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US PRESIDENT JOE Biden has admitted it was a “mistake” to say he wanted to put a “bullseye” on his Republican election rival Donald Trump ahead of an assassination attempt on the former president.
In an interview with NBC News, Biden argued that the rhetoric from his opponent was more incendiary while warning that Trump remained a threat to democratic institutions.
The interview marked the resumption of campaigning for the Democrats following Saturday’s assassination attempt, which came after Biden told donors in a private call that he was “done” talking about his poor debate performance and that it was “time to put Trump in the bullseye”, saying Trump has received far too little scrutiny on his stances, rhetoric and lack of campaigning.
While he acknowledged his “mistake”, Biden told NBC he is “not the guy who said I wanted to be a dictator on day one” and that he wanted the focus to be on what Trump was saying, accusing his rival of engaging in that kind of rhetoric, referring to the former president’s past comments about a “bloodbath” if he loses in November.
“Look, how do you talk about the threat to democracy, which is real, when a president says things like he says?” Biden said. “Do you just not say anything because it may incite somebody?”
The NBC interview, scheduled before the attempt on Trump’s life at a rally in Pennsylvania, had been part of Biden’s broader strategy to prove his fitness for office after his disastrous debate performance on June 27.
In the immediate aftermath of the assassination attempt, the Biden campaign pulled advertising off the air while the White House scrapped the president’s planned visit on Monday to the Lyndon B Johnson Library, where he had been due to deliver remarks on civil rights.
Biden spoke privately to Trump after the assassination attempt, a call that the president described in the NBC interview as “very cordial”.
“I told him how concerned I was and wanted to make sure I knew how he was actually doing,” Biden said. “He sounded good. He said he was fine and he thanked me for calling.
“I told him it was literally in the prayers of Jill and me, and I hoped his whole family was weathering this.”
Biden’s renewed campaigning comes as Democrats have been at an impasse over whether the incumbent president should continue in the race even as he was defiant that he would stay in.
Biden has made it clear in no uncertain terms that he remains in the race and aides have been operating as such.
Asked by NBC interviewer Lester Holt if he has weathered the worst of it from his own party, Biden responded that 14 million Democratic voters selected him through the primaries and added: “I listen to them.”
He said his mental acuity is “pretty damn good”, but said the question of his age was “legitimate” to ask.
The president and his campaign also criticised Trump, who was confirmed as the Republican nominee for president, nominating freshman Senator JD Vance of Ohio as his running mate.
“He’s a clone of Trump on the issues,” Biden told reporters as he headed to Nevada for a series of speeches and campaign events. “I don’t see any difference.”
The president’s staff issued a statement saying Vance had been chosen because he would “bend over backwards to enable Trump and his extreme MAGA agenda”.
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I’ve read that the wife of the man who was murdered (while trying to protect his family) refused to take a phonecall from Biden. Clearly it is her right to decline that call. The reason she is reported to have given is that her late husband was a staunch Republican. She believed that she had to respect that and decline the phonecall. That is a deeply depressing reflection on how the barriers to communication are so entrenched over there. She did say she didn’t blame Biden, only the 20 year old gunman. She said Trump had not phoned (this was as of midnight yesterday), which fits Trump’s established pattern with condolence calls (e.g. to famies of fallen armed services)
@Numinous20111: families, not ‘famies’
@Numinous20111: why would trump call the wife of the man who shot him and offer his condolences?.
@Ger Whelan: go back to bed Ger
@Ger Whelan: Try reading it again with your eyelids up.
@Numinous20111: You should consider shutting the fk up and at least pretend to have a bit of respect for the dead. People like you are what keeps this divisive nonsense going.
@Numinous20111: look at you working hard to do damage control for Biden…Biden is a sick sociopath and a pathological liar since the 70′s in politics who had to drop out of the primarys for Democratic nomination to run for president because of his lies…but seriously you want to try take advantage of a widow during her time grief when it IS Bidens fault and the Democrat party, the msm and people like you who identify as left and everyone else is far right that their was am assassination attempt was on trump and sadly her husband got killed, but you see this as an opportunity to point score and take a dig at trump, who would be suffering some kind of PTSD right now from almost being MURDERED and after that trauma you think he has to be ringing anyone right away, that man is in shock…
@Ger Whelan: is it to early Ger,
The man who died not the gunman.
