In the wake of attempted assassination of former President TrumpPresident Biden said he shouldn’t use the word “bullseye” when referring to how his campaign should treat Trump, but still wants to focus on his opponent’s record and rhetoric heading into November.
“I’m talking about the focus, look, the fact is, what I was trying to say at the time, there was not a lot of focus on the Trump agenda,” Mr. Biden told NBC News’ Lester Holt in an interview on Monday.
“It was a mistake to use words,” the president admitted, but added, “I’m obviously focused on him. Focus on what he’s doing.”
“I’m not someone who says, I want to be a dictator on the first day. I’m not someone who refuses to accept the results of the election. I’m not someone who says I’m not going to automatically accept the results of this election,” Mr. Biden said. “You can’t just love your country when you win. So, focus on what he said and the idea.
Asked if he had done any “soul-searching” about his rhetoric, Mr Biden said: “How do you talk about the threat to democracy, which is real, when the president says what he says? Because it upsets other people?”
“I don’t buy into that rhetoric,” Mr. Biden insisted. “Now my opponent is engaging in that rhetoric, he’s talking about, there will be bloodshed if he loses. He’s talking about how he’s going to forgive everyone. He’s going to jail because of what happened in the Capitol.”
Mr. Biden also criticized Trump for making light of violent attack on Paul Pelosihusband of former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi.
Mr. Biden and Trump spoke by phone after Saturday’s assassination attempt, a conversation Mr. Biden described as “very friendly.”
“I told them I was concerned and wanted to make sure I knew how it was going,” Mr Biden said. “He sounded good. He said good things and thanks for calling.”
Mr. Biden said he did not know whether the assassination attempt would have an impact on the race and said his main concern was Trump’s health and ongoing media coverage.
Mr. Biden paused his campaign activities after Saturday’s shooting, including a trip to Texas, where the president was supposed to attend a ceremony commemorating the 60th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The president expressed his belief that “there is no place for violence in American politics. No there. Zero.”
When asked what he could do personally to help “bring down the temperature, the rhetoric out there,” Mr. Biden said he would “continue to talk about the things that matter to the American people.”
“It is important whether you accept or not the result of the election. It is important whether you, for example, talk about how you will deal with the border instead of talking about vermin people … It is important.”
Mr. Biden was also asked how he felt about the classified documents case against Trump being firedwhich the president said was “not surprising.”
Mr. Biden noted that the ruling came from the opinion of Justice Clarence Thomas in Trump’s immunity case and draws a contrast between how he and his opponent handled the independent prosecutor. Mr. Biden noted that he cooperated and sat for the deposition while he was alone investigated for possible mishandling of confidential documents.
Mr Biden said he found the grounds for dismissing the case “better” and that he disagreed with Thomas’ reasoning and the Supreme Court’s larger ruling on presidential immunity, adding that the trial judge “seems inconsistent with the intentions of the founders”.
The conversation then turned to Mr. Biden’s debate performance and whether he had changed his mind about staying at the top of the Democratic ticket for 2024. Mr. Biden said he would continue to run for president.
While most polls show Mr. Biden running behind Trump, including in a state of warMr Biden insisted polls showed the race was “mostly a tossup.”
Mr Biden said he had watched “snippets” of the last debate against Trump and admitted again that he had a “bad, bad night” and that he was “not feeling well … I messed up.”
But he also fired back at Holt and the media in general, asking, “Why didn’t you ever talk about the 28 lies he told? Where are you? Why didn’t the press ever talk about this?”
The president said he understands why some people might be concerned about his age, but noted Trump is only three years younger than him.
Finally, Mr. Biden was asked for his opinion on the newly announced Trump running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance.
“It’s not unusual. He’s going to surround himself with people who agree with him very much,” Mr. Biden said, while also referring to it. Vance has previously criticized Trump.
