Donald Trump shooting: US President Joe Biden calls for country to unite against violence

US President Joe Biden condemned the assassination attempt against Republican rival Donald Trump on Sunday and said he was grateful Trump was recovering from his wounds in the incident.

In remarks at the White House, Biden said he would address the American people on Sunday night on the need for unity.

He said he had ordered a review of what happened at the Trump rally in Pennsylvania.

Biden directed the investigation into the Trump attack to be “thorough and swift,” and asked the public not to “make assumptions” about the gunman’s motive.

“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 ... as a nation - everything,” he said.

Biden’s planned remarks come after homeland security and law enforcement officials briefed the president, and as the White House continued to call for national unity and condemn the stunning act of violence.

Vice President Kamala Harris joined Biden for an update from top investigators, including Attorney General Merrick Garland, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and FBI Director Christopher Wray.

Also participating were White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and Kim Cheatle, director of the US Secret Service.

Trump himself called for unity and national resilience, and aides said he was in “great spirits and doing well” after being injured during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.

He is pushing ahead with plans to attend this week’s Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.

In the moments after the shooting, Biden’s re-election campaign said it was putting a hold on “all outbound communications and working to pull down our television ads as quickly as possible.”

It was not clear how long the suspension would last.

Harris postponed a planned campaign trip to Florida on Tuesday, where she was to meet with Republican women voters, according to a campaign official.

Investigators are still in the early stages of determining what occurred and why.

But some Biden critics are calling out the president for telling donors on a private call on July 8 that: “it’s time to put Trump in the bullseye”.

A person familiar with those remarks said Sunday that the president was trying to make the point that Trump had gotten away with a light public schedule after last month’s debate. In contrast, the president faced intense scrutiny from many even within his party for his dismal performance in the face-off.

The person spoke on the condition of anonymity to more freely discuss private conversations.

In the donor call, Biden said: “I have one job and that’s to beat Donald Trump ... I’m absolutely certain I’m the best person to be able to do that”.

He continued: “So, we’re done talking about the debate. It’s time to put Trump in the bullseye. He’s gotten away with doing nothing for the last 10 days except ride around in his golf cart, bragging about scores he didn’t score? Anyway, I won’t get into his golf game”.

In his initial response to the shooting on Saturday night, Biden condemned the attempt on Trump’s life.

The White House said then that the two men spoke, but did not release details.

Biden has returned to Washington and will not be travelling to Texas on Monday as planned, the White House announced.

with Reuters and dpa