Speech to the nation

Ballot boxes instead of bullets: Biden admonishes US citizens

Joe Biden gave a speech to the nation from the Oval Office in the White House.

(Bild: AP/Susan Walsh)

US President Joe Biden has addressed the nation following the assassination attempt on Donald Trump. In a rare speech from the Oval Office, the Democrat called for unity. His message: "We are not enemies!"

"We resolve our differences at the ballot box. That's how we do it - at the ballot box, not with bullets," said Biden in his address to the nation. The political debate in the country had become very heated, he said. "It's time to cool it down. We all have a responsibility to do that."

Violence is never a solution, Biden emphasized. "We are not enemies." An evening address like this from the president's office at government headquarters, broadcast live on television, is reserved for moments of crisis and major turning points in the country. This is exactly what the United States is currently facing after the act of violence against presidential candidate Trump.

Biden wants "decency and kindness"
In his speech, the US President emphasized: "I will continue to be a strong advocate for our democracy, to stand up for our Constitution and the rule of law, and to call for action at the ballot box, without violence on our streets." This is how democracy should work, he warned. "We stand for an America not of extremism and anger, but of decency and kindness."

Biden's speech to the nation to review: 

Biden emphasized, "Here in America, we need to get out of our silos where we only listen to those with whom we agree." He warned against misinformation and "foreign actors fanning the flames of our division to influence election outcomes that suit their interests and not ours".

Political violence on the rise
The 81-year-old also mentioned the storming of the Capitol on 6 January 2021, when Trump supporters violently stormed the seat of parliament in Washington. Congress had convened there to formally confirm Biden's victory in the 2020 presidential election.

Trump had previously incited his supporters in a speech with unsubstantiated claims that his election victory had been stolen from him through massive fraud. Biden also recalled the attack on the husband of top Democrat Nancy Pelosi.

Fear of further violence
Biden had already condemned the assassination attempt on Trump shortly after it happened. There is great horror worldwide and fears of a political spiral of violence in the USA in the middle of the election campaign.

The assassination from a new perspective:

Trump wants to challenge Democratic incumbent Biden in the presidential election on November 5. Several high-ranking representatives of both parties in the USA condemned the attack.

Following the attack, the question remains as to whether the event and Trump were adequately protected. Biden had announced an independent investigation to clarify exactly what happened.

Trump arrives in Milwaukee
The Republican nomination convention starts on Monday in the wake of the attack. The Secret Service is not yet planning to tighten measures. Trump is to be officially chosen as the party's presidential candidate at the mega-event later this week. Following the attack, Trump is keen to avoid giving any impression of weakness: He still traveled to Milwaukee in the US state of Wisconsin on Sunday. The party convention is taking place there.

In Milwaukee, security precautions are in full swing.

(Bild: Getty Images/Michael M. Santiago)

The political mood in the United States has been heated for years. At the beginning of the year, the US Department of Justice lamented a "deeply troubling increase in threats" against public officials and democratic institutions in the country.