Obama urges calm as presidential campaign heats up

U.S. president Barack Obama has urged fellow Americans to tone down inflammatory words and actions as multiple shootouts coincide with an already heated presidential campaign.

Obama stated that the motive behind Sunday’s killing of three officers in Baton Rouge, Louisiana was still unknown, but the Baton Rouge incident was the latest in a string of deadly shootouts involving law enforcement, including the killing of a black man in the same town and also the murder of five officers in Dallas a few days prior.

In remarks from the White House briefing room, Obama stated that America needs to be clear about the fact that attacks on law enforcement can never be justified. The president spoke on the eve of the Republican Party’s National Convention, where Donald Trump will officially accept the GOP nomination. The controversial businessman says that recent incidents involving police officers and civilians are a sign that the country is in dire need of new leadership, and he has used inflammatory rhetoric to make his point.

However, Obama says that heading into political conventions, elected officials should be mindful of their choices of words and actions in order to unite the nation rather than creating a rift, something that has been observed ever since the election campaign kicked off.

“We don’t need inflammatory rhetoric. We don’t need careless accusations thrown around to score political points or to advance an agenda. We need to temper our words and open our hearts … all of us,” Obama said.

The president also threw his support towards the law enforcement agencies in his address, which will have irked some organizations. The National Association of Police Organizations said that the country is caught in a war on law enforcement officers following the deadly shooting in Dallas. The group has stressed the need for the administration to show support towards law enforcement agencies and equip them with resources to protect themselves and the communities they have sworn to protect.

“Attacks on police are an attack on all of us and the rule of law that makes society possible,” Obama emphasized Sunday.

The president also had a long conversation with Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards and Baton Rouge Mayor Kip Holden to learnthe latest on the investigation into the deadly shootings. The president spent most of the last week trying to de-escalate tensions between police departments and communities.

Earlier this month, an Army veteran opened fire on law enforcement in Dallas, which resulted in five deaths. The shooter, who was a black male, stated that he wanted to kill white officers.

Obama stated that the nation is not as divided as it appears to be, before adding that the Dallas shooter will not be the first or the last person attempting to make Americans turn on each other.

“Nor will today’s killer. It remains up to us to make sure that they fail. That decision is all of ours,” Obama said.

Following the memorial service, the president also held a four-hour meeting at the White House with police officers, elected leaders, and community activists. Following the meeting, Obama admitted that a lot of trust-building needs to be done, before remarking that the country will have to “just grind it out” in order to solve the situation.