President Biden said Monday he reached out to talk to former President Donald Trump after another assassination attempt, but was unable to connect with his political rival.
“I called him, but he wasn’t available. I’m going to try again later,” Mr. Biden told reporters as he arrived at the White House after an event in Philadelphia.
Earlier Monday, Mr. Trump blamed Mr. Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee, for fomenting the violence against him with their campaign rhetoric.
“He believed the rhetoric of Biden and Harris, and he acted on it,” Mr. Trump said of the shooter in an interview with Fox News Digital. “Their rhetoric is causing me to be shot at, when I am the one who is going to save the country, and they are the ones that are destroying the country — both from the inside and out.”
In the aftermath of the first assassination attempt of Mr. Trump in July, Mr. Biden called the former president. He later described the conversation as “very cordial.”
Mr. Biden, who was the Democratic nominee for the president at the time of the first incident, paused his campaign activities following the July shooting.
Ms. Harris did not say she would pause her campaign activities. She did not have any public events scheduled on Monday but did briefly meet with the Teamsters Union in an effort to secure their endorsement.
She did issue a statement saying she is “deeply disturbed,” by the incident Sunday.
“I am thankful that former President Trump is safe. I commend the U.S. Secret Service and law enforcement partners for their vigilance,” the statement said.
• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.
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