Trump has left Biden in uncharted territory - and president's NBC interview has done nothing to silence critics
The US president has been put in a precarious position following the assassination attempt on Donald Trump, which has forever changed how the Democrats speak about their rival.
Tuesday 16 July 2024 08:29, UK
Joe Biden isn't just walking a tightrope, he's walking it over shark-infested waters.
The attempted assassination of Donald Trump last weekend places the current incumbent in a precarious position.
The way Democrats speak about their rival was forever changed in the few seconds it took for the gunshots to ring out.
Until then, Biden's campaign had presented Trump as a threat to democracy, a dictator-in-waiting, and had focussed on his efforts to overturn the 2020 election.
But the president must now strike a balance between pressing his case against Trump's policies, while heeding his own plea to lower the political temperature.
It is a high-wire act for an 81-year-old candidate, who has spent the last two weeks being circled by Democrats who think it's time he left the stage.
His exclusive interview with NBC will have done nothing to silence his critics, leaving America with more questions than answers.
Ironically, the attempted murder of Trump at a rally in Pennsylvania had shifted the focus from questions about President Biden's capability.
But the image of a blood-stained Trump, refusing to exit the stage until he had raised his fist in an act of defiance, has redefined the campaign.
It has energised Republicans at their national convention and if their nominee manages to steal Biden's clothes by dialling down the rhetoric, even a little, his lead could become unassailable.
Last night's television appearance was President Biden's fourth appearance in the 48 hours since the shooting.
When you're behind in the polls, you take every opportunity to present yourself as presidential, the calm voice of reason at a time of national crisis.
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The first attempted assassination of a president or former president in more than four decades has dented the American psyche.
Biden and Trump are now locked in a different kind of battle, both laying claim to the moral high ground.
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There's no dispute about that ground when Trump is beating the war drums about the "deep state" or peddling conspiracy theories.
But a Trump talking up the need to "unify" and referring to his "nice" call from the president is unchartered territory for Biden.
The man who celebrates his heritage by frequently quoting Irish poetry, could borrow a line from WB Yeats to articulate the political mood: all changed, changed utterly.