SACHA PFEIFFER, HOST:
After the assassination attempt on his rival in the White House race, President Biden paused his campaign. He said it was time for the country to cool down the rhetoric and come together.
STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
Today, after that brief pause, Biden heads back out. He's campaigning in Nevada. In that speech to the nation on Sunday, he said a campaign should be about the character of the candidates, their records and visions - not violence.
PFEIFFER: NPR White House correspondent Deepa Shivaram has more. Good morning, Deepa.
DEEPA SHIVARAM, BYLINE: Good morning.
PFEIFFER: Yesterday, Biden did a sit-down interview with NBC News' Lester Holt - his first interview since Saturday's shooting. What did Biden say?
SHIVARAM: Yeah. I mean, this was supposed to be a chance for Biden to take some of the attention away from the Republican National Convention, but it turned into a pretty wide-ranging interview. Biden, at times, was defensive and was critical of some of the questions and the media in general. And Biden said he had a cordial conversation with Trump after the shooting and that he was concerned about Trump's health. But, you know, Biden here is still trying to make his case to voters that Trump is the wrong choice. And he doesn't seem to be backing down from pointing at what he says is Trump's inflammatory rhetoric.
It's gotten a little more complicated, though, because now Biden's language is getting scrutinized. For example, he admitted it was a mistake a week or so ago for him to say on a call with donors that, quote, "it's time to put Trump in the bull's-eye." And Biden said what he meant was that people need to focus on what Trump himself has said.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: When a president says things like he says, do you just not say anything 'cause it may incite somebody? Look; I have not engaged in that rhetoric. Now, my opponent's engaged in that rhetoric. He talks about it'll be a bloodbath if he loses.
PFEIFFER: So, Deepa, this is a tricky challenge for Biden. He's got to cool down the rhetoric, as he says, but speak forcefully enough to try to beat his rival. How is he planning to do that, if you have any sense?
SHIVARAM: Yeah, I mean, it's kind of an open question on how Biden's language changes here. He's been giving really fired-up speeches recently, talking a lot about Trump lately, especially the Project 2025 agenda. But as he travels to Las Vegas this week, it's possible Biden tries to take maybe a different approach. He's going to be talking about high rent prices and will be addressing Black and Hispanic civil rights groups.
And the idea for a long time now from the Biden campaign has been to try and break through some of that Trump amnesia - right? - to remind people what Trump did and said during his presidency. What he's been saying recently, particularly that Trump is a threat to democracy - that's been a line Biden's been using a lot. But now it might get a little trickier for Biden to weave some of that narrative. And he's saying that it's time to unite the country together, but he also has to draw those contrasts with Trump because this election continues to be extremely close.
PFEIFFER: Right. And so much news has happened this week that almost - it's been easy to forget that a week ago, the main conversation was, should Biden drop out? That's receded a bit. But where do those conversations stand now in potentially replacing him on the ticket?
SHIVARAM: You know, they've petered out a little bit since this weekend's very shocking events. And, you know, Claudia, our colleague - she spoke to a House Democrat who was granted anonymity to speak about private discussions. This Democrat said that the talk of swapping Biden in the race has ended, at least for now or for good. They said there's too much instability and uncertainty after the Trump assassination attempt, and there are worries about more political violence like January 6. So there's not really an appetite to bring this conversation up again unless Biden has another major communications misstep.
PFEIFFER: That is NPR White House correspondent Deepa Shivaram. Thank you for covering this.
SHIVARAM: Thanks so much. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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