinated just a few years prior. Both men had died on TV.

In the closing days of August, the bloody smell from the nearby stockyards hung over the International Amphitheater where Democrat delegates rejected the preferences of their anti-war primary voters, and nominated Vice President Hubert Humphrey, despite his never having even entered a state primary. Outside, hippy rioters raged against the police and the Vietnam War and the Democrat Party in general. Democrat Mayor Bill Daley didn’t flinch to order the mounted police into the fray, cracking heads amid the tear gas and television cameras. In the TV studios, playwright Gore Vidal and and National Review’s Bill Buckley nearly came to blows, as an incensed Buckley sneered invectives at a drunken, smirking Vidal. The ratings were killer, and TV political debate was born. All in all: Peak experience.

Will the Democrats relive the past this August in the Windy City? They’re asking for it in their actions, and tempting the fates with their chosen city.We’ve now seen images reminiscent of the violent ‘60s no our television screens. You can make your wagers we’re in for another chaotic summer on the campaign trail.

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Politics

Biden vows Secret Service will provide Trump with ‘every resource’ to ensure ‘continued safety’

President Biden said Sunday that ‘an assassination attempt is contrary to everything we stand for as a nation,’ after former President Trump narrowly survived an attempt at his life at his rally, vowing to ensure the U.S. Secret Service provides him with ‘every resource, capability and protective measure necessary to ensure his continued safety.’

Biden spoke from the Roosevelt Room at the White House. He is expected to address the nation Sunday night from the Oval Office.

‘Last night, I spoke with Donald Trump. I’m sincerely grateful that he’s doing well and recovering. We had a short but good conversation. Jill and I are keeping him and his family in our prayers,’ Biden said. ‘We also extend our deepest condolences to the family of the victim who was killed. He was a father. He was protecting his family from. The bullets are being fired. He lost his life. God love him.’

He added: ‘We’re also praying for the full recovery of those who were injured. And we’re grateful to the Secret Service agents and other law enforcement agencies and individuals who risked their lives literally for our nation.’

During his rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on Saturday, former President Trump was shot as multiple shots were fired towards the stage from an elevated position outside of the rally venue. The bullet pierced the upper part of his right ear. The former president was rushed from the stage by Secret Service.

The would-be assassin was identified as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks. Crooks

One spectator was killed—Corey Comperatore, a former fire chief in Buffalo Township, Pa. Comperatore was shot and killed, as he shielded his wife and daughters from the bullets.

Authorities say two others were critically injured in the attack.

The FBI is investigating the shooting as an assassination attempt.

‘As I said last night, there is no place in America for this kind of violence or any violence for that matter. An assassination attempt is contrary to everything we stand for it as a nation. Everything,’ Biden said. ‘It’s not who we are as a nation. It’s not America. And we cannot allow this to happen.’

Biden said that ‘unity is the most elusive goal of all, but nothing is important than that right now.’

‘Unity will debate and we’ll disagree. It’s not that’s not going to change, but it’s going to we’re going to not lose sight of who we are as Americans,’ Biden said.

Biden and Vice President Harris were briefed in the Situation Room by the Homeland Security team, ‘including the director of the FBI, the secretary of Homeland Security, the attorney general, the director of the Secret Service, my Homeland Security advisor, the National Security advisor. And we’re going to continue to be briefed.’

Biden stressed that the FBI is leading the investigation and said it is ‘still in its early stages.’

‘We don’t yet have any information about the motive of the shooter. We know who he is,’ Biden said, while adding: ‘I urge everyone, everyone, please don’t make assumptions about his motives or affiliations.’

‘Let the FBI do their job and their partner agencies do their job. I’m instructed that this investigation be thorough and swift, and the investigators will have every resource they need to get this done,’ Biden said.

Biden said that Trump, a former president and nominee of the Republican Party, ‘already received the heightened level of security.’

‘And I’ve been consistent in, in my direction of the Secret Service to provide him with every resource, capability and protective measure necessary to ensure his continued safety,’ Biden said.

Biden also said he has ‘directed the head of the Secret Service to review all security measures for all security measures for the Republican National Convention, which is scheduled to start tomorrow.’

Biden also said he is ‘directing an independent review of the security at yesterday’s rally to assess exactly what happened, and we’ll share the results of that independent review with the American people as well.’

The president said he will speak further Sunday night.

‘We must unite as one nation. We must unite as one nation to demonstrate who we are,’ he said.

Biden’s speech Sunday came after he and Vice President Kamala Harris were briefed in the White House Situation Room from homeland security and law enforcement officials.

