In NAACP speech, Biden denounces violence but resumes attacks on Trump

The Democratic president also made an impassioned appeal to Black voters, who have been a cornerstone of his campaign.

United States President Joe Biden has returned to the campaign trail for the first time since his Republican rival, former President Donald Trump, narrowly avoided an assassination attempt over the weekend.

Speaking on Tuesday in Las Vegas, Nevada, Biden addressed the shooting directly, which killed a bystander and injured at least two others, as well as Trump himself.

“Our politics have gotten too heated,” Biden said as he took the podium. “As I’ve made clear throughout my presidency, we all have a responsibility to lower the temperature and condemn violence in any form. We’ve gotta remember, in America, we’re not enemies. We’re friends. We’re neighbours. We’re fellow Americans.”

But while he denounced political violence and polarisation, Biden nevertheless criticised Trump both implicitly and explicitly, calling out the Republican for his track record on the economy, reproductive rights, gun violence and other issues.

“Just because our politics are very divided doesn’t mean we should stop telling the truth. Who you are, what you’ve done, what you will do — that’s fair game,” Biden said.