In a tense NBC interview, President Joe Biden defended his rhetoric after the attempted assassination of Donald Trump, sparking a heated exchange with host Lester Holt about the consequences of political language.
NBC News host Lester Holt questioned President Joe Biden about whether he had done any “soul-searching” regarding his heated rhetoric after the attempted assassination of Republican 2024 presidential nominee Donald Trump.
Trump was grazed by a bullet at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday. Following this, Biden called for a cooling of political tensions in a prime-time Oval Office address on Sunday. However, when Holt pressed him about the potential impact of his rhetoric, Biden became defensive.
“Have you taken a step back and done a little soul-searching on things that you may have said that may incite people who are not balanced?” Holt asked.
“Well, I don’t think… look, 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?” Biden responded.
“Look, I, I, I have not engaged in that rhetoric,” he continued. “Now, my, my, my opponent has engaged in that rhetoric. He talks about there being a bloodbath if he loses to talking about how he’s gonna forgive all the, uh, uh, [unintelligible] suspend the sentences of all those who were arrested and sentenced to go to jail because of what happened at the Capitol.”
Trump had remarked in March about a “bloodbath” for the country while criticizing jobs in the auto industry being offshored under the Biden administration. Democrats claimed these comments were about the election outcome, which Trump clarified was taken out of context.
Biden reiterated the “bloodbath” claim on Friday during a campaign event in Detroit, calling Trump “unhinged” and asserting that he refuses to say whether he’ll accept the 2024 election results.
“Trump said if he wins, he’ll be a dictator on day one. He means it, folks,” Biden told the crowd. “We’re not letting that happen. Over my dead body!”
In a private call with donors on July 8, Biden reportedly said his “one job” is to “beat Donald Trump,” adding, “it’s time to put Trump in a bullseye,” according to Politico. Holt pressed Biden on this comment, which the president claimed was about focusing on Trump’s statements.
“Let’s talk about the conversation this has started, and it’s really about language, what we say out loud and the consequences of that,” Holt began. “You called your opponent an ‘existential threat’ on a call a week ago. You said, ‘it’s time to put Trump in a bullseye.’ There’s some dispute about the context, but I think you appreciate—”
“I didn’t say crosshairs,” Biden responded. “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’s very little focus on Trump’s, uh, agenda.”
“Yeah, the term was ‘bullseye,’” Holt corrected.
“It was a mistake to use the word,” Biden admitted. “I didn’t say, I didn’t mean crosshairs, I meant bullseye, I meant focus on him.”
Biden’s interview with Holt comes as the president faces scrutiny over his mental fitness and increased pressure from Democrats to reconsider his reelection bid following a poor debate performance on June 27.
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