Biden called former President Trump after the attempt on Trump’s life Saturday night. The White House described that call as ‘good, short and respectful.’

Biden, on Saturday night, condemned the shooting and called the assassination attempt of a former president and presidential candidate ‘sick.’

The Biden campaign on Saturday night announced it would be pausing all outbound communications and pulling down their campaign ads targeting Trump. The campaign was in the middle of a $50 million ad blitz this month, with spots running in all of the key battleground states.

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Politics

House Oversight Committee asks Secret Service chief to testify on Trump assassination attempt

The House Oversight Committee is summoning the head of the U.S. Secret Service to testify on the deadly shooting at former President Trump’s rally on Saturday night.

‘Today, President Donald Trump survived an assassination attempt when a gunman fired a weapon at him at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania,’ House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., wrote in a letter to Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle. ‘At least one bystander is dead.’

Comer then lauded the agents who leaped on Trump seconds after he was grazed on the ear by a bullet while he spoke with supporters in Butler.

‘The tremendous bravery of the individual United States Secret Service agents who protected President Trump, eliminated the gunman, and possibly averted more loss of life cannot be overstated,’ Comer said.

‘The Committee on Oversight and Accountability has initiated an investigation into today’s assassination attempt on President Trump and requests your voluntary appearance at a full Committee hearing on July 22, 2024.’

That hearing would fall a week after the Republican National Convention (RNC), where Trump is set to be formally declared the GOP nominee for president.

In addition to Comer’s panel, the House Homeland Security Committee said earlier it was also seeking more information on Saturday’s events.

‘The Committee has been in contact with the United States Secret Service and has just requested an official briefing for our members on the attempted assassination of President Trump this evening in Pennsylvania,’ the Homeland Security Committee said in a statement.

Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., vowed to summon Cheatle ‘and other appropriate officials from DHS and the FBI’ before the House to demand answers.

Meanwhile, Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., is putting pressure on Cheatle to ensure Americans that the upcoming Republican and Democratic conventions will be secure.

‘The Director of the Secret Service needs to come out ASAP and let us know how this happened and how everyone at the RNC and DNC conventions will be safe,’ Scott wrote on X.

It comes after Trump was struck in the ear and another rally attendee was killed when a gunman opened fire from a nearby roof toward the beginning of the ex-president’s remarks. Two more people were critically injured, according to the Secret Service, and the shooter was killed by law enforcement.

Trump was escorted off-stage by a group of Secret Service agents who pounced on him immediately after he went down behind his podium, but not before pumping a fist in the air and mouthing ‘fight’ to his supporters.

The Trump campaign indicated hours later that he would still be attending the RNC.

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Politics

Biden leans on foreign policy to justify remaining Democrat nominee: Here’s what he’s done

President Biden this week heavily touted his foreign policy experience as justification to remain the Democratic nominee in November, but some have criticized that experience and the president’s efforts to pump up his achievements.

‘During the week of this summit, several head of states made it a point in their statements to thank the United States and to thank me personally for all that NATO has achieved,’ Biden said Thursday at a press conference. ‘NATO is not only stronger. NATO is bigger because we led the charge to bring in Finland and Sweden into the Alliance, and it makes a gigantic difference.’

Later, Biden responded to a question about why he changed his mind about serving as a ‘bridge’ candidate for a generation of younger Democratic leaders. Biden claimed ‘the gravity of the situation I inherited in terms of economy, our foreign policy and domestic division’ necessitated continuity.

A Biden campaign official told Fox News Digital Biden’s performance during Thursday’s press conference was what the American people were looking for and praised the president’s insightful responses to questions that went into great detail on foreign policy, including the Russia-Ukraine War, China and other topics dealing with foreign affairs.

Here’s what Biden claimed versus what has happened during his administration.

AFGHANISTAN AND THE MILITARY DRAWDOWN

Biden faced his biggest and most immediate criticism on foreign policy when he chose to uphold Trump’s decision to fully withdraw the U.S. military presence from Afghanistan, which led to a Taliban insurgency, the collapse of the previous government and the deaths of 13 U.S. service members amid the evacuation.

‘I get — still get criticized for it, but I was totally opposed to the occupation and trying to unite Afghanistan,’ Biden said. ‘Once we got … Bin Laden, we should have moved on because it was not in our – no one is ever going to unite it – united that country.’

Trump set out and negotiated the plan to withdraw the U.S. troops but set an aggressive deadline for May 2021, giving the military half a year to pull out of the country. Biden moved that deadline back to Sept. 11, 2021, but insisted on completing the deal.

