In an interview with NBC’s Lester Holt, President Biden said he regretted using the word but defended his descriptions of the former president as a threat to democracy.
The polls, taken before the assassination attempt on Donald J. Trump, found President Biden trailing Mr. Trump in Pennsylvania, a swing state critical to his re-election hopes, and slightly ahead in Virginia, a state he won by 10 points in 2020.
As inflation worries dominate, the Biden administration is struggling to take credit for infrastructure and industrial policy in the battleground state.
Former President Donald J. Trump was declared “fine” by his campaign, and the gunman was killed by Secret Service snipers. The explosion of political violence further inflamed the campaign for the White House.
These candidates say the issue cannot be avoided in 2024, and dismiss the notion that focusing on men, who typically prioritize the economy, is a risk.
Facing rising frustration in his party, the president brushed it off in an energetic speech in Michigan. Inside the room, at least, the Democratic mood was defiant, with cheers of “Don’t go, Joe.”