Biden Admits Bull's-Eye Comment on Trump Was a 'Mistake'

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Facts

  • In an interview with NBC News on Monday, US Pres. Joe Biden said it was a 'mistake' to say that it's time to put former Pres. Donald Trump 'in a bull's-eye' days before the Republican nominee survived an assassination attempt.1
  • On July 8, Biden made the remark in a private call with top Democratic donors and bundlers in his National Finance Committee. It became public after Politico acquired a recording of the call and reported its contents.2
  • Speaking with NBC's Lester Holt, Biden said, 'It was a mistake to use the word,' adding that he meant that the focus should be on Trump's policies and the alleged lies he told during the pair's first TV debate.3
  • Asked whether he had done any 'soul searching' after Saturday's attempted assassination, Biden said: '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 'cause it may incite somebody?'4
  • Biden continued, 'I have not engaged in that rhetoric. Now, my opponent has engaged in that rhetoric,' indicating that Trump's apparent forgiveness of Jan. 6 rioters could have incited violence.5
  • In addition, he batted away questions about concerns regarding his ability to lead the US for another four years. He said: 'Look, 14 million people voted for me to be the nominee in the Democratic Party, okay? I listen to them.'3

Sources: 1CNN, 2Politico, 3NBC, 4Al Jazeera and 5Guardian.

Narratives

  • Republican narrative, as provided by FOX News. For years, Democrats have failed to accept Trump's presidency and continually framed him as a monster, fascist, and a threat to American democracy. There's no doubt they bear the blame for creating the environment in which such an assassination attempt could take place.
  • Democratic narrative, as provided by Vox. If anyone is responsible for creating an environment of violence in American politics, it's Trump. Be it his anti-immigrant rhetoric, his failure to condemn hate crimes, or his denouncing the 2020 election result, there's a long list of items in which he is the one stoking division.

Predictions