Biden tries to narrow down choice voters will face in November at Republican meeting in Milwaukee

LAS VEGAS (AP) — President Joe Biden returns to the campaign trail Tuesday for the first time since the assassination attempt on his Republican rival, former President Donald Trump. Donald Trumpaimed at narrowing the choice voters will face next November following the attack.

Biden will speak at the NAACP convention in Las Vegas, aiming to highlight his administration’s support for black voters, who are a pillar of the Democratic coalition, and his personal political support. He will also participate in an interview with BET. And a day later, he will address UnidosUS, seeking to boost his appeal among Latino voters, another crucial Democratic-leaning bloc.

Biden’s remarks to both groups come as Democrats have been struggling for weeks with confidence in Biden’s candidacy after his devastating debate with Trump last month. The president’s faltering performance has stoked voter concerns about his age, fitness for office and ability to defeat Trump again.

Republicans, for their part, are showing that they are more united than ever around Trump as they prepare for their national convention in Milwaukee.

Biden has rejected a series of calls from within his party to step down, reaffirming his belief that he is the Democrat best positioned to beat Trump. He has relied heavily on the support of black and Latino elected officials, and was expected to run alongside several of them in Nevada.

Trump has been trying to woo black and Latino voters, hoping to capitalize on Biden’s declining popularity. While it’s unclear whether the loss of enthusiasm for Biden contributed to Trump’s approval among those groups, any marginal loss of support for Biden could prove crucial in a tight race.

“As Trump and MAGA Republicans present their Project 2025 agenda at the Republican National Convention, the president will assemble the backbone of the Biden-Harris coalition,” Biden spokesman Kevin Munoz said.

The president and his campaign paused their criticism of Trump in the wake of the shooting Saturday at Trump’s rally in Pennsylvania, in which the Republican nominee was shot in the ear, a rallygoer was killed and two others were seriously injured.

In a speech from the Oval Office Sunday night, Biden called on Americans to reject political violence and for political leaders to “calm down.” But he indicated in an interview with NBC News Monday that he remains committed to calling Trump a threat to American democracy.

Biden admitted he made a “mistake” when he told campaign donors he wanted to “shoot Trump dead in the mouth,” but argued his opponent’s rhetoric was more inflammatory.

“Look, how do you talk about the threat to democracy, which is real, when a president says things like he says?” Biden asked. “Are you not saying something just because it might provoke someone to react?”

NAACP President Derrick Johnson, in an interview with the AP, sidestepped questions about whether Biden should withdraw from the Democratic field and whether the president, who often credits his Oval Office spot to Black voters, could still inspire people to turn out for his candidacy.

Johnson instead focused on the need for black voters to hear “solutions” to issues such as inflation, education and attacks on civil rights, which are among the top concerns of black communities in this election.

“I expect him to tell us what his policy priorities are if he’s re-elected. We want to focus on the policy goals of whoever’s in the White House in the next term,” Johnson said. He added that black voters would reject candidates “preoccupied with personality and slogans.”

At an economic summit hosted by Congressional Black Caucus Chairman Rep. Steven Horsford, Biden was also expected to unveil policy measures aimed at taming rising housing costs, a critical problem in the swing state.

Biden is expected to announce a proposal to cap rent increases at 5% for tenants whose landlords own more than 50 units. If landlords raise rents more than that, they would lose access to tax deductions tied to the depreciation of their buildings. The Bureau of Land Management is also opening public comments on a proposal to sell 20 acres of public land in Clark County, Nevada, for home construction.

But Biden’s proposal would require congressional approval, which he is unlikely to obtain with a Republican majority in the House — a sign that his proposal is more about political messaging at a critical moment.

Trump also used Nevada to launch new economic policies. He announced that he would eliminate taxes on tips earned by workers in the service-industry state, a concept that has since been endorsed by Nevada Democratic Sens. Jacky Rosen and Catherine Cortez Masto.

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Miller reported from Washington. AP journalists Matt Brown and Josh Boak in Washington contributed to this report.