Biden says politics must never become ‘a killing field’

Trump’s support base is “very much consolidated” entering the Republican National Convention and would have been even without the attempted assassination, said former U.S. Ambassador to Singapore David Adelman.

Adelman told CNBC’s “Squawk Box Asia” that he expects the attempted assassination to be “a subject for discussion over the entirety of the campaign.”

“These are very uncommon occurrences in the United States, and I think Americans are rightfully traumatized by what has occurred,” he said.

—Lee Ying Shan

Trump has arrived in Milwaukee for the Republican National Convention where he is expected to be nominated as the Republican presidential candidate.

The former president was initially going to delay the trip by two days due to the attempted assassination, but decided otherwise.

“I was going to delay my trip to Wisconsin, and The Republican National Convention, by two days, but have just decided that I cannot allow a ‘shooter,’ or potential assassin, to force change to scheduling, or anything else,” the former president wrote on social media platform Truth Social.

The four-day convention kicks off on Monday.

— Lee Ying Shan

President Joe Biden in a rare Oval Office address responded to the assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump by condemning violence and urging Americans to cool down their inflamed political discourse.

“We can’t allow this violence to be normalized,” Biden said. “You know, the political rhetoric in this country has gotten very heated. It’s time to cool it down.”

The shooting “calls on all of us to take a step back, take stock of where we are, how we go forward from here,” Biden said in the speech, which lasted less than seven minutes.

Watch the entire address below:

Biden ended his Oval Office address by stressing that democratic norms of decency, dignity and fair play are more than just “quaint notions,” but “living, breathing realities.”

“Look, let’s never lose sight of who we are,” Biden said.

“Let’s remember we are the United States of America. There is nothing, nothing, nothing beyond our capacity when we do it together,” he said. “God bless you all, and may God protect our troops.”

Biden spoke for less than seven minutes.

— Kevin Breuninger

Biden’s Oval Office address tonight was his third since taking office. It is the seventh time in his presidency that he has delivered an address in primetime, not including his State of the Union addresses.

His most recent primetime address from the Oval Office before Sunday was on Oct. 19, 2023, when Biden delivered remarks on the Israel-Hamas conflict.

– Josephine Rozzelle

Biden condemned political violence in all its forms, declaring that the natural disagreements that arise in a free country must never devolve into a “killing field.”

“Disagreement is inevitable in American democracy. It’s part of human nature,” Biden said. “But politics must never be a literal battlefield or, God forbid, a killing field.”

Biden’s speech invoked not just the assassination attempt against Trump but also the attack on Paul Pelosi, the husband of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi; the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot; and other events.

— Kevin Breuninger

President Joe Biden said at the start of his national address that he wanted to speak about “the need for us to lower the temperature in our politics.”

Biden began speaking from the Oval Office at 8:01 p.m. ET.

— Kevin Breuninger

President Biden is set to deliver remarks from the Oval Office at 8 p.m. ET, where he will make a plea to end political violence in light of the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, a Biden campaign official previewed to NBC News.

Throughout his campaign, Biden has repeatedly condemned examples of political violence like the 2017 Charlottesville riots and the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection, both of which he has at least in part blamed Trump for inciting.

“He has been clear that we don’t settle our differences through violence,” the Biden campaign official told NBC News. “We settle them at the ballot box.”

In the hours since the Trump assassination attempt, some Republican lawmakers have blamed Biden’s campaign rhetoric for the shooting.

The campaign official staunchly rejected that notion: “In a moment when Americans should come together and unite to condemn this horrifying attack, anyone – especially elected officials with national platforms – politicizing this tragedy, spreading disinformation, and seeking to further divide Americans isn’t just unacceptable – it’s an abdication of leadership.”

The official said Biden will continue to “draw the contrast” with Republicans’ agendas throughout the rest of the week, as the Republican National Convention is in full swing.

After tonight’s address, Biden will sit for an interview with NBC News’ Lester Holt on Monday.

— Rebecca Picciotto

Democratic donor and LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman penned a lengthy X post Sunday afternoon wishing former President Donald Trump a speedy recovery and clarifying a previous comment he made from Sun Valley, Idaho, on Trump being a martyr.

