Biden in Oval Office address calls for calm, says political change happens ‘at the ballot box, not with bullets’

President Joe Biden on Sunday spoke from the Oval Office to condemn acts of political violence following the assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump.

President Joe Biden on Sunday called for calm and denounced all forms of political violence following the assassination attempt against his political rival Donald Trump at a Pennsylvania rally on Saturday.

Addressing the nation from the Oval Office, he acknowledged how he and Trump have differing visions for America and that his political opponent will likely criticize him on his record. But those differences, he said, must be settled “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,” the president said. “The path forward, through competing visions of the campaign, should always be resolved peacefully, not through acts of violence.”

Biden notably cited recent acts of political violence and threats perpetrated against Democrats, mentioning the attack against Nancy Pelosi’s husband and a plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. The president also cited the January 6 storming of the Capitol.

A Trump spokesperson did not immediately return a request for comment.