President Joe Biden addresses the nation from the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, Sunday, July 14, 2024, about the attempted assassination of former Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania.
Erin Shaff/The New York Times, via The Associated Press, Pool
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Erin Shaff/The New York Times, via The Associated Press, Pool
On the first night of the Republican National Convention, President Biden gave a new television interview in which he pushed back against a question about whether he needed to do more to convince the party that he had what it takes to run for a second term.
Since Saturday's assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, consistent calls from Democratic lawmakers for Biden to withdraw from the presidential race have weakened.
Biden also told NBC's Lester Holt that he is determined to seek reelection, despite his dramatic faltering in last month's debate with Trump.
Holt asked the president who he would listen to when it came to a “deeply personal decision” like whether to continue campaigning.
“It's me,” Biden said.
“I'm an old guy,” Biden said later, acknowledging he understood the questions about his age.
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“But first, I'm three years older than Trump. And second, I have a vastly superior intellectual capacity. I've accomplished more in three and a half years than any president has ever done. I don't mind being recognized for that.”
Holt asked Biden if he'd seen the tape of the debate. “I was there,” Biden replied. “I didn't need to see it. I was there.”
Holt asked Biden if he would be willing to debate Trump again before the agreed-upon second debate in September, which Holt suggested would be a chance to “get the momentum going again.”
“I'm all in!” Biden said, referring to the string of events he's had since the debate to show it was just a crappy night. “Where were you? I've handled 22 major events and overwhelming crowds of thousands. There's a lot going on.”
Biden's own comments are also under scrutiny
Biden said he spoke with Trump after the shooting, calling the call “very heartfelt” and telling his predecessor that “Jill and I are literally praying for him.”
“I hope his whole family gets through this,” Biden added.
Speaking from the Oval Office on Sunday, Biden called on Americans to “turn down the political temperature.”
Asked if he had reflected on whether his words could incite violence, Biden said it was Trump who used the inflammatory language, not him.
“Look, when the president says things like he does, how can we talk about the threat to democracy – which is real – and not say anything because it might provoke somebody?” Biden said.
“I'm not a guy who said on my first day in office that I wanted to be a dictator. I'm not a guy who refused to accept the results of an election,” Biden said, citing examples of statements Trump has made.
Biden said it was a “mistake” to say now was the time to attack Trump during a recent campaign call.
But he has repeatedly criticized Trump and his own rhetoric, from his first presidential campaign in 2016 through to his comments about the Jan. 6 riot.
Holt then asked Biden whether the assassination attempt changed the course of the campaign.
“I don't know,” Biden said. “You don't know either.”
