U.S. President Joe Biden speaks after an incident at a campaign rally for former U.S. President Donald Trump in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, U.S., July 13, 2024.
Tom Brenner | Reuters
President Joe Biden said he should not use language like “putting Trump in the bullseye” during a private call just days before he attempted to assassinate Donald Trump at a rally in Pennsylvania A word to those who donate.
“It’s the wrong word to use,” Biden said, according to excerpts from an interview Monday. Lester Holt, NBC News. “I mean focus on him. Focus on what he’s doing, focus on his policies, focus on how many lies he tells in the debates.”
“How do you talk about a real threat to democracy when a president says something like this?” Biden asked rhetorically. “You just don’t say anything because it might incite someone?”
“Look, I didn’t make that statement,” Biden said. “Now, my opponent has made this statement. He said if he loses, there will be a bloodbath.”
Multiple shootings broke out at Trump’s rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday, killing one attendee in the crowd and seriously injuring two others. A bullet grazed the former president’s ear, and Secret Service agents covered him and drove him off the stage. The alleged shooter, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, was killed shortly after the shooting.
Questions and conspiracy theories quickly emerged on social media as the public processed Saturday night’s horrific events.
Several Republican lawmakers have accused Democratic campaign rhetoric of inciting the shootings, including Biden’s ill-timed “bulls-eye” comments.
Monday’s interview comes as Biden works to rehabilitate his political image after a poor performance in a June debate with Trump.
This is a developing story, please check back for updates.
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