In an interview with NBC News on Monday, President Joe Biden said it was a “mistake” to use the term “bullseye” in relation to former President Donald Trump while insisting he has not engaged in rhetoric that would incite violence.
“It was a mistake to use the word – I didn't mean, I didn't say crosshairs, I meant bullseye, I meant focus on him,” Biden said. “Focus on what he's doing. Focus on his policies, focus on the number of lies he told in the debate.”
In the immediate aftermath of the assassination attempt against Trump on Saturday, some Republicans have cited the language Biden has used to describe his GOP rival to blame the president. Allies of the former president have specifically pointed to Biden telling donors on a campaign call last week that it is “time to put Trump in the bullseye.”
Biden – who gave a rare address from the Oval Office on Sunday in which he called for the country to lower the temperature in our politics – went on to accuse Trump of using such rhetoric.
“I have not engaged in that rhetoric – now my opponent is engaged in that rhetoric – he talks about there will be a bloodbath if he loses,” Biden said, referencing Trump saying there would be a “bloodbath” if he loses November's election. Trump has said he was talking about the U.S. auto industry.
Biden, also doubled down on calling Trump a “threat to democracy” – another phrase frequently used by the president and his team that some in the GOP have pointed to as inspiring violence.
“How do you talk about the threat to democracy – which is real – when a president says things like he says,” Biden said. “Do you just not say anything because it may incite somebody?”
The president also appeared to make a distinction between criticizing policy and conducting “inflammatory” actions, describing driving through “certain rural areas of the country” and seeing people standing with “F Biden” signs and children holding up the middle finger.
“I mean, that's the kind of stuff that is just inflammatory and a kind of viciousness,” Biden said. “It's a very different thing to say than to say, look, I really disagree with Trump's, the way he takes care of taxes.”
In the less than 48 hours since the shooting, Biden delivered remarks to the public three times. He also spoke with Trump Saturday night, describing the call in Monday’s interview as “very cordial.”
“I told him how concerned I was and wanted to make sure I knew how he was actually doing,” Biden told NBC News. “He sounded good, he said he was fine and he thanked me for calling him.”
Asked if he thought Saturday’s assassination attempt would change the trajectory of the race, Biden said “I don’t know,” adding his thoughts have been focused on Trump’s health and the “kind of coverage” presidents, vice presidents and former presidents get moving forward.
Biden also responded to Trump on Monday announcing he had selected Ohio Sen. JD Vance as his running mate, saying that it is not “unusual” that the former president would “surround himself with people who agree completely with him,” before quipping “Even though if you go back and listen to the things that JD Vance said about Trump” with a laugh. In 2016, Vance did not support Trump, referring to him as “dangerous.”
Meanwhile, Monday’s interview also comes as Biden is seeking to shore up support in the wake of his disappointing debate performance last month against Trump in Atlanta, sent a wave of commentary about his political future through the Democratic Party.
While calls for Biden to step out of the 2024 race quieted following the assassination attempt, about 20 Democrats in Congress had urged the president to drop his bid before then.
Through it all, Biden has steadfastly maintained that he isn't going anywhere. Asked if he believed he was now in the clear with his party, Biden reiterated that voters selected him to be the Democratic nominee during the primary election and he is “listening to them.”
He also defended his mental acuity in the interview.
“I’m old,” the president said. “But I’m only three years older than Trump, number one, and number two, my mental acuity has been pretty damn good. I’ve gotten more done than any president has in a long time in three-and-a-half years. I’m willing to be judged on that.”
“I understand why people say, ‘God, he’s 81 years old. Whoa. What’s he gonna be when he’s 83 years old, 84 years?’ It’s a legitimate question to ask."
The president also said he has still not watched the entire debate between himself and Trump, only “pieces.” It comes after his response – in which he told ABC News during an interview about a week after the Atlanta face-off said he didn’t “think” he had gone back to watch the debate afterwards – did not sit well with some Democrats.
The full interview with Biden is set to air at 9 p.m. It will mark Biden’s second on-camera interview with a television news network since his dismal performance in Atlanta.
With Republicans descending on Milwaukee, Wisconsin for days packed with events that will all lead up to Trump officially being selected as the party’s presidential nominee, Monday’s interview is also seen as a chance for the Biden camp to contrast its agenda with that of the GOP. The sit-down was scheduled by Biden’s team as part of a slew of events to counter the Republican National Convention.
While the president’s scheduled stop in Texas on Monday, where he was set to deliver remarks to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the landmark Civil Rights Act, was canceled in the wake of the assassination attempt, he is still expected to hit the campaign trail later on Monday, traveling to Las Vegas to address the NAACP and UnidosUS conventions this week.