@YKwkSIqW: Respect for the dead?
You need to take that up with US Republicans.
They have no respect for the dead or the living.
@William Slevin: A US Republican shot another US Republican with a weapon only US Republicans believe should be legal.
And this is somehow Biden’s fault?
You are deep into that cult of hate, aren’t you ‘William Slevin’?
@John John: The donation was made from a person of the same name but different address, and with a reported age of 58.
It has also been reported that when the donation was made the shooter would have been 17, below the legal age to make donations.
It has also been reported that the classmates of the shooter, who had just left school, was always a Republican.
@ItWasLikeThatWhenIGotHere: “…the classmates say the shooter was always a Republican.”
@ItWasLikeThatWhenIGotHere: fact is Democrats as a tactic register as republicans, a tactic created by, endorsed and pushed by the Democratic party as evident during the republican primarys for the GOP nomination in new Hampshire to vote nicky haley to get trump to loose the GOP nomination….the assassin donated to the Democratic party and is on record calling for death to republicans…those are the facts…you keep denying the facts like the establishment loyalist you are..you condone murder by man’s of assassination…
@William Slevin: You’re utterly deranged.
@William Slevin: the tactic of registering as a member of the other party to influence the outcome of their primaries has long been used by Republican, and only recently adopted by some Democrats in some US primaries.
Which doesn’t change that the shooter has always been a Republican according to his classmates.
Twist and shout how you will.
@YKwkSIqW:
He was not disrespecting the dead man.Merely pointing out a few facts of the case,and the fact that Joe Biden
had tried to call while Trump didn’t bother.
Typical of a man who has only his own interests at heart
@John John: @John John: Did Time interview and report his schoolmates?
That’s a pretty simple thing to do.
Did Time show the actual donation record, with the address and other details of the donor?
Did Time show the actual voter registration of the shooter, with the actual address and other details, including date of birth?
Do the addresses match?
Does the age of the donor match the age of the shooter?
Would the shooter have been able to donate – and have their donation accepted – at the age the shooter would have been when the donation was made?
In any case, his classmates would be the ones who knew him, irrespective of any actions he may or may not have taken to conceal his motivations or otherwise.
But aren’t you in the least bit aware of yourself?
You constantly claim this MSM is telling lies, or otherwise somehow engaging in deception.
But when it prints something that you want to hear, you accept that without question.
Could the problem really be with you, and you unwillingness to have your indoctrination challenged in any way?
@William Slevin: https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-rally-gunman-thomas-crooks-was-definitely-conservative-classmate-recalls
@John John: Yes, I am aware that Trumpy was a registered Democrat.
Now tell me one instance of my “spewing hate” on this site.
Just one.
Then you can tell us what part of what I wrote here is incorrect.
You will find that it is the US Republican Party that is the cult of hate.
And pointing that out is not hate, just truth.
Here are examples of how attacks on others were treated by your idol.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BN5kBCTH-zk&embeds_referring_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.democraticunderground.com%2F
Now, am I spewing hate for calling evil evil?
As I have done, and will continue to do.
Those spewing hate are in that video, and in many others. And it’s not just Trump.
Trump has done us all one great favour – he has enabled the nasty, the vicious, the racist, the fascist, the White Supremacist, to feel they can come out into the open.
Where we can all see them.
And they are invariably all Republicans.
@William Slevin: I bet you also believe the lies that republicans spread about Democrats drinking babies blood and eating babies. I bet you believe that water gate was a big lie and that not a single republican was at the jan 6th insurrection. I bet you believe that republicans have never done a single thing wrong and that anyrhing they did do was a result of antifa. Lol.
The land of the terminally dim
@Fergus O’Donnell: Definitely speaking about Ireland here, literally, it’s what we’re world famous for. From top to bottom, left to right, majority here are dim by a long shot a very very long shot, Dunning-Kruger would have a field day studying our population.
@Tom L: Yet we are super intelligent compared to the population of the US, that most messed up nation on Earth.
