President Biden on Monday suggested that it may have been a mistake to use the word “bull’s-eye” while talking about former President Trump on a campaign call last week, addressing renewed attention around those remarks in the aftermath of the shooting at the former president’s rally.
NBC’s Lester Holt, in an interview with Biden, noted that a conversation has begun about rhetoric in the 2024 race in the wake of the assassination attempt on Trump.
“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 agenda,” Biden said, according to an early clip released by NBC.
Holt responded that the issue is with the word “bull’s-eye.”
“Was it a mistake to use the word? I didn’t mean, I didn’t say crosshairs, I meant bull’s-eyes,” he said, making a circle with his hands in front of him. “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.”
Biden used the word in a campaign call with donors last Monday as pressure from Democrats was mounting for the president to step aside from the race.
“It’s time to put Trump in the bull’s-eye,” Biden said on the call.
In the interview with Holt, Biden tried to contrast himself with Trump’s previous remarks and actions.
“I’m not the guy who said I want to be a dictator on day one, I’m not the guy who refused to accept the outcome of the election,” the president added, taking jabs at Trump.
Biden pushed back when Holt asked if he’s taken a step back and done soul-searching on things he has said that could incite people who are not balanced.
“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 might incite somebody? I have not engaged in that rhetoric,” Biden said.
Biden made a prime-time plea the night before, calling on Americans to “cool it down” after the shooting.
Biden’s campaign suspended communications Saturday after the shooting and plans to start them back up Monday night after the Holt interview airs in full at 9 p.m.