Bipartisan calls for unity to condemn political violence
NEW YORK (WABC) -- There are more bipartisan calls for unity when it comes to condemning political violence.
President Joe Biden made a point to the nation on Sunday night that the stakes are very high in this election, and that the heated rhetoric can become toxic.
"It's time to cool it down. We all have a responsibility to do that," Biden said.
From the Oval Office, President Biden reminded a divided nation shocked by what it saw of its common political principles.
"An American democracy, where decency, dignity, fair play are not just quaint notions but a living, breathing reality. We owe that to those who've come before us. To those who gave their lives to this country. We owe it to ourselves," Biden said.
Sunday night at Trump Tower, there is extra security, but no credible threat.
Earlier in the day, Trump supporters gathered on the sidewalk as some New York Republican-elected officials condemned the shooting, but were quick to point the blame at Democrats.
"When you convince people that someone is evil, then there's going to be some maniac who wants to rid the world of evil," said Andrew Lanza, (R-NY)
"Someone tried to kill him because the left has said this is somebody who's dangerous and needs to be stopped at all costs," said Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY)
From City Hall, Rev. Al Sharpton said that political differences should not be settled with bullets.
"We cannot settle our political differences with bullets. We settle them with ballots," said Sharpton.
A swift condemnation of political violence from former President Trump's hometown as Mayor Eric Adams called together spiritual leaders and the city council minority leader...a Republican who noted that those with influence have a responsibility not to encourage mob mentality.
"We don't have to be in a mob in some park somewhere. We're in a mob every day when we're sitting on the couch on social media," said NYC City Council Minority Leader Joe Borelli.
"You have people that have come up with all kinds of conspiracies on what happened yesterday. We should all support a very thorough real investigation and not chase or distribute conspiracy theories that and has all of us avoiding our responsibility in not normalizing this climate," added Rev. Sharpton.
A climate that these leaders say dehumanizes opponents.
Like President Biden, they called for decency in the face of bitterness and chaos- as Reverend AR Bernard of Brooklyn put it, restoring a moral compass for the soul of our country.
"Because without a moral anchor, we have nothing to protect us from who and what we become when our humanity runs out," Bernard said.
There is no credible threat to Trump Tower, but according to an NYPD intelligence bulletin obtained by ABC News, the assassination attempt against the former president is likely to be followed by all kinds of extremist messaging and heavily exploited and amplified by those who spread misinformation.
Mayor Adams said he is very worried about that spread particularly affecting impressionable young people, when you consider the fact that the suspect in this act of violence was only 20 years old.
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