Joe Biden has attacked Donald Trump’s decision to pick JD Vance as his running mate, calling him “pro-rich.” In a post on X he said “they want to cut taxes for the very wealthy.”
Political America must step back and tone down the conflict. This is the warning from the American president who, in a speech to the nation from the Oval Office after the attack on Donald Trump, warns that “Political violence cannot be normalized in the United States”It is the president and not the Democratic candidate for the White House against the tycoon who addressed millions of Americans shocked by the attack in Pennsylvania and exasperated by the divisions that are tearing the United States apart, today more than ever. “There is no place in America for this kind of violence, for any violence, ever. Period. No exceptions,” insisted the 81-year-old commander in chief, appealing to his fellow citizens not to “take the road” of weapons. “The power to change the country is in the hands of the people, not in those of an assassination,” warned Biden, recalling that the future of America “is decided at the ballot box, not with bullets.” “We debate and disagree, we compare and contrast the characters of the candidates, their precedents, their agenda, their vision for America. But in the United States, we resolve our differences at the ballot box, not with bullets.” The president also appealed not to exploit the attack and not to jump to hasty conclusions about the motive, the myriad of conspiracy theories circulating on the web that have accused the Democrats or “the Jewish lobby.” A speech lasting just six minutes, behind the Resolute Desk, the iconic desk used byalmost every American president since 1880. “Lower the temperature of our politics,” Biden’s exact words after the attack on Trump hit an already chaotic campaign like a boulder. The tone has certainly lowered on the Democratic side. After dominating the headlines for more than two weeks, calls for a withdrawal have subsided and anti-Biden voters have fallen into total silence. The question is: for how long? Since Saturday’s horrific events, there have been no new congressmen, senators or party celebrities calling on the president to step down and it’s likely there won’t be any in the coming days, especially with the media all focused on the shooting and the Republican convention. “This is not the time to attack Biden after what happened,” one Democrat explained to Axios, stressing that “it would be unpatriotic and inappropriate.” “We are all concerned about the safety of our fellow citizens and our staff, our attention is elsewhere,” said another. “The only important thing now is how the president can help our country deal with the anger and this dramatic moment.” So the commander-in-chief should ride in the saddle at least until the Chicago kermesse. But the fear of losing the elections and the control of both chambers of Congress is only increasing and could bring the anti-Biden camp back to the surface at any moment, especially in light of the latest polls. In the latest New York Times/Siena College poll, Biden is behind the Republican in the swing state of Pennsylvania (45% to 48%) while in Virginia, where he won by 10 points in 2020, he is ahead by only 3%. There are also those who, after the attempted assassination of the tycoon, have already resigned themselves to defeat: “It’s over now.” In the meantime, Biden continues to express words of solidarity with his Republican rival – “Jill and I pray for him and his family, I am sincerely happy to know that he is recovering” -, has canceled commitments, except for an interview with NBC, and canceled events and campaign spots for a few days. An official of his campaign clarified, however, that the National Committee and the president will soon return to running “against Trump”, organizing political events and underlining the contrast between “a program that looks forward and one that wants to take America backwards”. (ANSA).