Biden Admits Mistake in Saying He Wanted to Put ‘Bull’s-Eye’ on Trump

Washington, D.C. – President Joe Biden conceded in an interview with NBC News on Monday that it was a “mistake” to state he wanted to put a “bull’s-eye” on Republican nominee Donald Trump. Biden argued that Trump's rhetoric was more incendiary and warned that Trump remained a threat to democratic institutions.

The controversial remark was made during a private call with donors last week, as Biden was working to strengthen his candidacy among key party constituencies. Biden had declared he was “done” discussing his poor debate performance, insisting it was “time to put Trump in the bull’s-eye” to scrutinize his stances, rhetoric, and lack of campaigning more closely.

During the NBC interview, Biden appeared defensive at times when questioned about his fitness for office. The President and his reelection team are preparing to resume full-throttle campaigning after a brief pause following an assassination attempt on Trump over the weekend. Biden criticized Trump's selection of freshman Sen. JD Vance of Ohio as his running mate, calling Vance “a clone of Trump on the issues.”

“He signed onto the Trump agenda, which he should if he’s running with Trump,” Biden told NBC’s Lester Holt, highlighting Vance’s alignment with Trump on abortion, taxes, and climate change.