@ItWasLikeThatWhenIGotHere: you seem to be falling into your native tongues grammar their…by the way what country you from…and how supremacist of you to think Americans are so inferior to you…yet you think Biden and the Democrats are the bee’s knee’s lol as I said it before your all over the place…
@Tom L: Were famous for being the land of saints and scholars. During the dark ages our protection of ancient texts paved the way for the renaissance and enlightenment eras. Some of the greatest ever minds were born in Ireland. Our wit, charm and linguistic dexterity is marvelled at the world over. Our playwrights, authors and poets are world renowned. You’re probably just projecting but KEEP MY COUNTRY’S NAME OUT YA F**KIN’ MOUTH
@William Slevin: Hmmm!
Is there any way to compare the intelligence levels of different nations, I wonder?
How about Nobel Laureates?
That should be skewed to countries with larger populations, but let’s take a look anyway.
Ireland has a greater proportion of Laureates than does the US, by some margin, with one Laureate for every 460k of the population. The US has one for every 827k.
The UK has one for every 494k, Sweden one for every 312k…
When with the resources of the US, it should be well ahead, even if both populations were of similar intelligence.
But we could expect that anyway, just by the application of simple reason.
Studies have long shown a correlation between the left-wing mind and intelligence, and the opposite with the right-wing mind.
Americans have yet to develop any meaningful left wing, with their two major political groups being the right-wing Democratic Party and the far-right Republican Party.
Or, in a even simpler way, a conversion with an American doesn’t leave much doubt.
@Establishment loyalist ItWasLikeThatWhenIGotHere: damn your mind is really disturbing, your superiority complex over the Americans or any other nation for that matter is really highly disturbing…so you must think that if the Americans are inferior what level of inferiority do you put african nations at, or Asian nations that don’t even have one nobel prize…what a disgusting view of the world…by the way Irelands Nobel prize winners many were Conservative and Anglo irish not irish, so by your logic irish are inferior too…now that level of thinking is nuts…honestly if their is an assassination attempt in this country and your in it, you need to be the first to be questioned…your on the level of the nazi’s…and I’m not being hyperbolic in saying that…
@William Slevin: It’s interesting that you think that those able to state facts and back them up with evidence are superior.
Yet again, you tell us all a lot about yourrself.
But there is hope, William Slevin.
Life is – or can be – a journey of continuous learning.
There is no requirement to stay in your ideological cul-de-sac.
And when you learn more about others, about the world around you, you also learn about yourself.
But will have to also learn to deal with the shame of what you had been, the harm you have done.
Which will be mitigated by the good you can do from then on.
And the World will have been a better place for you having been in it when you eventually die, rather than a World that is worse for your presence.
But that is what the religion you no doubt pretend in advocates, and which you all ignore.
@William Slevin: Trump gets his support from and gives his support to White Supremacists, racists, fascists, and their ilk.
You support Trump.
We all know who and what you are.
@William Slevin: So, you still cannot make any cogent answer.
As always.
When your silly and incorrect claims are shown to be just that, you run away to hide in your little safe place.
Why are the far right so fragile, “William Slevin”?
They like to bully, to control, but cannot handle when people stand up to them.
In fairness, the first thing he said afterwards was about the family of the dead man and those who were injured. It’s not a race either. Media is just stirring it. And I am not a fan of trump.
And before the wave of comments from the collective you know who accounts…..I’ve just spun the Trump incitement to violence quote selection wheel. It landed on the image of Joe Biden hog-tied to the back of a truck, which Trump didn’t condemn, but instead forwarded on on his SM. All reckless and endangering language is clearly wrong, regardless of who speaks or condones it. This is self-evident.
@Numinous20111: trump is no perfect man far from it…but unlike Biden, the Democratic party, the msm and people who identify as left and called everyone else as far right has attacked, spread lies, misinformation, disinformation on to trump to Stoke hatred and violence against him for a decade now, which has lead to two assassination attempts against his life where he was almost killed this time, theirs comparison…but establishment loyalists like yourself will always doggedly go after those you deem far right isn’t that right, given our run ins with each other on here, but now your like oh we must speak with respect after the vile hatred you’ve spoken on here about others to defend the establishment narrative and push their propaganda…
@William Slevin: The MSM have been molly-coddling Trump, and failing in their duty to decry the evil that is Trump.
Instead, they have normalised it.
