Trump assassination attempt: Calls for unity and calm may fall on deaf ears due to political polarization

PHOENIX - In the aftermath of the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, President Joe Biden addressed the nation from the Oval Office, and asked Americans to cool down the rhetoric.

 "All of us now face a time of testing as the election approaches," Biden said. "There is no place in America for this kind of violence — for any violence. Ever. Period. No exception. We can’t allow this violence to be normalized."

The assassination attempt is coming at a time when the U.S. is already deeply polarized, with research showing that partisans don’t just disagree with each other, they also see the other sides as enemies.

"I think it might get more curved towards civil war," said one person.

"I think it's all planned anyway. I think it's all a joke, to be honest with you," said another person.

With that in mind, it is not clear if messages for calm, like the ones President Biden expressed, will be able to break through the noise.

"Political violence in this country is not something new," said Thom Reilly, a professor with Arizona State University's School of Public Affairs. "In the past, decades ago when it happened, it served as a unifying measure where people came together. We see a little bit of that now, but it doesn’t appear that the political rhetoric and the polarization is really tamping down."

On his part, Trump said his Thursday convention speech is being reworked to call for unity, but based on the research, political experts like Reilly are skeptical the message will stick.

"I don’t see it as something that will help unite. It really seems like something that seems to be inflaming some of the existing polarization that we see, and that’s dangerous," Reilly said.