Biden says referring to Trump as a ‘target’ was a ‘mistake’

US President Joe Biden says he was wrong to call for Donald Trump to be put in the “target” in the race for the White House.

“It was a mistake to use that word,” Biden told NBC when asked if he had gone too far with his rhetoric against the newly confirmed Republican nominee, who survived an assassination attempt Saturday at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania.

“I meant to say that we should focus on him, on what he’s doing, on his policies, on the number of lies he told in the debate,” Biden said.

The assassination attempt, in which Trump was scratched in the ear, shocked a nation already deeply polarized ahead of the November election.

Following the assassination attempt, Biden said he feels “safe with the Secret Service.”

Biden praised the officers for “risking their lives” but told NBC it was still an “open question” whether they should have anticipated the shooting that took place Saturday at Trump’s campaign rally in Pennsylvania.

Several prominent Republicans have since accused Biden of being responsible for the assassination attempt because of his anti-Trump language.

“The central premise of the Biden campaign is that President Donald Trump is an authoritarian fascist who must be stopped at all costs,” said JD Vance, who was announced as Trump’s running mate for the 2024 election.

“That rhetoric led directly to the attempted assassination of President Trump,” Vance wrote on social media.

Mr. Biden also weighed in on Trump’s choice of Senator Vance as his running mate.

Asked by NBC’s Lester Holt what Vance’s selection said about Trump’s values, Biden replied: “He’s going to surround himself with people who agree with him completely.”

The President also noted some of Mr. Vance’s previous critical comments about Mr. Trump.

Mr Biden had made the initial comments on a call with Democratic donors earlier last week.

“It’s time to put Trump on the spot,” the president said, in a call aimed at galvanizing his supporters amid growing dissent over Biden’s continued candidacy.

Those divisions arose from Biden’s disastrous performance in last month’s debate, in which the president slurred his words, spoke incoherently at times and stood with his mouth hanging open while Trump spoke.

The president’s interview with NBC was the latest post-debate attempt by the White House to calm growing fears about the 81-year-old president’s age and mental state.

Speaking without the aid of a teleprompter, Biden told Holt that his mental acuity was “pretty good.”

“I’m old,” Biden told the US broadcaster, according to a transcript.

“But first of all, I’m only three years older than Trump. And secondly, my mental acuity has been pretty good,” he said.

He added: “I understand why people say, ‘Gosh, he’s 81. Wow. What’s going to happen to him when he’s 83, 84?’ It’s a legitimate question.”

While acknowledging that his language against Trump had been a “mistake,” Biden said it was right to keep the focus on the threat posed by another Trump presidency.

“Look, I’m not the guy who said, ‘I want to be a dictator from Day 1,'” he said, referring to Trump’s comments that alarmed many people.

Asked if Trump’s shooting had changed the trajectory of the election, Biden replied: “I don’t know, and you don’t know either.”

Biden argued with Holt, asking, “Why don’t you ever talk about the 18 or 20 lies that (Trump) told” during the debate.

He also reacted harshly when asked if he would “get back on the horse” and add a third debate, replying: “I’m on the horse, where have you been?”

Biden confirmed that he will participate in the second debate in September.