“At a recent business conference, Peter Thiel said that my lawsuit work against Trump was “turning a clown into a martyr.” In that context, I replied that I wished that Trump would martyr himself – meaning let himself be held accountable – for his assaults on and lies about women,” Hoffman wrote.

“Of course I meant nothing about any sort of physical harm or violence, which I categorically deplore.”

Hoffman previously provided financing to E. Jean Carroll’s legal efforts against Trump. The two civil trials resulted in a judge ruling that Trump owed Carroll more than $88 million in damages for sexual abuse and defamation.

— Jake Piazza

Donald Trump has landed in Milwaukee, Wisconsin for the Republican National Convention, which will take place Monday to Thursday. Tens of thousands of people are expected to attend.

— Rebecca Picciotto

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., offered a message of optimism to attendees at a Kentucky delegation event kicking off the Republican National Convention, NBC News confirmed.

“We are not going to let this kind of hatred redefine this country,” said McConnell, who attended the event with his wife, Elaine Chao.

“How about that fist pump on the way up,” he joked, referencing Donald Trump punching his fist in the air for several seconds as Secret Service rushed him off stage at the rally.

— Rebecca Picciotto

JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon addressed the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump in a memo sent out to all employees.

Dimon said the leadership’s teams thoughts go out to Trump, his family and the families of the victims injured or killed Saturday evening.

“We must all stand firmly together against any acts of hate, intimidation or violence that seek to undermine our democracy or inflict harm,” Dimon also wrote. “It is only through constructive dialogue that we can tackle our nation’s toughest challenges.”

— Hugh Son & Jake Piazza

The Pennsylvania State Police identified the three rally attendees who were shot, one who was tragically killed and two who were left in critical condition. All three were Pennsylvania residents.

David Dutch, a 57-year-old resident of New Kensington, and James Copenhaver, a 74-year-old resident of Moon Township, both suffered critical injuries but are now in stable condition, although still hospitalized, according to the police department.

The deceased victim, Corey Comperatore, was a 50-year-old former Pennsylvania firefighter with a wife and two daughters.

Comperatore was identified by Gov. Josh Shapiro earlier Sunday, who had spoken with his family. The governor said his family wanted to let the public know that Comperatore “died a hero” by using his body as a shield to protect them at the rally.

“These victims and their families are certainly in our thoughts today,” State Commissioner Colonel Christopher Paris said. “The Pennsylvania State Police continue to work tirelessly alongside our federal, state and local partners as this investigation continues.”

— Rebecca Picciotto

The Secret Service will not change its security plan for the Republican National Convention, despite the alleged assassination attempt Saturday.

“There have been no changes to our current operational security plans for this event,” Audrey Gibson-Cicchino, the RNC coordinator for the Secret Service, said at a Sunday press conference, adding that the plan has been developed over 18 months and has been designated the highest level of security.

“We are confident in these security plans that are in place for this event and we’re ready to go.”

Firearms will not be allowed inside the convention, nor within the Secret Service’s security perimeter. But outside of that perimeter, just blocks away from the GOP convention, firearms will be permitted.

The convention will take place from Monday to Thursday in Wisconsin, an open-carry state. As a result, the Secret Service said it did not have jurisdiction over firearm regulation outside of its outlined security perimeter and deferred to the state’s law enforcement.

“We have to respect the Second Amendment right to carry your firearm,” Milwaukee Police Chief Jeffrey Norman said at the press conference. “As that is your right, please exercise your right in a responsible manner.”

“The Milwaukee Police Department will not tolerate any particular behaviors outside of what is legally allowed in regards to that right,” Norman added.

— Rebecca Picciotto

A Bethel Park rehab facility said that the 20-year old gunman worked as its dietary aide, noting that his background check and job performance had never raised an alarm.

“We are shocked and saddened to learn of his involvement as Thomas Matthew Crooks performed his job without concern and his background check was clean,” Marcie Grimm, an administrator at Bethel Park Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, the suspected shooter’s employer, wrote in a statement.

Grimm said that the facility is “fully cooperating” with law enforcement as the FBI continues its investigation.

“We condemn all acts of violence,” Grimm wrote.

