President Joe Biden, in an exclusive interview with NBC News on Monday, pointed to former President Donald Trump's “comments” following the recent assassination attempt, acknowledging that his “pointed-out” comments were “mistakes.”
In the first clip of Biden's interview, released on “NBC Nightly News,” the president was asked about his language about Trump and whether he thinks Saturday's assassination attempt on the former president could inspire others to take action. NBC News host Lester Holt asked Biden: comment The president told the National Finance Committee that it was time to “put Trump at the center of the target.” (RELATED: It took Biden 102 minutes to condemn the assassination attempt on Trump)
“I'm not saying I'm targeting. I'm saying I'm focusing. The truth is, when I was speaking at the time, there was very little focus on Trump's policies,” Biden said.
Holt then reiterated to the president that he had used the word “bullseye” when discussing election strategy against Trump.
“It was a mistake to use that word. I don't say crosshairs, I mean target. I'm saying keep your eye on him, keep your eye on what he's doing, keep your eye on his policies, keep your eye on the number of lies he told in the debates, etc. I mean, I'm not a guy that said on Day One that I want to be a dictator, and I'm not a guy that refused to accept the results of the election,” Biden said. “I'm not a guy that said I'm going to automatically accept the results of the election. You can't just love your country if you win. So the focus was on what he said, the thoughts.”
According to Politico, Biden made the comments about Trump during a private call with Democratic donors on July 8, after pushing back against calls that he should withdraw from the party's nomination following his poor debate performance. The president urged people to look forward to the Democratic National Convention and the election, adding that “it's time to hold Trump to task.”
“But have you ever taken a step back and reflected for a moment on the comments you made that may have inflamed people in a way that is unbalanced?” Holt asked.
“How do you talk about threats to democracy when a president says things like he does? Do you say nothing because you might incite somebody? Look, I don't engage in that kind of rhetoric. Now my opponent is engaging in that kind of rhetoric,” Biden continued. “He's talking about how there will be a bloodbath if he loses, and he's saying he'll pardon or actually suspend the sentences of everyone who's been arrested and sentenced to prison for what happened at the Capitol. I'm not kidding, I remember that photo of Donald Trump when Nancy Pelosi's husband was hit with a hammer. [and] We’re just joking around.”
Biden's comments follow a White House statement on Saturday calling for national “unity” in the wake of the assassination attempt on President Trump.
“Jill and I thank the Secret Service for getting him to safety. This kind of violence has no place in America. We must come together as one country to condemn it,” Biden said. statement read.
During a campaign rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday, suspect Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, fired eight shots at the former president and the crowd, wounding Trump above the ear and shooting and killing former volunteer fire chief Corey Comperatore.
All content produced by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent, nonpartisan news service, is available free of charge to any legitimate news publisher with a large readership. All republished articles must include our logo, reporter byline, and affiliation with the DCNF. If you have any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact us at licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.
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‘Do You Just Not Say Anything?’: Biden Blames Trump For ‘Rhetoric’ After Admitting ‘Bullseye’ Comment Was A ‘Mistake’
President Joe Biden, in an exclusive interview with NBC News on Monday, pointed to former President Donald Trump's “comments” following the recent assassination attempt, acknowledging that his “pointed-out” comments were “mistakes.”
In the first clip of Biden's interview, released on “NBC Nightly News,” the president was asked about his language about Trump and whether he thinks Saturday's assassination attempt on the former president could inspire others to take action. NBC News host Lester Holt asked Biden: comment The president told the National Finance Committee that it was time to “put Trump at the center of the target.” (RELATED: It took Biden 102 minutes to condemn the assassination attempt on Trump)
“I'm not saying I'm targeting. I'm saying I'm focusing. The truth is, when I was speaking at the time, there was very little focus on Trump's policies,” Biden said.
Holt then reiterated to the president that he had used the word “bullseye” when discussing election strategy against Trump.
“It was a mistake to use that word. I don't say crosshairs, I mean target. I'm saying keep your eye on him, keep your eye on what he's doing, keep your eye on his policies, keep your eye on the number of lies he told in the debates, etc. I mean, I'm not a guy that said on Day One that I want to be a dictator, and I'm not a guy that refused to accept the results of the election,” Biden said. “I'm not a guy that said I'm going to automatically accept the results of the election. You can't just love your country if you win. So the focus was on what he said, the thoughts.”
According to Politico, Biden made the comments about Trump during a private call with Democratic donors on July 8, after pushing back against calls that he should withdraw from the party's nomination following his poor debate performance. The president urged people to look forward to the Democratic National Convention and the election, adding that “it's time to hold Trump to task.”
“But have you ever taken a step back and reflected for a moment on the comments you made that may have inflamed people in a way that is unbalanced?” Holt asked.
“How do you talk about threats to democracy when a president says things like he does? Do you say nothing because you might incite somebody? Look, I don't engage in that kind of rhetoric. Now my opponent is engaging in that kind of rhetoric,” Biden continued. “He's talking about how there will be a bloodbath if he loses, and he's saying he'll pardon or actually suspend the sentences of everyone who's been arrested and sentenced to prison for what happened at the Capitol. I'm not kidding, I remember that photo of Donald Trump when Nancy Pelosi's husband was hit with a hammer. [and] We’re just joking around.”
Biden's comments follow a White House statement on Saturday calling for national “unity” in the wake of the assassination attempt on President Trump.
“Jill and I thank the Secret Service for getting him to safety. This kind of violence has no place in America. We must come together as one country to condemn it,” Biden said. statement read.
During a campaign rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday, suspect Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, fired eight shots at the former president and the crowd, wounding Trump above the ear and shooting and killing former volunteer fire chief Corey Comperatore.
All content produced by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent, nonpartisan news service, is available free of charge to any legitimate news publisher with a large readership. All republished articles must include our logo, reporter byline, and affiliation with the DCNF. If you have any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact us at licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.
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