Biden says it was a ’mistake’ to say he wanted to put a ’bull’s-eye’ on Trump

US President Joe Biden told NBC News in an interview airing Monday that it was a “mistake” to say he wanted to put a “bull's-eye” on Republican nominee Donald Trump, but argued that the rhetoric coming from his opponent was more incendiary.

“It was a mistake to use the word," Biden told NBC anchor Lester Holt in a clip released by the network. He said he wanted to “focus” to be on “what he's saying."

Biden continued: "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 may incite somebody?”

The president said he is not the one who engages in “that rhetoric,” referring to Trump's past comments about a “bloodbath” if the Republican loses to Biden in November.