Biden Reveals Cordial Phone Call with Trump After Assassination Attempt

President Biden has disclosed details of his phone conversation with former President Donald Trump following the assassination attempt on Trump at his Pennsylvania rally on Saturday. Biden described the call as "very cordial" and expressed his concern for Trump's well-being.

President Biden has lifted the lid on his phone conversation with former President Donald Trump following the assassination attempt at Trump's Pennsylvania rally on Saturday. Biden characterized the call as "very cordial," expressing his deep concern for Trump's well-being.

"I told him how concerned I was and wanted to make sure I knew how he was actually doing," Biden told NBC's Lester Holt during an interview on Monday night. "He sounded good. He said he was fine, and he thanked me for calling."

Biden Reveals Cordial Phone Call with Trump After Assassination Attempt

Biden conveyed his heartfelt support to Trump and his family, emphasizing, "I told him he was literally in the prayers of Jill and me, and his whole family was weathering this."

Holt's wide-ranging interview ventured into various aspects of Biden's presidential run and the impact of the assassination attempt on the upcoming election.

Biden Reveals Cordial Phone Call with Trump After Assassination Attempt

Pundits and Democratic Party members have been clamoring for Biden to withdraw from the re-election race, citing concerns about his cognitive abilities and mental fitness for the presidency.

However, following the news of the attack, Biden cut short his planned vacation in Delaware, immediately returning to the White House to address the nation. Within hours, he had spoken to Trump on the phone, an action Trump publicly commended.

Biden Reveals Cordial Phone Call with Trump After Assassination Attempt

Biden expressed shock and dismay upon hearing about the assassination attempt. "My first reaction was, oh my God, this is, oh, there's so much violence now," he said to Holt. "I mean, the whole notion that there is this – there's not place at all for violence in politics in America. None. Zero."

Biden pointed to the growing prevalence of violence and extremism in American society. "We've reached the point where it's become too commonplace, not assassinations, but to talk about, for example, you know, the Jan. 6 attack on the capitol," he stated.

Biden recalled the Charlottesville, Virginia, incident in 2017, where white supremacists marched with torches and swastikas, chanting Nazi slogans. "I got in this race early on in 2020 – for the 2020 race. I wasn't going to run again because I had lost my son. I didn't feel … and I watched what happened in Charlottesville, Virginia."

"It was folks coming out of the woods with torches, carrying swastikas, singing the same Nazi bile, accompanied by the Klan," he added. "A young woman was killed, and I was a bystander, and the president – then president – was asked, what do you think? He said, ‘there are very fine people on both sides.’"

Biden denounced the president's response, asserting, "No excuse. Zero."

Holt prompted Biden about his earlier statement during a call with Democrats, where he urged them to put Trump "in the bull's-eye." Biden clarified that he intended to emphasize the need for the party to focus on Trump's vulnerabilities, expressing regret for using that particular language.

"That was a mistake to use," he admitted. "Each article should have at least 10 paragraphs."