Biden says it was a 'mistake' telling supporters to ‘put Trump in a bullseye’
President Joe Biden said it was a "mistake" to say recently that former President Donald Trump should be put "in a bullseye" in light of the failed assassination attempt on the presumptive Republican presidential nominee.
Earlier this month, Biden, a Democrat, told donors in a private call reported on by Politico that he wanted them to move past his widely criticized debate performance and focus on defeating Trump.
"We need to move forward. Look, we have roughly 40 days until the convention, 120 days til the election. We can't waste any more time being distracted," Biden was quoted as saying.
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"I have one job, and that's to beat Donald Trump. I'm absolutely certain I'm the best person to be able to do that. So, we're done talking about the debate; it's time to put Trump in a bullseye."
During an interview with NBC News anchor Lester Holt on Monday, Biden commented on his earlier comments, saying that it was a "mistake" to use that term for his opponent. He also suggested that the word is a figure of speech and noted that Trump has also used violent rhetoric.
"I didn't say 'crosshairs.' I meant 'bullseye.' 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," said Biden.
Biden maintains that Trump's rhetoric is dangerous. He cited remarks from last December in which the former president appeared to suggest that he might abuse his power "as retribution" on "day one" of his presidency. In response to the remark at the time, the Biden campaign claimed Trump would "be a dictator on day one."
"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," Biden told Holt, referring to Trump's widely refuted claims that election fraud was responsible for his defeat in the 2020 presidential 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."
Biden asked rhetorically, "How do you talk about the threat to democracy, which is real, when a president says things like he says? Do you just not say anything because it may incite somebody?"
On Saturday evening, a gunman opened fire during a Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, striking Trump in the ear, killing a rally attendee and wounding a few others before being killed.
The deceased gunman was later identified as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, a registered Republican who had donated $15 to a liberal advocacy group via Act Blue in 2021. The motive for the shooting remains unknown.
"Thank you to everyone for your thoughts and prayers yesterday, as it was God alone who prevented the unthinkable from happening. We will FEAR NOT," stated Trump on Sunday morning.
"We pray for the recovery of those who were wounded, and hold in our hearts the memory of the citizen who was so horribly killed. In this moment, it is more important than ever that we stand United, and show our True Character as Americans, remaining Strong and Determined, and not allowing Evil to Win."
