STORY: :: July 15, 2024
U.S. President Joe Biden told NBC's Lester Holt he made a mistake when he told supporters to put rival Donald Trump in a "bullseye"
:: President Biden says his 'bullseye'
reference to rival Trump was a mistake
HOLT: "Well, let's talk about the conversation this has started and it's really about language. What we say out loud and the consequences of those. You've called your opponent an existential threat. On a call a week ago, you said it's time to put Trump in the bullseye. There's some dispute about the context, but I think you appreciate that words matter."
BIDEN: "I didn't say crosshairs. I was talking about focus on. Look, the truth of the matter was, what I guess I was talking about at the time was there's very little focus on Trump's agenda."
HOLT: "Yeah, the term was bullseye."
BIDEN: "It was a mistake to use the word. I didn't say crosshairs. I meant bullseye, 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. I mean, there's there's a whole range of things that, look, I'm not the guy that said I want to be a dictator on day one. I'm not the guy that refused to accept the outcome of the election. I'm not the guy who said he won't accept the outcome of this election automatically. You can't only love your country when you win."
HOLT: "Have you taken a step back and done a little soul searching on things that you may have said that could incite people who are not balanced?"
BIDEN: "Well, I don't think, look, 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? Look, I have not engaged in that rhetoric."
