Biden's plea for unity amid post-shooting bitterness and anger

How did Thomas Crooks manage to get so close to Donald Trump despite his heavy security? ITV News Correspondent Robert Moore reports

On Sunday night, President Biden tried to achieve the single most challenging mission in America; he attempted to lower the political temperature.

He spoke from the Oval Office in a prime-time address to Americans following the attempted assassination by a lone wolf gunman of his bitter rival. Biden said he had spoken to Donald Trump and he insisted American politics must never be a killing field.

“There is no place in America for this kind of violence - for any violence,” Biden said gravely. “Ever. Period. No exception. We can’t allow this violence to be normalised."

There is another reason that Biden spoke in these terms. His own candidacy is in grave peril following that disastrous presidential debate 18 days ago. Most Democratic lawmakers regard him as too old to be their party’s presidential nominee. They want him to step aside.

Biden's full address to all Americans on Sunday night

So, by talking to Americans on a Sunday night and appealing for unity, Biden hoped his long experience - what he likes to call his wisdom - would be seen more as a political strength, not a liability, amid a national crisis.

But many Republicans say it’s too late for Biden to emerge as a unifying figure. They claim that the president has been demonising Trump for weeks by linking him to fascism and suggesting his rival would be a dictator "on day one."

Some Trump loyalists go as far as to suggest - without evidence - that the gunman in Pennsylvania may have been inspired by Biden’s harsh political rhetoric.

So multiple issues are in play this week in America:

The FBI investigation will continue into the motive of the young gunman, Thomas Crooks. Why did he decide to open fire on Trump and was he motivated by the political rhetoric swirling across the country?

On Monday, Trump is at his party’s convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he will be formally nominated as the Republican presidential nominee. He must also pick a vice presidential candidate.

The extraordinary images of his defiance on stage seconds after the shooting are likely to galvanise his supporters and cement his cult-like status to his audience. He will try to lock in that sympathy to boost his chances for success in November.

But the bigger question for the week ahead is whether conspiracy theories surrounding the attempted assassination continue to gather momentum and whether American political culture faces another dangerous downward spiral.

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