The US president has claimed his opponent’s rhetoric was more incendiary
US President Joe Biden has denied any suggestion that his rhetoric might incite violence. He insists that his comment about putting a “bullseye” on Donald Trump was intended to shift the “focus” from his own debate performance to his Republican rival’s actions and policies.
Biden has repeatedly labelled his opponent a threat to democracy and the nation. Earlier this month, he told donors, “We’re done talking about the debate; it’s time to put Trump in a bullseye.” Following the attempted assassination of Donald Trump, numerous commentators argued that such reckless remarks could incite violence.
In a Monday interview, Biden insisted that his use of the term “bullseye” was a “mistake” and simply a figure of speech when pressed about it by NBC News anchor Lester Holt.
“I didn’t say ‘crosshairs.’ I meant ‘bullseye,’” Biden clarified. “I meant focus on him. Focus on what he’s doing, focus on his policies, focus on the number of lies he told in the debate. Focus on… I mean there is a whole range of things that… Look, I am not the guy that said I want to be a dictator on day one. I am not the guy that refused to accept the outcome of the election.”
Asked whether the shooting prompted him to do “some soul searching” and reflect on comments “that could incite people who are not balanced,” the incumbent deflected, arguing that Trump, not him, has routinely employed incendiary rhetoric for years.
”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 something because it may incite somebody?” Biden questioned, recalling Trump’s pledge to become a “dictator” for just one day and his warning about a potential “bloodbath” if he loses. “I have not engaged in that rhetoric… My opponent has engaged in that rhetoric.”
On Saturday, a gunman later identified as Thomas Matthew Crooks fired several shots at Trump while he was giving a speech on an open-air stage in Butler, Pennsylvania. A bullet grazed the former president’s right ear, but he was otherwise unharmed. One spectator was killed, and two more were wounded before the attacker was neutralized by Secret Service agents.
Although the attack was widely condemned by both Republicans and Democrats, Trump supporters have argued that the Democrats and the media were guilty of inciting hatred against Trump.