Joe Biden admits it was a ‘mistake’ to call for ‘targeting’ Donald Trump

The American president explained Monday, in an interview with NBC, that he wanted, by using this term, to call on Americans to focus on Donald Trump, “on what he does, on his measures”, or even “his lies” during the debate.

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U.S. President Joe Biden outside the White House on July 15, 2024, in Washington, DC, U.S. (CELAL GUNES / ANADOLU / AFP)

It’s time for a mea culpa. US President Joe Biden said on Monday, July 15, that he had made a “error” by calling for “target” Donald Trump, a few days before the shootings against his Republican rival.

“It’s time to target Trump,” Joe Biden said during a call with donors on July 8. A formula that has been widely criticized since the assassination attempt against Donald Trump on Saturday. “It was a mistake to use that word”Joe Biden said in an interview with NBC on Monday. “I meant, focus on him, what he does, his metrics, the number of lies he told during the debate,” added Joe Biden.

The Democratic president has been accused by Republicans of responsibility for the assassination attempt on Donald Trump. “The central premise of the Biden campaign is that President Trump is an authoritarian fascist who must be stopped at all costs. This rhetoric directly led to the attempted assassination of President Trump.”Senator JD Vance, now the Republican’s running mate, had thus affirmed on Saturday evening.

Joe Biden called for a calming of the political climate and also sought on Monday to explain his delicate position vis-à-vis his rival. “How do you talk about the threat to our democracy, which is real when a president says things like he says? You just don’t say something just because it might incite someone?” Joe Biden continued during his interview. “I did not resort to this rhetoric. My rival resorted to this rhetoric, he speaks of a massacre if he loses,” supported Joe Biden.

The president also took advantage of this interview to once again reject doubts about his ability to run for the White House again, after his disastrous debate against Donald Trump at the end of June.

“My mental acuity is pretty damn good,” he assured, recalling that he did not “only three years older than Trump.” “In three and a half years, I have accomplished more than any president has in a long time. I am prepared to be judged on that,” he added.

Faced with the panic that has been running through his camp since the debate, marked by his inability to finish certain sentences and his stares into space, mouth open, Joe Biden nevertheless conceded that he understood the voters’ hesitations. “I understand why people say, ‘My God, he’s 81. What will he be like when he’s 83, 84?’ It’s a legitimate question to ask,” he acknowledged.


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