Last night - President Biden sat down with NBC’s Lester Holt, and answered a question on everyone’s mind: will the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump change the election?

His answer: "I don't know. And you don't know either."

He’s right - we don’t know how last weekend’s attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump will change things.

But, at least for now, some corners are calling for unity and dialing back extreme rhetoric.

And public calls for the incumbent president to pass the torch within the Democratic Party have quieted, as attention instead turns to the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.

This is not the first act of political violence that has occurred in America in recent years. To name a few:

Two people died when supporters of President Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol on January 6th, 2021, to disrupt the certification of the presidential election.

In 2017, a gunman opened fire as Republican members of congress held a baseball practice, injuring congressman Steve Scalise.

And in 2011, another member of congress, Gabby Giffords, was shot in the head while meeting with constituents in Arizona. Six people at the event were killed.

Congressman Adam Smith represents Washington’s 9th congressional district, which includes areas from Auburn to Bellevue and parts of Seattle. He’s also a close friend of Gabby Giffords.

Congressman Smith sat down with Soundside to discuss the shooting, as well as continued calls for President Biden to step down as the Democratic nominee.

Guest:

• Congressman Adam Smith, who represents Washington’s 9th congressional district, which includes areas from Auburn to Bellevue and parts of Seattle.

Related Links:

• Transcript: Read the full Biden interview with Lester Holt on NBC News
• Adam Smith, renegade? The promise and peril of crossing your party

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