— Rebecca Picciotto

Moments before the suspected shooter opened fire on former President Donald Trump, a municipal police officer confronted him, said Butler County Sheriff Michael T. Slupe in an interview with The Washington Post.

The officer lifted himself high enough to look onto the roof, Slupe said, and the suspected shooter pointed his gun at the peering officer. Slupe said the officer was holding the edge of the roof, so he was not holding his gun in his hand, and then dropped down.

Moments later, the gunman opened fire on the rally, according to Slupe’s account to The Washington Post.

“He lets go because he doesn’t want to get killed,” Slupe said to The Washington Post.

The officer from the roof was investigating an earlier report of a suspicious individual, according to the Washington Post.

— Jake Piazza

CNBC Squawk Box anchor Joe Kernen spoke with former President Trump on Sunday, according to Kernen’s post on X.

“He asked me to pass on to all that he’s doing great and is gratified by all the encouragement and support, from both sides of the aisle,” Kernen wrote, adding, “He was in amazing spirits, added he has a little problem with his right ear but was glad he turned his head at the last minute.”

Kernen called in to MSNBC with Katy Tur shortly afterward and recapped the roughly three-minute conversation.

Trump told Kernen he received calls from both sides of the aisle, including from some people he did not expect to hear from.

— Jake Piazza

The FBI agents investigating the Trump assassination attempt said the suspected gunman acted alone but that there are still many questions that need to be answered.

“At this point the investigation, it appears that he was a lone actor,” FBI executive assistant director Robert Wells said during a call with reporters, noting that the investigation is still in its early phases.

Kevin Rojek, the FBI special agent leading the investigation, said that the bureau has confirmed that the suspected shooter used an AR-style 556 rifle, which was purchased legally.

Many questions remain as the investigation continues.

Rojek added that they have not yet “identified an ideology” associated with the gunman and that the FBI is still working to piece together the timeline of the events leading up to the assassination attempt.

The FBI said it had searched the suspected gunman’s vehicle and that it is working to get full access to his phone and social media accounts, in order to understand his motive and the sequence of events leading up to the shooting.

During the vehicle search, Rojek said, the FBI found a “suspicious device” that was inspected by bomb technicians. The device is still under analysis.

The FBI officials noted that they are also keeping tabs on the fallout of the events and monitoring the upcoming Republican and Democratic conventions. The FBI said it has not so far identified any existing public safety concerns related to this shooting’s aftermath.

Attorney General Merrick Garland and FBI Director Christopher Wray were also on the call and extended their condolences to the shooting victims.

“Our hearts are with them and with those critically injured and their families,” Garland said.

Wray said the bureau has dedicated the “full force of the FBI to this investigation.” That includes criminal and national security teams, tactical support, teams to process crime scene evidence, victim services, specialists, the FBI lab and its operational technology division, he said.

The FBI officials said it has received over 2,600 tips so far, each of which the bureau plans to investigate. They reiterated that the public should report any knowledge of the situation to their tip line at 1-800-CALLFBI (1-800-225-5324) or online at fbi.gov/butler.

— Rebecca Picciotto

The reported attempted assassination of Donald Trump, just two days before the Republican National Convention kicks off, will likely supercharge the emotional energy of what was already expected to be an intense four-day bout of Trump fanfare.

“When he [Trump] walks in that arena for the first time, the decibel level will be so high it will be almost unmeasurable,” Corey Lewandowski, a close Trump ally who is advising the RNC, said Sunday.

Aside from the elevated emotional intensity, the general structure and schedule of the Milwaukee convention is set to remain the same, Wisconsin GOP Chair Brian Schimming said in a press conference, noting that he had spoken with RNC Chair Michael Whatley.

That schedule includes the highly-anticipated announcement of Trump’s vice presidential pick, which is expected Wednesday.

In a Truth Social post Sunday, Trump said he was looking forward to addressing the nation from the convention in Wisconsin. Later Sunday, he was en route to the Badger State.

The RNC has over 80 names on its speaker lineup, including former GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley, who on Sunday accepted her invitation to speak. She appeared to receive that invitation sometime in the past several days, NBC News reported on Saturday.

— Rebecca Picciotto