My fellow Americans, I want to speak to you
tonight about the need for us to lower the temperature in our politics
and to remember, while we may disagree, we are not enemies.
We’re neighbors. We’re friends, coworkers, citizens. And,
most importantly, we are fellow Americans. And we must stand
together.
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.
Thankfully, former [President] Trump is not seriously injured. I spoke with him last night.
I’m grateful he’s doing well. And Jill and I keep him and his
family in our prayers.
We also extend our deepest condolences to the family of the victim who
was killed. Corey was a husband, a father, a volunteer
firefighter, a hero, sheltering his family from those bullets.
We should all hold his family and all those injured in our prayers.
Earlier today, I spoke about an ongoing investigation. We do not
know the motive of the shooter yet. We don’t know his opinions
or affiliations. We don’t know whether he had help or support or
if he communicated with anyone else. Law enforcement
professionals, as I speak, are investigating those questions.
Tonight, I want to speak to what we do know: A former president was
shot. An American citizen killed while simply exercising his
freedom to support the candidate of his choosing.
We cannot — we must not go down this road in America. We’ve
traveled it before throughout our history. Violence has never
been the answer, whether it’s with members of Congress in both parties
being targeted in the shot, or a violent mob attacking the Capitol on
January 6th, or a brutal attack on the spouse of former Speaker of the
House Nancy Pelosi, or information and intimidation on election
officials, or the kidnapping plot against a sitting governor, or an
attempted assassination on Donald Trump.
There is no place in America for this kind of violence or for any
violence ever. Period. No exceptions. We can’t allow
this violence to be normalized.
You know, the political rhetoric in this country has gotten very
heated. It’s time to cool it down. And we all have a
responsibility to do that.
Yes, we have deeply felt, strong disagreements. The stakes in
this election are enormously high.
I’ve said it many times that the choice in this elect- — that we make
in this election is going to shape the future of America and the world
for decades to come. I believe that with all my soul. I
know that millions of my fellow Americans believe it as well.
And some have a different view as to the direction our country should
take. Disagreement is inevitable in American democracy.
It’s part of human nature. But politics must never be a literal
battlefield and, God forbid, a killing field.
I believe politics ought to 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.
All of us now face a time of testing as the election approaches.
And the higher the stakes, the more fervent the passions become.
This places an added burden on each of us to ensure that no matter how
strong our convictions, we must never descend into violence.
The Republican convention will start tomorrow. I have no doubt
they’ll criticize my record and offer their own vision for this
country. I’ll be traveling this week, making the case for our
record and the vision — my vision of 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.
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. You know, that’s how we do it, at
the ballot box, not with bullets. The power to
change America should always rest in the hands of the people, not in
the hands of a would-be assassin.
You know, the path forward through competing visions of the campaign
should always be resolved peacefully, not through acts of violence.
You know, we’re blessed to live in the greatest country on
Earth. And I believe that with every soul — every power of my
being. So, tonight, I’m asking every American to recommit to
make America so — make America what it i- — think about it.
What’s made America so special?
Here in America, everyone wants to be treated with dignity and
respect, and hate must have no safe harbor.
Here in America, we need to get out of our silos, where we only listen
to those with whom we agree, where misinformation is rampant, where
foreign actors fan the flames of our division to shape the outcomes
consistent with their interests, not ours.
Let’s remember, here in America, while unity is the most elusive of goals right now, nothing is more — more important for us now
than standing together. We can do this.
You know, from the beginning, our founders understood the power of
passion, and so they created a democracy that gave reason and balance
a chance to prevail over brute force. That’s the America we must
be, an American democracy where arguments are made in good faith, an
American democracy where the rule of law is respected, an American
democracy where decency, dignity, fair play aren’t just quaint
notions, but living, breathing realities.
We owe that to those who come before us, to those who gave their lives
for this country. We that — we owe that to ourselves. We
owe it to our children and our grandchildren.
Look, let’s never lose sight of who we are. Let’s remember we
are the United States of America. There is nothing, nothing,
nothing beyond our capacity when we do it together.
So, God bless you all. And may God protect our troops.
