In an interview with NBC’s Lester Holt, President Biden said he regretted using the word but defended his descriptions of the former president as a threat to democracy.
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President Biden before giving remarks in Rehoboth Beach, Del., on Saturday, regarding the assassination attempt of former President Donald J. Trump.
President Biden said on Monday it was “a mistake” to say that he wanted to put former President Donald J. Trump back in “a bull’s-eye” but defended his descriptions of his rival in the 2024 election as a threat to the foundations of the nation’s democracy.
“How do you talk about the threat to democracy, which is real, when a president says things like he says?” Mr. Biden asked NBC’s Lester Holt, according to an excerpt from an interview released by the network Monday afternoon.
“Do you just not say anything because it may incite somebody?” he asked.
The president’s comments come just two days after a would-be assassin shot at Mr. Trump at a rally in western Pennsylvania, grazing the former president’s ear and killing one of his supporters.
Republicans have accused Mr. Biden of stoking violence against Mr. Trump, pointing to a comment that the president made last week to donors. He told them that “we’re done talking about the debate; it’s time to put Trump in a bull’s-eye.”
Mr. Biden told Mr. Holt that “it was a mistake to use the word.” He added: “I didn’t, I didn’t say cross hairs. I meant bull’s-eye. I meant focus on it. Focus on what he’s doing.”
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Invoking ‘Bull’s-eye’ Was a Mistake, Biden Says
During an interview with NBC’s Lester Holt, President Biden said that it was a mistake to say that he wanted to put Donald J. Trump in a “bull’s-eye.”
“You called your opponent an existential threat. On a call a week ago, you said it’s time to put Trump in the bullseye. There’s some dispute about the context, but I think you appreciate that words matter.” “I didn’t say crosshairs. I was talking about ‘focus on.’ Look, the truth of the matter was what I guess I was talking about at the time was there was very little focus on Trump’s agenda.” “Yeah, the term bullseye —” “— was a mistake to use the word — I didn’t — I didn’t say crosshairs. I said bullseye. I meant focus on him, focus on what he’s doing. Focus on his policies. Focus on the number of lies he told in the debate. Focus — I mean, there’s a whole range of things that, 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.
During an interview with NBC’s Lester Holt, President Biden said that it was a mistake to say that he wanted to put Donald J. Trump in a “bull’s-eye.”
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