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US President Joe Biden used a rare Oval Office address on Sunday to condemn political violence and plead with Americans to turn down the temperature in the increasingly toxic political system after the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump, POLITICO reported.

“A former president was shot. An American citizen killed while simply exercising his freedom to support the candidate of his choosing,” Biden said. “We cannot, we must not go down this road in America. We’ve traveled it before throughout our history. Violence has never been the answer.”

The president has long emphasized the importance of national unity, but his message has taken on a new weight after a gunman opened fire at Trump’s rally in Western Pennsylvania over the weekend, sending the 2024 campaign into a spiral.

“Yes, we have deeply felt, strong disagreements. The stakes in this election are enormously high,” Biden said. “I’ve said it many times, that the choice that we make in this election is going to shape the future of America and the world for decades to come. I believe that with all my soul.”

His address is part of the White House’s effort to navigate the delicate situation in the wake of the shooting, which injured Trump and left one person dead. The shooting has upended an already tumultuous presidential race, as Biden faces calls from other Democrats to step down from the top of the ticket and as Trump prepares to pick his running mate and officially accept the GOP nomination.

Speaking from the Resolute Desk, Biden decried that the political rhetoric has gotten “very heated” and urged Americans to “cool it down.” He said disagreements in a democratic system were inevitable, but politics should be an “arena for peaceful debate,” and not a “killing field.”

But Biden made clear that he would not be deterred from campaigning for his reelection, speaking out about the need to protect American democracy and the constitution. The president said he expects the GOP to attack his record at this week’s Republican convention but argued that was the way a healthy democracy is supposed to work.

“In America, we resolve our differences at the ballot box,” he continued. “Not with bullets. The power to change America should always rest in the hands of the people — not in the hands of a would-be assassin.”