Biden says it was a mistake to use the term “bullseye” in comments about Trump

In a new interview with NBC News anchor Lester Holt on Monday, President Joe Biden defended his language in the lead-up to Saturday’s assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, saying his rival’s rhetoric is the real problem.

Some Trump allies have blamed Biden and other Democrats for allegedly fomenting hostility toward Trump that they say contributed to the shooting, including Biden telling donors on a private call recently that it’s “time to put Trump on the spot.”

To see more of the interview, watch “NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt” tonight at 6:30 p.m. ET/5:30 p.m. CT or check your local listings.

Biden said it was a “mistake” to use that word, but dismissed broader criticism, telling Holt it was simply a figure of speech and saying Trump is the one who has mainstreamed violent rhetoric.

“I didn’t say put him in the crosshairs, I meant put him in the crosshairs. I meant focus on him. On what he’s doing, on his policies, on the number of lies he told in the debate. Focus on… I mean, there’s a whole host of things that… look, I’m not the guy who said I wanted to be a dictator on day one, I’m not the guy who refused to accept the outcome of the election. I’m not the guy who said I wouldn’t accept the outcome of this election automatically. You can’t love your country only when you win. So the focus was on what he’s saying, and I mean the idea.”

Asked if he had done “some soul searching” since the assassination attempt about any rhetoric that might unintentionally incite someone to violence, Biden said his opponent’s threat is too stark to ignore.

“How do you talk about the threat to democracy, which is real, when the president says things like he does? Do you stop saying something because it might incite someone?” Biden asked rhetorically.

“I have not resorted to that rhetoric,” Biden continued. “My opponent has.”

It’s a different tone than the one he struck Sunday night in an Oval Office address, when the president called on all Americans to “turn down the heat” on political rhetoric and work together to stop viewing political opponents as enemies.