Former White House communications director Kate Bedingfield on Monday corrected herself and apologized after saying Democrats must choose “to try to win this election and turn their fire on Donald Trump.”
President Joe Biden called for America to “lower the temperature in our politics” following the failed assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump, but he became defensive when pressed by NBC News host Lester Holt about rhetoric that may incite violence. Bedingfield, who was White House communications director under Biden, said she “shouldn’t have” used the expression “turn their fire,” changing it to “turn their focus.” (RELATED: ‘I’m Supposed To Be Dead’: Donald Trump Reflects After ‘Very Surreal’ Brush With Death)
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Former Biden Official Corrects Herself After Saying Dems Must ‘Turn Their Fire On Donald Trump’ To Beat Him pic.twitter.com/QWLgfB4SIH
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“He has said many, many times, after having been questioned many times about this, that he’s not stepping down and he’s going to be the nominee,” Bedingfield said. “So at some point, Democrats have to decide that they want to try to win this election and turn their fire on Donald Trump. I think there is — I shouldn’t have said ‘turn their fire.’ I apologize. That was not the phrase that I meant. They need to turn their focus on Donald Trump.”
US former President and 2024 Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, a bandage on his ear after being wounded in an assassination attempt, attends the first day of the 2024 Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, July 15, 2024. (Photo by BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)
Biden told donors during a private call on July 8 his “one job” is to “beat Donald Trump,” saying “it’s time to put Trump in a bullseye,” Politico reported.
“Let’s talk about the conversation this has started, and it’s really about language, what we say out loud and the consequences of that,” Holt said. “You called your opponent an ‘existential threat’ on a call a week ago. You said, ‘it’s time to put Trump in a bullseye.’ There’s some dispute about the context, but I think you appreciate—”
TOPSHOT – Republican candidate Donald Trump is seen with blood on his face surrounded by secret service agents. (Photo by REBECCA DROKE/AFP via Getty Images)
”I didn’t say crosshairs,” Biden responded. “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’s very little focus on Trump’s uh, agenda.”
Biden called it “a mistake” that he said “bullseye.”
“I didn’t say, I didn’t mean crosshairs, I meant bullseye, I meant focus on him,” he added.
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