Obama: more will get hurt unless rhetoric changes

STORY: A 42-year-old man has been charged with breaking into the home of Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Friday and, in her absence, attacking her 82-year-old husband, Paul Pelosi, fracturing his skull and causing other injuries. The suspect pleaded not guilty to attempted murder and a host of other state charges.

Campaigning at a rally for Democratic candidates in Nevada, Obama expressed grave concern about "this erosion of just basic civility and democratic norms," in a country where supporters of Republican former President Donald Trump violently attacked the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to overturn the 2020 election results.

"This increasing habit of demonizing political opponents creates a dangerous climate," Obama said, faulting elected officials who fail to reject the violence, make light of it, or inflame the situation with heated rhetoric.

"If that's the environment that we create, more people are going to get hurt."