FALCON POWERS – In a television interview on Monday, U.S. President Joe Biden acknowledged that he made a “mistake” by issuing, days before his predecessor Donald Trump was subjected to an assassination attempt by gunfire, a call to “target” his Republican rival in the upcoming presidential election.
Biden had said on July 8th at a fundraising conference for his election campaign, “It’s time to target Trump.” Since Trump’s attack on Saturday, Biden has faced severe criticism for the term he used when making that call.
On Monday, Biden said in an interview with NBC News, “It was a mistake to use that word.”
He added, “I wanted to say: Focus on him, on what he’s doing, on the number of lies he’s telling during the debate.”
Since Trump was subjected to gunfire during a campaign event, many Republicans have accused the Democratic president of being responsible for the failed assassination attempt against his rival.
In the interview, Biden called for calming the political atmosphere in the country and tried to explain his precise position on his rival.
He said, “How do you talk about the threat to our democracy, which is real when a president says things the way he says them? Are you supposed to refrain from saying anything just because that might incite someone?”
He added, “I didn’t use that language. My opponent used that language, as he talks about a massacre if he loses.”
