President Joe Biden told Americans on Sunday afternoon that he’d directed the Secret Service to do everything necessary to keep Donald Trump safe after an assassination attempt, and promised to deliver a lengthier speech that night from the Oval Office.
“As this investigation continues, here’s what we’re gonna do,” Biden said during a White House speech that lasted about three minutes. “First, Mr. Trump, as a former president and nominee of the Republican Party, already receives a heightened level of security and I’ve been consistent in my direction to the Secret Service to provide him with every resource, capability and protective measure necessary to ensure his continued safety.”
The comments echo those of a Secret Service spokesperson, who on Sunday denied claims that Trump had been refused additional protection before he was shot at during a rally on Saturday.
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Biden added that he was helping manage security for the Republican National Convention, where Trump will appear alongside other Republican heavyweights in an event likely to be rife with Biden-bashing.
“Second, I’ve directed the head of the Secret Service to review all security measures—all security measures for the Republican National Convention, which is scheduled to start tomorrow.”
Facing questions about how a shooter was able to come so close to killing Trump and ongoing scrutiny over his public appearances, Biden promised the public answers.
“And third, I’ve directed an independent review of the national security at yesterday’s rally to assess exactly what happened and will share the results of that independent review with the American people as well,” he said. “Finally, I’ll be speaking more about this tonight at greater length from the Oval Office,” he said.
Guidance from the White House stated that Biden will deliver additional remarks at 8 p.m.
Flanked by Vice President Kamala Harris, United States Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas, and Attorney General Merrick Garland, Biden said he had been briefed on the situation by his homeland security team and that the investigation was ongoing. He projected calm and urged the public not to jump to conclusions.
“The FBI is leading this investigation, which is still in its early stages,” he said. “We don’t yet have any information about the motive of the shooter. We know who he is. I urge everyone, everyone, please, don’t make assumptions about his motives or his affiliations. Let the FBI do their job.”
The president also confirmed that he was able to talk to Trump on Saturday night, more than two weeks after the two refused to shake hands at their first debate.
“I’m sincerely grateful that he’s doing well and recovering and we had a short but good conversation,” Biden said.
The president did not respond to shouted questions from reporters about what Trump said to him and how the assassination attempt would affect his campaign.
