Biden says his mental acuity is “pretty damn good,” scolds NBC host over debate disaster question: “What’s up with you?”
Joe Biden sat down for an interview with NBC anchor Lester Holt on Monday, July 15, soon after Donald Trump survived an assassination attempt. After the attack on Trump, Biden had said in a statement that “there is no place in America for this kind of violence.” But as the two compete in a close race, the president stressed during the NBC interview that he does not wish to play a game of false equivalency.
US President has said that he is ready to meet in a debate with the country’s presidential candidate from the Republican Party, former President Donald Trump in September.
The American leader claims that he is going to hold a debate with him “as agreed.” He specified that he had agreed to hold a debate with the former president in September.
According to Biden, he is now “on a roll.” The head of state recalled that he held 22 major events, met with thousands of people and gathered huge crowds. Asked what he would do if his next debate performance was equally unsuccessful, the US president said he was not going to give another performance “of this level.”
Time to put Trump in the bullseye – Biden
President Biden defended saying it is “time to put Trump in the bullseye” just days after the assassination attempt on the former President and attempted to explain what he meant amid calls for politicians to tone down the rhetoric.
Hold said:
“You said it’s time to put Trump in the bullseye. There’s some dispute of the context, but you appreciate that words matter.”
Biden replied:
“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 was very little focus on Trump’s agenda.”
The president then went after Trump including the “lies he told in the debate” and said there’s a whole range of things. He added:
“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.”
The president was asked if he had done any “soul searching” on the things he has said that could incite people who are “not balanced.” Biden paused for for a moment before his response and said:
“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 might incite somebody?”
The clip was of Biden’s response was released Monday afternoon ahead of the full interview. It comes as the president is headed back out on the campaign trail this week after the shooting at Trump’s rally in Butler, PA where a bullet grazed the former president’s ear.
Biden immediately condemned the shooting after it happened and called it “sick.”
He has tried to tamp down the anxiety and anger that has seeped into the election cycle after the assassination attempt. Some Republicans have placed blame on Democrats and the president’s rhetoric in the wake of the shooting.