And if you think that those reports of what Trump says and does are demonising Trump, then is it not Trump’s own words and actions that are demonising Trump?
@ItWasLikeThatWhenIGotHere: Nail on the head. They cry conspiracy and ‘msm’ over and over as if we need analysis or talking heads to walk us through the endless audio and video, often recorded by Trump’s own supporters, where he spouts and fits and convicts himself with his own words and actions. Whatever about being extremely partisan – it happens. But trying to convince people they haven’t seen and heard the things they have is despicable. It’s North Korea-esque gaslighting. Dark and dangerous stuff.
@ItWasLikeThatWhenIGotHere: seriously you want people to believe you that the deranged msm molly coddled trump this last 10 years…that misinformation and disinformation just shows what an absolute liar you are…your an deranged establishment loyalist if you seriously think that…the deranged msm went after him so hard with lies, misinformation,disinformation focused nearly solely on trump that they ended up giving up billions in free airtime because they were so psychoticly obsessed with him….
@SerotoninWars: projecting much of yourself onto others establishment loyalist…people see through your bull…its evident that the deranged msm sings in unison off the same hymn sheet and spread as much misinformation and disinformation as they can just like you establishment loyalists do…
@William Slevin: If you believe that media reports of what Trump says and does villifes Trump, then you are admitting that what Trump says and does is vile.
@ItWasLikeThatWhenIGotHere: you see how you try and twist things lol how could anyone believe a word from an establishment loyalist like yourself…failure of a response, try harder.
@William Slevin: You claim that the “MSM” is villifying Trump.
As this MSM is reporting what Trump says and does, then it is Trump’s words and Trump’s actions that are vile.
Ergo, if you believe that the MSM is villifying Trump by the reporting of hos own words and actions, then you are admitting that YOU believe theses words and actions are vile.
@William Slevin: russiagate was proved to be true.
Jan 6th also happened.
And the planning that Trump put into trying to overturn the US election began long before, as is also documented.
Now tell me where I made any claim whatsoever about Africans.
I did not.
As you well know.
I merely compared Ireland’s achievements against the US in the number of Nobel Laureates awarded.
Now if you believe that comparison is incorrect then please provide the evidence.
Americans are also surpassed by many others – I provided some examples for your consideration.
You cannot, therefore you try to deflect.
Again.
That is all you lot have when presented with truth.
Denial, and then deflection.
And finally, why did you think it was OK to make a slur on the intelligence of the Irish, but not the Americans?
Why does Americans being on the lower end of intelligence upset you so much anyway?
It doesn’t matter what biden says or does now. Trump will be president unless there’s a successful “attempt”.
@reg morrisey: That possibility is precisely why this is not a “Democrat” assassination attempt.
There were only 2 possible outcomes from such an attempt:
1) Trump survives
2) Trump dies
If the former, we have the situation now.
If the latter, then Trump would be replaced by another Republican candidate, probably Haley. As Trump is the worst candidate the Republicans could put forward, any other candidate would likely do better at the polls.
@ItWasLikeThatWhenIGotHere: your reaching so hard their your gonna pull a muscle lol
@William Slevin: That is the application of simple logic.
You should try it some time.
@ItWasLikeThatWhenIGotHere: theirs not an ounce of logic in you just pure hatred, wishing trump was dead and condoning attempted murder and assassination
@William Slevin: Show the flaws then.
We await your wisdom.
@Establishment loyalist ItWasLikeThatWhenIGotHere: the flaw is you believe trump deserved to be assassinated because he brought it upon your self, their you go my wisdom granted lol
@William Slevin: Now do point out ANYWHERE I said that Trump DESERVED to be assassinated.
Saying that this is karma is a mere acknowledgement of the meaning of that word, not either an approval or disapproval of the concept.
Have you really so little reading comprehension?
Or are you American, which would explain it.
@William Slevin: So you simple cannot back up your nonsense claims.
Yet again.
There’s no doubt that the media have it in for Biden…Trump gets carte blanche (look it up) to say anything at all whereas Biden is pounced on every time. Tide has turned and Biden is going out.
