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 alleged that Biden and other Democrats fostered 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.”
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 ‘in the spotlight,’ I meant ‘in the center.’ I meant to say focus on him. On what he’s doing. On his policies. On the number of lies he told in the debate. “You have to focus on all kinds of things. I’m not the guy who said I wanted to be a dictator from day one. I’m not the guy who refused to accept the result of the election. I’m not the guy who said I wouldn’t automatically accept the result of this election. You can’t love your country only when you win. So the focus was on what I was saying and, I mean, on the idea.”
Asked if he had done “a little 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 a president says things like the ones he says? Do you say nothing 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 he struck Sunday night in an Oval Office speech, when he called on all Americans to “turn down the heat” on political rhetoric and work together to stop viewing political opponents as enemies.
