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President Joe Biden and former president Donald Trump have both called for unity following the recent assassination attempt on the Republican presidential contender.
In the immediate aftermath of the shooting at a Trump rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday, both men struck a moderate tone and avoided language that could escalate the political atmosphere.
Biden called on Americans to “lower the temperature” in an address from the Oval Office, and Trump said it was “more important than ever that we stand united.”
The two men even spoke to each other on the phone.
“In the immediate aftermath of a national tragedy or a near-tragedy, politicians want to appear empathetic and say the kinds of healing things people want to hear,” Roy Gutterman, an expert in communications law at Syracuse University, told AFP.
“I am sure it will not take long for the vitriol to start flowing again,” he added.
As the race to the White House heats up, political pundits have called on both campaigns to tone down the rhetoric — while urging the media to hold them accountable if they cross the line.
“The media needs to treat political violence as abnormal and destructive,” Roy said.
AFP