@Ben dover: as rightly so, after all that Biden, the Democratic party, the msm and people who identify as left and everyone else as far right has attacked, spread lies, misinformation, disinformation on to trump to Stoke hatred and violence against him for a decade now, which has lead to two assassination attempts against his life where he was almost killed this time. The Democratic party is done for and so is Biden theirs no hope for them in this election, especially since Biden as split the party and voting base because he won’t step down…he should have stuck to his word saying he would only be a one term president, well looks like know the choice is taken out of his hands…
@William Slevin: He’s the ‘ American Hitler ‘ .. when his own VP candidate said it.. it must be true. Lol ..
@Brian: If it wasn’t so serious it would be funny. This guy is an absolute weasel. He has all the credibility of a Liz Truss. Beliefs as strong as whatever way the wind is blowing today. But hey it’s worked out for him. He got on the Trump train as it was a route to power and it’s worked. Zero credibility or moral fortitude though.
@Brian: what’s that got to do with anything? please elaborate…
@William Slevin: What has the words of his VP running mate got to do with anything.. ? He said dump was an ‘ idiot ‘ called him the ‘American Hitler ‘, even though you nearly broke your thumbs yesterday waffling on about how the Democrats were responsible for portraying so. Yet here his is running mate using the same language.. what’s it got to do with it ? I wouldn’t expect someone of your intellect to be able to draw the dots there.. so why don’t you wait to be told what to think and say on that one and get back to me.
@SerotoninWars: A complete charlatan .. He’ll fit in well with Team Trump ..
@Brian: ah yes the usual establishment loyalist superiority complex…you were saying because his vp once in opposition said mean things about trump like trump is Hitler lol that trump must be Hitler, now if your going to talk about intellect I wouldn’t be highlighting yours now….it also shows trump is a much bigger man compared to what a small man you are…that trump could put that behind him and get on with someone he sees value you and hopefully won’t betray him like pence did…yea your two brain cells are working over time today lol
@William Slevin: Even at two brain cells, I’ve double the brain power of you.. Poor Wiilam.. poor simple Willam .. lol.
@Establishment loyalist Brian: lol failure of a response, try harder.
@William Slevin: Poor William.. poor simple Willam . Lol
Saint Donald
It is rong to kill anybody let it be .Donald Trump .or .Joe Biden. Or a child. In the gasa strip IT is wrong Joe Think about .it
@John Boyle: Would it have been wrong to kill Pol Pot?
Or Franco?
Or Hitler?
Or Stalin?
@ItWasLikeThatWhenIGotHere: look at you so distraught that trump is not dead, you really do endorse the assassination attempt on trump and are trying to get people to go along with you…you really are an establishment loyalist dog…no way anyone should be condoning murder whether its an assassination attempt or by any other means…if theirs another assassination attempt of a politician you deem far right you definitely should be questioned…
@William Slevin: I asked a question.
I made no suggestion as to which answer would be right or wrong.
Now, would you care to tell us all what your answer is?
@Establishment loyalist ItWasLikeThatWhenIGotHere: you condone assassination attempts its clear by your post…
@William Slevin: I asked a question, William Slevin.
I made no suggestion.
At all.
I asked a question, a question to allow those with any intelligence to reflect, and consider.
I asked a question, William Slevin, a question that you are unable or unwilling to answer.
Could it be that you are unable or unwilling of any reflection?
I asked a question William Slevin.
Rather than constantly try to deflect, showing us all the weakness of your own position, would you care to answer?
You’d swear Biden took the shot himself the way some people are going on.
Was a stage hit.
@Be Lucky: Well it was more of a podium.
I agree with Trump’s current VP candidate when he said that Publicly, he called Trump an “idiot”, said he was “reprehensible” and when he compared him to Adolf Hitler.
@Establishment loyalist Jack Hayes: they were comments from years ago not as trumps VP…but look at you all a glow trying hard to misrepresent trumps VP and his current believes rather than stating that they were previous comments years ago…
@William Slevin:
The comment is as valid now as it was then.
Even more so.
@William Slevin: And Trump’s behaviour since has shown just how prescient that comment was.
@William Slevin: Ah, here you go again!
Looking in the mirror and calling others what you see.
Is that why the shooter missed? Biden’s ‘bullseye’ was wide of the mark like everything Biden’s done for the last 3 & half years?!
have your say