However, in 2023, Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., revealed that a dissent cable sent through State Department channels showed nearly two dozen staffers and diplomats warned the plan as laid out by Biden and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken would lead to exactly the kind of insurgency and collapse that occurred.

Former Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Mark Milley testified just weeks after the drawdown that he and other generals had advised against a total drawdown and suggested leaving a force of around 2,500 troops in the country. Biden insisted that ‘no one said that to me that I can recall.’

UKRAINE AND RUSSIA

Biden has arguably scored his strongest foreign policy points on the handling of Russia and Ukraine, even as critics argue that Biden’s approach to relations with Russia invited the invasion and allowed Russian President Vladimir Putin to believe he could succeed in taking Ukraine.

‘For those who thought NATO’s time had passed, they got a rude awakening when Putin invaded Ukraine,’ Biden argued. ‘We collected intelligence that Russia was planning to invade Ukraine months before the invasion. I directed … a significant amount of intelligence to be declassified, so I could start building an international coalition to oppose the invasion.’

But at least one military official admitted Biden’s policy of deterrence was not effective enough to have prevented Putin’s plan to invade. U.S. Gen. Tod Wolters told the House Armed Services Committee in March 2022 that he ‘couldn’t argue’ with the conclusion that ‘deterrence failed in Ukraine.’

The Biden administration attempted to deter Putin with a series of sanctions throughout January and February as it warned Russia would invade, but Biden later claimed that ‘sanctions never deter.’

However, Biden continued to supply Ukraine with the necessary weapons needed to defend against Russia in what has become known as the ‘porcupine strategy,’ even though that strategy has come under scrutiny as the war lurches through its third year and many in the U.S. Congress question how long the U.S. and its allies can continue supporting Ukraine in a war without an end in sight.

IRAN APPEASEMENT?

One of the most contentious arguments for Biden’s foreign policy remains his handling of Iran and its march for a nuclear weapon. The Biden administration has relied heavily on sanctions to deter Tehran despite Biden admitting that ‘sanctions never deter’ when talking about Russia. But that, in turn, has seemingly driven Iran to develop strong ties with Russia and China to alleviate those pressures.

Biden addressed this new and evolving dynamic during his press conference, saying he had plans to try and ‘interrupt that impact’ but could not talk about the details in public. He did warn that he could see many of his European allies ‘curtailing their investment in China as long as China continues to have indirect help to Russia’ but did not directly address Iran.

ISRAEL AND GAZA

Biden spent significant time during the press conference discussing Israel and Gaza, which occurred the day before Biden announced that Israel and Hamas had agreed in principle to a framework to achieve a cease-fire agreement.

‘The question has been from the beginning: What’s the day after in Gaza?’ Biden said, adding later he was ‘able to unite the Arab nations’ and protect Israel from Iran’s ballistic missiles.

‘Nothing got hurt,’ he stressed. ‘It sent an incredible lesson to what was going on from the Middle East.’

‘There’s a lot of things that, in retrospect, I wish I had been able to convince the Israelis to do, but the bottom line is we have a chance this time to end this war,’ he added.

Many have alleged the attack on Israel occurred because Iran felt emboldened by the Biden administration policy of appeasement. Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., in the immediate aftermath of the Oct. 7 attack on Israel blamed Biden’s ‘weakness’ against Iran for what happened.

‘For three years, the president has appeased Iran, the world’s worst state sponsor of terrorism,’ Cotton said. ‘It’s not just the $6 billion that was released from sanctions controls last month. It’s $10 billion that was released from Iraq into Iran.’

Ultimately, western officials determined Iran did not direct the attack against Israel, but Iran months later would proudly claim the attack as revenge for the assassination of Quds Force Gen. Qassem Soleimani, which Hamas, in turn, rejected.

Fox News Digital’s Anders Hagstrom, Andrew Mark Miller and Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.

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Politics

Assassination attempt on Trump at Pennsylvania rally leaves 2 hurt, 2 dead, including shooter

Former President Trump was rushed off the stage by the Secret Service at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, where gunshots rang out on Saturday, leaving at least one person killed, two attendees hurt and the alleged shooter dead.

Gunfire broke out shortly after Trump began speaking at the rally at Butler Farm Show grounds.

The U.S. Secret Services said in a press release, that the suspected shooter fired from an ‘elevated position’ and killed at least one person and ‘critically injured’ 2 others.

An elite FBI Fly Team is en route to Butler to conduct an ‘assassination investigation,’ a Secret Service source told Fox News’ Lucas Tomlinson.

