WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥� President Joe Biden told NBC News in an interview airing Monday that it was a 鈥渕istake鈥� to say he wanted to put a 鈥渂ull's-eye鈥� on Republican nominee Donald Trump, but argued that the rhetoric coming from his opponent was more incendiary while warning that Trump remained a threat to democratic institutions.
Those remarks from Biden came during a private call with donors last week as the Democrat had been scrambling to shore up his imperiled candidacy with key party constituencies. During that conversation, Biden declared that he was 鈥渄one鈥� talking about his poor debate performance and that it was 鈥渢ime to put Trump in the bull's-eye,鈥� saying Trump has gotten far too little scrutiny on his stances, rhetoric and lack of campaigning.
Insisting 鈥渢here was very little focus on Trump's agenda,鈥� Biden told NBC anchor Lester Holt that while he acknowledged his 鈥渕istake,鈥� he nonetheless is 鈥渘ot the guy who said I wanted to be a dictator on day one鈥� and that he wanted the focus to be on what Trump was saying. It's Trump, not Biden, who engages in that kind of rhetoric, Biden said, referring to Trump鈥檚 past comments about a 鈥渂loodbath鈥� if the Republican loses to Biden in November.
鈥淟ook, 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?鈥�
The interview was occurring the same day that his reelection team was preparing to resume full-throttle campaigning after the particularly after the GOP nominee announced Ohio Sen. JD Vance as his running mate 鈥� which unleashed a flurry of criticism from the Biden campaign and other Democrats about the young freshman senator's policy positions.
鈥淗e鈥檚 a clone of Trump on the issues,鈥� Biden told reporters at Andrews Air Force Base shortly before departing for Nevada for a series of speeches and campaign events. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 see any difference.鈥�
The NBC interview, scheduled before the attempt on Trump鈥檚 life at a rally in Pennsylvania, had been part of Biden鈥檚 broader strategy to prove his fitness for office after angst grew among Democrats because of his disastrous June 27 debate performance.
The Biden campaign recalibrated some of its political plans in the immediate aftermath of the assassination attempt on Saturday, pulling advertising off the air and hitting pause on messaging. The White House also scrapped Biden鈥檚 planned Monday visit to the Lyndon B. Johnson library, where he had been slated to deliver remarks on civil rights.
It鈥檚 still not finalized when Biden鈥檚 campaign ads will resume airing. But Biden is pressing on with the Nevada portion of his previously scheduled western swing, which will include remarks to the NAACP and UnidosUS, a Latino civil rights and advocacy group. He鈥檒l also headline what鈥檚 been billed as a 鈥渃ampaign community event鈥� on Wednesday in Las Vegas.
Hours ahead of the NBC interview, his campaign issued a blistering statement on Trump's selection of Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance as his running mate, saying he picked the freshman senator because he would 鈥渂end over backwards to enable Trump and his extreme MAGA agenda.鈥�
鈥淥ver the next three and a half months, we will spend every single day making the case between the two starkly contrasting visions Americans will choose between at the ballot box this November," said Biden campaign chairwoman Jen O'Malley Dillon. "The Biden-Harris ticket who鈥檚 focused on uniting the country, creating opportunity for everyone, and lowering costs; or Trump-Vance 鈥� whose harmful agenda will take away Americans鈥� rights, hurt the middle class, and make life more expensive 鈥� all while benefiting the ultra-rich and greedy corporations.鈥�
Biden has acknowledged that his candidacy and agenda will be under attack at the this week, and aides feel no need to put their campaign on complete pause while Biden comes under scrutiny in Milwaukee. But they'll tread carefully in the aftermath of the shooting at a Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
鈥淚鈥檒l be traveling this week, making the case for our record and the vision 鈥� my vision of the country 鈥� our vision,鈥� Biden said during his on Sunday night, just the third such address of his presidency. 鈥淚鈥檒l continue to speak out strongly for our democracy, stand up for our Constitution and the rule of law, to call for action at the ballot box, no violence on our streets. That鈥檚 how democracy should work.鈥�
Biden鈥檚 renewed campaigning this week 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.
It was unclear if the attempt on Trump鈥檚 life would blunt Democratic efforts to urge Biden to step aside, but it appears to have stalled some of the momentum, for now. No Democrats have called for him to exit the race since the shooting Saturday night.
In the hours before the shooting, Biden was still being confronted by frustration and skepticism from Democratic lawmakers. Rep. Jared Huffman of California said he asked the president during his meeting with the Congressional Progressive Caucus about objectively assessing the trajectory of the race, and if the Lord almighty doesn鈥檛 intervene would Biden consider 鈥渢he best earthly alternative鈥�: meeting with former presidents Obama and Clinton, and the Democratic leadership including Hakeem Jeffries and Chuck Schumer, and former Speaker Nancy Pelosi 鈥渢o seek their advice.鈥�
Huffman said on a social media post that Biden 鈥渄isagreed with the notion that we are on a losing trajectory.鈥�
And while Biden expressed a 鈥渨illingness to listen鈥� to other voices, Huffman said he doubted any would be persuasive. 鈥淚 continue to believe a major course correction is needed, and that the President and his team have yet to fully acknowledge the problem, much less correct it,鈥� he said.
But now, several Democrats who requested anonymity were skeptical that there would be enough drive among lawmakers to successfully try and pressure Biden not to run, especially because they are scattered and away from Washington until next week and because Biden has said he won鈥檛 step aside and seized the opportunity to quickly respond to the shooting over the weekend. The people requested anonymity to characterize private conversations.
Many in the Democratic Party had been looking to congressional leaders Jeffries and Schumer to voice concerns directly to the president. Jeffries met with Biden at the White House on Thursday night, while Schumer went to Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, on Saturday for his visit with Biden, which occurred just before the assassination attempt on Trump.
There were still deep concerns that Biden is not up to the job and a sense that pressure to try and find another candidate could ramp up again when lawmakers return to Washington. Congressional Democrats were watching the Republican National Convention and Biden鈥檚 appearances this week with awareness that the dynamics could change 鈥� again.
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AP Congressional Correspondent Lisa Mascaro contributed to this report.
Seung Min Kim, Aamer Madhani And Mary Clare Jalonick, The Associated Press
