The president says in NBC interview that violence has no place in American politics and says his ‘bullseye’ comment was a mistake.
WASHINGTON—President Joe Biden discussed a wide range of topics during an interview with NBC News that aired Monday evening, days after the attempted assassination of his political rival, former President Donald Trump.
In the interview, President Biden shared his thoughts on former President Trump’s vice presidential pick, his confidence in the Secret Service, and his phone conversation with former President Trump.
He also emphasized the urgent need to end political violence.
President Biden confirmed that he had a conversation with former President Trump following the assassination attempt at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday, describing it as “very cordial.”
“I told him how concerned I was, and I wanted to make sure I knew how he was actually doing. He sounded good, he said he was fine, and he thanked me for calling him,” the president told NBC’s Lester Holt.
President Biden told former President Trump that the GOP nominee was in his “prayers” and hoped the Trump family was doing well “weathering” the event.
“My first reaction was, my God,” the president said of his reaction to the shooting at the Pennsylvania rally.
“There’s no place at all for violence in politics in America, none, zero. And we’ve reached a point where it’s become commonplace.”
Following the assassination attempt, President Biden has been seeking to “lower the temperature” in the country’s deeply divided political environment.
However, he said that his “bullseye” comment about former President Trump was a mistake, referring to his conversation with donors during a call on July 8.
“It’s time to put Trump in the bullseye,” President Biden said during that call, which was shared by his campaign. However, his comments since then have faced backlash from critics.
“It was a mistake to use the word,” President Biden said during the NBC interview.
He said he meant to say Democrats should “focus on” the former president and his actions and policies instead of him after the presidential debate.
By Emel Akan and Jacob Burg
