Biden Defends Saying ‘Put Trump in a Bullseye,’ Adds ‘I Didn’t Say Crosshairs’

President Joe Biden appeared to admit it was a mistake to tell political donors it was time to “put Trump in a bullseye” during a private fundraiser before defending himself by adding, “At least I didn’t say crosshairs.”

Biden appeared to be referring to a 2010 political ad put forth by Sarah Palin’s campaign, which featured crosshairs and some believe were related to the shooting of then-Senator Gabby Giffords .

Biden sat with NBC Nightly News anchor Lester Holt , a clip of which emerged before the full interview aired Monday night. The discussion was originally expected to ostensibly discuss Biden’s mental faculty following a disastrous debate performance two weeks ago. Given the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump , the conversation pivoted to political rhetoric and the seeming rise in political violence.

Biden suggested that his use of “bullseye” meant focus on Trump and not a shooting target like crosshairs, though Biden wasn’t terribly clear in his elliptical defense to the NBC anchor:

HOLT: Well, let’s talk about the conversation this has started. And it’s really about language. When we say out loud and the consequences of those, you 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.

BIDEN: I didn’t say crosshairs. I’m talking about focus on. Look, the truth of the matter was when I guess I was talking about it at the time, was there was very little focus on Trump’s agenda.

HOLT: Yeah. The term bullseye.

BIDEN: Was it was a mistake to use… I didn’t I didn’t say crosshairs. I’m the bullseye. Focus on him. Focus on what he’s doing. Focus on one of his strongest policies. Focus on the number of lies he told the main 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 that one accept the outcome of this election automatically. You can’t only love your country when you win. And so the focus was on what he’s saying and I mean the idea. But have you.

HOLT: 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. Or how do you talk about the threat to democracy, which is real. When a president says things like, he says to just not say anything, he’s a man, say somebody. Look, I, I’ve, I’ve not engaged in that rhetoric. Now, my, my, my opponent is against that rhetoric. He talks about a bloodbath if he loses, talking about how he’s kind of forgive of or actually, I guess, suspend the sentences of all those who were arrested and sentenced to go to jail because of what happened in the Capitol. I’m not out there making fun of like, I remember the picture of Donald Trump when Nancy Pelosi was sent to the hammer and on talking about joking about it.