Biden says ‘time to outlaw’ AR-15 rifle used in Trump assassination attempt
Joe Biden is commenting at length about the toll gun violence takes on American communities, and singled out the impact of assault weapons such as the AR-15.
“An AR-15 was used in the shooting of Donald Trump. This was the assault weapon that killed so many others, including children. It’s time to outlaw them,” Biden said.
In what was likely a reference to his involvement in passing the 1994 assault weapons ban, which expired 10 years later, Biden said: “I did it once, and I will do it again.”
Key events
Summary
Fran Lawther
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Joe Biden has addressed the NAACP national convention, his first public speech since the assassination attempt on Donald Trump at the weekend.
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In the speech in Las Vegas, Nevada, the president said it was “time to outlaw” the AR-15 rifle used in the shooting at a Trump campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, that injured the former president, killed one spectator and injured at least two more people. “An AR-15 was used in the shooting of Donald Trump. This was the assault weapon that killed so many others, including children. It’s time to outlaw them,” Biden said.
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In a sign that the detente between Biden and Trump will be brief, the president criticized his predecessor for his comments about “Black jobs” during their first debate. Trump had claimed undocumented immigrants are “taking Black jobs now”. Biden said: “Folks, I know what a Black job is. It’s a vice-president of the United States.” He added: “I know what a Black job is. The first Black president … Barack Obama,” Biden added.
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Biden also again rebutted criticisms of his age, telling the crowd: “I know how to do this job, and I know the good Lord hasn’t brought us this far to leave us now there’s more work to do.”
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Over in Milwaukee, the Republican national convention entered its second day. Speakers tonight include Nikki Haley, the last of Donald Trump’s Republican presidential rivals to drop out of the race, Florida governor Ron DeSantis, Florida senator and failed hopeful for running mate Marco Rubio, as well as New York representative Elise Stefanik.
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The former first lady, Melania Trump, is expected to attend the Republican national convention on Thursday, when her husband, Donald Trump, will formally accept his party’s presidential nomination, NBC reported, citing a senior Trump campaign official. She hasn’t much been seen or heard from on the campaign trail or during Trump’s criminal trial in New York. But she issued a statement on Saturday after the former president was shot in the ear in an assassination attempt.
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The Democratic National Committee (DNC) is quietly moving ahead with plans to formally nominate Joe Biden as the party’s presidential candidate weeks before the Democratic national convention next month, according to a report. Party chiefs are moving to kill off efforts to force Biden from the party’s presidential ticket by rushing ahead with plans for convention delegates to vote electronically in a week-long roll call starting in late July, Axios reported.
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The senator Bob Menendez has been found guilty on all counts in his federal corruption trial. The New Jersey Democrat, 70, had pleaded not guilty to 16 criminal charges including bribery, acting as a foreign agent and obstructing justice.
Biden is planning to announce his endorsement for supreme court term limits and other major reforms of the country’s highest courts, according to a report from the Washington Post.
The president is expected to soon call for legislation to establish an enforceable ethics code for the supreme court, and will weigh whether to call for a constitutional amendment to eliminate broad immunity for presidents and other constitutional officeholders, the Post reports, citing anonymous sources.
The report has not yet been independently verified by the Guardian. If Biden does announce support for such reforms, it would be a radical shift for a president who has previously resisted calls from progressive lawmakers to reform the supreme court.
A threat from Iran prompted the US Secret Service to boost protection around Donald Trump before Saturday’s attempted assassination of the former president, though it appears unrelated to the rally attack, according to two US officials.
Upon learning of the threat, the Biden administration contacted senior officials at the Secret Service to make them aware, the officials said, adding that information have been shared with the lead agent on Trump’s protection detail and the Trump campaign. That prompted the agency to surge resources and assets. The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive intelligence matters.
Iran’s mission to the United Nations dismissed the allegations as “unsubstantiated and malicious”.
The additional resources did not prevent Saturday’s attack at a Trump rally in Pennsylvania that left Trump injured to the ear, killed one rally-goer and severely injured two more when a 20-year-old man with an AR-style rifle opened fire from a nearby rooftop.
Biden says ‘I know how to do this job’ as he rebuts criticism of his age
As he closed his speech to the NAACP, Joe Biden defended his ability to continue serving as president, despite mounting worries among Democrats over his advanced age.
“Hopefully, with age, I’ve demonstrated a little bit of wisdom. Here’s what I do know: I know how to tell the truth. I know right from wrong. I know how to do this job, and I know the good Lord hasn’t brought us this far to leave us now there’s more work to do,” Biden said.
His comments came amid reports that the Democratic National Committee is moving to quickly nominate Biden, and quell a rebellion by lawmakers and others concerned about his ability to defeat Donald Trump:
Joe Biden is warning the NAACP that a second Donald Trump administration would “undo everything” they stand for.
The president said he has been “all about working people in this nation my whole career”, and: “That’s a stark contrast to my predecessor and his Maga visions. They’ll undo everything, undo everything the NAACP stands for. But now they’re trying to deny it. They’re lying about their Project 2025. They want to deny your freedom, the freedom to vote.”
The crowd at the NAACP convention has started chanting “four more years!” after Joe Biden vowed to restore the constitutional right to abortion.
“And, guess what, come hell or high water, we’re going to restore Roe v Wade as the law of the land,” the president said.
Biden attacks Trump over ‘Black job’ comment as campaign shifts back into gear
In a sign that the detente between Joe Biden and Donald Trump will be brief, the president has attacked his predecessor for his comments about “Black jobs”.
Biden was referencing a comment Trump made during their first debate, in which he claimed undocumented immigrants are “taking Black jobs now”.
“Of course he thinks of Black jobs,” Biden told the crowd at the NAACP convention. “I love his phrase, ‘Black jobs’, tells a lot about the man and about his character. Folks, I know what a Black job is. It’s a vice-president of the United States.”
“I know what a Black job is. The first Black president … Barack Obama,” Biden added.
It was a reversion to form for the president, who had toned down his rhetoric over the past couple of days following the assassination attempt on Trump. Expect the former president to follow suit.
Biden says ‘time to outlaw’ AR-15 rifle used in Trump assassination attempt
Joe Biden is commenting at length about the toll gun violence takes on American communities, and singled out the impact of assault weapons such as the AR-15.
“An AR-15 was used in the shooting of Donald Trump. This was the assault weapon that killed so many others, including children. It’s time to outlaw them,” Biden said.
In what was likely a reference to his involvement in passing the 1994 assault weapons ban, which expired 10 years later, Biden said: “I did it once, and I will do it again.”
Joe Biden appears to be making light of the efforts by his fellow Democrats to get him to step aside in favor of what they feel would be a more electable candidate.
He related the adage, credited to former president Harry Truman, that “if you want a friend in Washington, get a dog”.
“After the last couple weeks, I know what he means,” quipped Biden, who had earlier described Truman as someone who “was often counted out”.
Biden takes stage at NAACP convention
Joe Biden is now speaking to the NAACP convention.
“My name is Joe Biden, and I’m a lifetime member of the NAACP,” the president began, speaking of the longstanding civil rights group.