The former president had just begun to fire up the crowd when as many as five shots were heard, and he went down, surrounded by Secret Service agents.

‘And then the worst president in the history of our country took over. And look what happened to our country. Probably 20 million people [came in illegally]. And, you know, that’s a little bit old, that chart… that chart’s a couple of months old. And if you want to really see something that sad, take a look at what happened over…’ Trump said before gunfire rang out.

As they led him away, with what appeared to be blood on his cheek and his right ear, he raised his arms defiantly.

Trump was heard telling his security team, ‘let me get my shoes,’ as they brought him to his feet and hustled him off-stage.

Donald Trump Jr. confirmed to Fox News Digital that his father is in ‘great spirits’ as he remains under observation at an area hospital, saying that the presumptive Republican nominee is ‘never stop fighting to save America.’

‘I just spoke to my father on the phone, and he is in great spirits,’ Trump Jr. said. ‘He will never stop fighting to save America, no matter what the radical left throws at him.’

In a Truth Social post, Trump said that he was shot with a bullet that ‘pierced the upper part of my right ear.’

‘I want to thank The United States Secret Service, and all of Law Enforcement, for their rapid response on the shooting that just took place in Butler, Pennsylvania,’ he said. ‘Most importantly, I want to extend my condolences to the family of the person at the Rally who was killed, and also to the family of another person that was badly injured.’

I knew immediately that something was wrong…

— Former President Donald Trump

‘It is incredible that such an act can take place in our Country. Nothing is known at this time about the shooter, who is now dead. I was shot with a bullet that pierced the upper part of my right ear,’ he said. ‘I knew immediately that something was wrong in that I heard a whizzing sound, shots, and immediately felt the bullet ripping through the skin. Much bleeding took place, so I realized then what was happening. GOD BLESS AMERICA!’

In a statement, the Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi said that they have ‘implemented protective measures.’

‘An incident occurred the evening of July 13 at a Trump rally in Pennsylvania,’ Guglielmi said. ‘The Secret Service has implemented protective measures and the former President is safe. This is now an active Secret Service investigation and further information will be released when available.’

In a statement, Trump’s communication director, Steven Cheung, said that the former president ‘is fine.’

‘President Trump thanks law enforcement and first responders for their quick action during this heinous act,’ Cheung said. ‘He is fine and is being checked out at a local medical facility.’

In a statement, President Biden said that he has been briefed on the incident and is ‘praying for him and his family.’

‘I have been briefed on the shooting at Donald Trump’s rally in Pennsylvania. I’m grateful to hear that he’s safe and doing well. I’m praying for him and his family and for all those who were at the rally, as we await further information,’ Biden said.

Biden added that there was ‘no place for this kind of violence in America.’

‘Jill and I are grateful to the Secret Service for getting him to safety,’ he said. ‘There’s no place for this kind of violence in America. We must unite as one nation to condemn it.’

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Politics

Gunfire breaks out at Trump rally in Pennsylvania; 2 attendees hurt, shooter dead

Former President Trump was rushed off the stage by the Secret Service at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday, after gunshots rang out on Saturday, leaving two attendees hurt and the alleged shooter dead.

Gunfire broke out shortly after Trump began speaking at the rally at Butler Farm Show grounds.

The Associated Press, citing law enforcement sources, said that the attack on the former president is being investigated as an assassination attempt.

The former president had just begun to fire up the crowd when as many as five shots were heard, and he went down, surrounded by Secret Service agents.

‘And then the worst president in the history of our country took over. And look what happened to our country. Probably 20 million people [came in illegally]. And, you know, that’s a little bit old, that chart… that chart’s a couple of months old. And if you want to really see something that sad, take a look at what happened over…’ Trump said before gunfire rang out.

As they led him away, with what appeared to be blood on his cheek and his right ear, he raised his arms defiantly.

Trump was heard telling his security team, ‘let me get my shoes,’ as they brought him to his feet and hustled him off-stage.

Donald Trump Jr. confirmed to Fox News Digital that his father is in ‘great spirits’ as he remains under observation, saying that the presumptive Republican nominee is ‘never stop fighting to save America.’

‘I just spoke to my father on the phone, and he is in great spirits,’ Trump Jr. said. ‘He will never stop fighting to save America, no matter what the radical left throws at him.’

Trump’s condition is unclear.

The frantic scene captured rally-goers racing out after shots rang out.

The shooter is dead and two other rally-goers are dead, a law enforcement source told Fox News’ Jacqui Heinrich.

