US President Joe Biden has admitted it was a "mistake" to say it was time to put Donald Trump "in a bullseye", days before the former US president survived an assassination attempt.
US President Joe Biden has admitted it was a 'mistake' to say it was time to put Donald Trump 'in a bullseye', days before the former US president survived an assassination attempt
The 76-year-old presidential candidate was shot by Thomas Matthew Crooks - who was subsequently killed by Secret Service agents - at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday (13.07.24), and Biden has now taken back his recent comment, which during a private donor call days earlier.
Speaking to NBC's Lester Holt, he said: "It was a mistake to use the word.
"I didn’t, I didn’t say cross hairs. I meant bullseye.
"I meant focus on it. Focus on what he’s doing."
However, Biden defended other descriptions made about his rival Trump, who was officially nominated to be the 2024 presidential nominee of the Republican Party at their political convention in Milwaukee on Monday (15.07.24).
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 because it may incite somebody?"
When 81-year-old Biden, who has come under fire for some of his recent debate showings, was asked about moments when he "appeared to be confused", he said: "Lester, look. Why don’t you guys ever talk about the 18 to 28 lies he told?
"Where are you on this? Why didn’t the press ever talk about that? Twenty-eight times, it’s confirmed, he lied in that debate.
"I had a bad, bad night. I wasn’t feeling well at all. And I had been - well, I’m not going to make any - I screwed up."
Earlier this week, Trump told how he hoped the assassination attempt on his life can "bring the country together".
He told the Washington Examiner newspaper: “The speech I was going to give on Thursday was going to be a humdinger.
"Had this not happened, this would’ve been one of the most incredible speeches. Honestly, it’s going to be a whole different speech now.
"It is a chance to bring the country together. I was given that chance…
"This is a chance to bring the whole country, even the whole world, together. The speech will be a lot different, a lot different than it would’ve been two days ago."
The former 'Apprentice' star explained he had changed from planning to attack Biden's policies and excite his voter base to stressing his belief the attack has completely changed the course of the election campaign.
Trump believed he was saved from death because he turned away from the crowd to look at a screen showing data he was using in his speech at the rally.
He said: "That reality is just setting in.
"I rarely look away from the crowd. Had I not done that in that moment, well, we would not be talking today, would we?"