WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden said in an interview with NBC News on Monday that it was a “mistake” to make “point-point” comments about the Republican nominee. Donald TrumpBut his opponent’s rhetoric was more inflammatory and he warned that Trump remained a threat to democratic institutions.
The comments in question were made during a private call last week with donors as Biden tried to shore up his candidacy, which was facing scrutiny from the major party base. During the conversation, Biden declared he was “done” with talking about his poor performance in the debates and said it was “time to hold Trump to task,” saying Trump’s positions, rhetoric and campaign shortcomings had received too little scrutiny.
The NBC interview, in which Biden has at times been defensive over questions about his fitness to serve, comes as the president and his reelection team prepare to resume full campaigning after a brief hiatus following the weekend assassination attempt on Trump. The Biden campaign unleashed sharp criticism after the Republican nominee chose freshman Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance as his running mate.
“He’s a Trump clone on issues,” Biden told reporters on his way to Nevada for a series of speeches and campaign rallies. “I don’t see any difference.”
He elaborated on this in an interview with NBC, Lester Holt Vance said he shares Trump’s policies on abortion, taxes and climate change, adding: “He’s aligned with Trump’s policies, and that’s what you should do if you’re going to run against Trump.”
After Vance was named Trump’s running mate, the Biden campaign sent him a fundraising solicitation signed by the president, and the Biden campaign released a scathing statement saying they picked the freshman senator because he “will do everything in his power to support President Trump and his radical MAGA agenda.” Vice President Kamala Harris called Vance to congratulate him and left a message on his answering machine, according to a person familiar with the matter.
Biden also made it clear to NBC’s Holt that he would continue to keep an eye on Trump. While Biden acknowledged his “mistakes,” he said, “I’m not a guy who said on day one that I want to be a dictator.” He noted that Trump has previously said it would be a “catastrophe” if the Republicans lost in November, and said it was Trump, not Biden, who made those kinds of comments.
“How do we speak about the threats to democracy that are real when the president says things like he does,” Biden said. “Do we not say anything because it might provoke somebody?”
The NBC interview, scheduled before Trump’s assassination at a Pennsylvania rally, was part of a broader strategy for Biden to prove himself following his disastrous performance in the June 27 debate.
Asked by Holt if he had survived the worst of the pressure from his own party, Biden said 14 million Democrats chose him in the primary, adding, “I listen to what they have to say.” Biden added that his intelligence was “pretty good,” but said the question about his age was “justified.”
But Biden was visibly annoyed when asked if he would “get back on track” by taking part in another debate with Trump ahead of the next one scheduled for September.
“I’m on a horse. Where were you?” Biden said defensively. He spoke quickly about his recent domestic travels and a lengthy news conference in Washington last week, in which he dodged questions from nearly a dozen reporters. He said he was “showing the American people that I am in full control of my faculties and I don’t need notes or a teleprompter,” although Biden has used notes and a teleprompter in recent appearances, which is not unusual.
Regarding the possibility of a repeat of the shaky debate, Biden said he was “not looking to perform at that level again.”
The Biden campaign reevaluated some of its political plans, halted advertising airings and paused messaging in the wake of Saturday’s assassination attempt. The White House also canceled a visit planned for Monday by Biden to the Lyndon B. Johnson Library, where he was scheduled to speak about civil rights.
Biden also spoke privately with President Trump by phone after the assassination attempt, with the president describing the call as “very cordial” in an NBC interview.
It’s not yet clear when Biden’s campaign ads will start airing again, but he is moving forward with the Nevada portion of his previously scheduled Western campaign tour, where he will address the NAACP and the Latino civil rights group UnidosUS, and he is scheduled to headline what he’s calling an “election community event” in Las Vegas on Wednesday.
Biden has acknowledged that his candidacy and policies will come under attack at this week’s Republican National Convention, and aides felt there was no need to halt campaigning altogether, especially while he is under intense scrutiny in Milwaukee.
Asked whether the president would adjust his messaging this week in light of the assassination attempt, Biden campaign chairwoman Jen O’Malley Dillon pointed to the Oval Office address as a “road map for the country” and said it was no different from Biden’s strategy from the start.
Biden resumed campaigning this week as Democrats are deadlocked over whether the sitting president should continue in the race, and he has made it clear he will stay in. Biden has made it clear he will continue to campaign, and his aides have acted accordingly.
It’s unclear whether the assassination attempt on Trump will slow Democratic efforts to call on Biden to step down, but for now it appears to have slowed some momentum: No Democrats have called on Biden to drop out of the race since Saturday night’s shooting.
But hours before the assassination attempt, Biden was still facing skepticism from some Democrats. Rep. Jared Huffman of California said he had asked the president during a meeting with the Congressional Progressive Caucus to objectively assess the trajectory of the race. In a social media post, Huffman said Biden “doesn’t subscribe to the notion that we’re trending toward losing.”
But now, several Democrats are skeptical that there’s enough momentum among lawmakers to pressure Biden not to run, especially since lawmakers will be away from Washington until next week and Biden has said he won’t step down and seized the opportunity to respond swiftly to the weekend shootings.The people, who asked not to be identified discussing private conversations, asked not to be identified.
Many Democrats had expected House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to express their concerns directly to Biden. Jeffries met with Biden at the White House on Thursday night, while Schumer traveled to Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, to meet with Biden on Saturday.
Concerns remain that Biden is unable to do his job, and some say pressure to oust him may increase again once lawmakers return to Washington. Democrats watched the Republican National Convention and Biden’s speech this week with the knowledge that things could change again.
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Associated Press congressional correspondent Lisa Mascaro and Associated Press White House correspondent Zeke Miller contributed to this report.