In a statement, the Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi said that they have ‘implemented protective measures.’

‘An incident occurred the evening of July 13 at a Trump rally in Pennsylvania,’ Guglielmi ‘The Secret Service has implemented protective measures and the former President is safe. This is now an active Secret Service investigation and further information will be released when available.’

In a statement, Trump’s communication director, Steven Cheung, said that the former president ‘is fine.’

‘President Trump thanks law enforcement and first responders for their quick action during this heinous act,’ Cheung said. ‘He is fine and is being checked out at a local medical facility.’

In a statement, President Biden said that he has been briefed on the incident and is ‘praying for him and his family.’

‘I have been briefed on the shooting at Donald Trump’s rally in Pennsylvania. I’m grateful to hear that he’s safe and doing well. I’m praying for him and his family and for all those who were at the rally, as we await further information,’ Biden said.

Biden added that there was ‘no place for this kind of violence in America.’

‘Jill and I are grateful to the Secret Service for getting him to safety,’ he said. ‘There’s no place for this kind of violence in America. We must unite as one nation to condemn it.’

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Politics

Possible gunfire breaks out at Trump rally in Pennsylvania

President Trump was rushed off the stage by the Secret Service at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday, after apparent gunshots rang out.

Gunfire appeared to break out shortly after Trump began speaking at the rally at Butler Farm Show grounds on Saturday evening.

The former president had just begun to fire up the crowd when as many as five shots were heard and he went down, surrounded by Secret Service agents.

‘And then the worst president in the history of our country took over. And look what happened to our country. Probably 20 million people [came in illegally]. And, you know, that’s a little bit old, that chart… that chart’s a couple of months old. And if you want to really see something that sad, take a look at what happened over…’ Trump said before gunfire rang out.

As they led him away, with what appeared to be blood on his head, he raised his arms defiantly.

Trump was heard telling his security team, ‘let me get my shoes,’ as they brought him to his feet and hustled him off-stage.

The frantic scene captured rally-goers racing out after shots rang out.

There is no information on whom the shooter may have been or if any arrests have been made.

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Politics

Biden tells Michigan crowd he’s ‘not going anywhere’ amid chants of ‘Don’t you quit’

President Biden left no ambiguity about his intentions to stay in the 2024 election during a Michigan rally on Friday.

Speaking in Detroit to a crowd that Democrats say passed 2,000 attendees, Biden characterized himself as a people’s champion under siege by elitist powers in Washington, D.C.

‘I’m the nominee of this party, because 14 million Democrats like you voted for me in the primaries,’ Biden told the crowd.

He continued, ‘You made me the nominee, no one else. Not the press, not the pundits, not the insiders, not donors — you the voters. You decided, no one else, and I’m not going anywhere.’

The Detroit crowd offered multiple coordinated cheers in support of Biden, including ‘Don’t you quit’ and ‘We’ve got your back.’

Biden faces increased calls to step down as the Democratic nominee following his performance at the first presidential debate, however, strategists with knowledge of presidential campaigns say irreversible damage has not been done to his re-election efforts.

‘You’ve probably noticed a lot of speculation lately. What’s Joe Biden going to do? Is he going to stay in the race? Is he going to drop out?’ Biden shouted during the rally. ‘Here’s my answer — I am running, and we’re going to win.’

Democrats are nervous as the calendar marches towards August, when the national convention will be held to confirm the party’s nominee.

Biden has stated on several occasions that he will not be stepping down as the nominee, but he continues to face pressure from members within his own party to consider dropping out of the 2024 race.

‘The president has been clear — he’s the elected nominee, and he is not budging from that position unless god himself intervenes,’ Democrat strategist Mark Penn told Fox News Digital when asked about the state of Biden’s campaign.

‘Right now, Donald Trump is clearly leading, but it’s nowhere near double digits, so the race remains within the ability of a few percent of switching voters to change the outcome and, as events like the debate show, there’s plenty of game-changing possibilities.’

Reports have also surfaced that former President Barack Obama has been working ‘behind the scenes’ to force Biden out of the race. Multiple media outlets reported Thursday morning on Obama’s alleged efforts, including Politico, which stated that the former president had been given a ‘heads-up’ by Clooney about his guest essay.

A source close to Obama declined to comment on the reports but pointed Fox News Digital to the former president’s statements in support of Biden, both at the Los Angeles fundraiser that became the subject of Clooney’s op-ed and following the debate.

Fox News Digital’s Aubrie Spady contributed to this report.

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