Biden turns focus on Trump’s rhetoric in Lester Holt interview
In a new interview with NBC News anchor Lester Holt on Monday, President Joe Biden defended his language in the lead-up to Saturday’s assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, saying his rival’s rhetoric is the real problem.
In a new interview with NBC News anchor Lester Holt on Monday, President Joe Biden defended his language in the lead-up to Saturday’s assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, saying his rival’s rhetoric is the real problem.
Some Trump allies have alleged Biden and other Democrats fomented hostility toward Trump that they claim contributed to the shooting, including Biden’s telling donors on a private call recently that it is “time to put Trump in a bull's-eye.”
Biden said it was a “mistake” to use the word, but he dismissed the larger criticism, telling Holt it was merely a figure of speech and saying Trump is the one who has mainstreamed violent rhetoric.
“I didn’t say ‘crosshairs.’ I meant ‘bull's-eye.’ I meant focus on him. Focus on what he’s doing. Focus on — on his — on his policies. Focus on the number of lies he told in the debate. Focus on — I mean, there’s— there’s a whole range of things. Look, I’m not the guy that said. I want to be a dictator on day one. I’m not the guy that refused to accept the outcome of the election. I’m not the guy who said that wouldn’t accept the outcome of this election automatically. You can’t only love your country when you win. And so the focus was on what he’s saying and, I mean, the idea.”
Asked whether he has done “a little soul searching” since the assassination attempt about any rhetoric that might unintentionally incite someone to violence, Biden said the threat from his opponent is too stark to ignore.
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