US President Joe Biden on Friday called an attack on the husband of US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi "despicable" and denounced those who spread lies about stolen elections for corroding the political climate and contributing to politically motivated violence, Euronews reports.
An intruder attacked and severely beat Paul Pelosi with a hammer in the couple's San Francisco home early Friday while searching for the Democratic leader and chillingly shouting: “Where is Nancy, where is Nancy?”
The 82-year-old was taken to hospital and underwent surgery for a skull fracture and injuries to his right arm and hands, a spokesperson for the House speaker said in a statement, adding that doctors expect him to make a full recovery.
"Enough is enough is enough," Biden told supporters at a rally in Philadelphia. "Every person of good conscience needs to clearly and unambiguously stand up against the violence in our politics, regardless of what your politics are."
The attack came under two weeks before the US midterm elections. "Democracy is literally, not figuratively, on the ballot this year," said Biden, who has previously warned about the dangers of extremism.
The president noted that the hammer-wielding assailant used the same chant — "Where's Nancy" — heard from supporters of Donald Trump when they stormed the Capitol on 6 January 2021, in riots that Nancy Pelosi accused the defeated president of inciting.
