In a sit-down interview with President Joe Biden, Lester Holt of NBC News challenged him on making claims that Donald Trump was an “existential threat” to democracy. He implied, in the wake of the assassination attempt on Trump, that this “rhetoric” could “incite people who are not balanced.”

Biden rightly responded by pointing out that Trump refused to accept the results of the 2020 election and demanded loyalty oaths from Congressional representatives.

Holt essentially performed projection on behalf of Trump. He twisted the threat posed to democracy by Trump around to construe Biden as the one engaging in dangerous rhetoric. Holt continued his track as a Trump apologist in the remainder of the interview, leading Biden to frustratingly ask, “What’s with you guys? Come on, man.” Biden concluded the interview by inviting Hot to “Sometime, come talk to me about what we should be talking about… the issues.”

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• Lester Holt full interview with Joe Biden, July 15, 2024 (NBC News)
• Transcript: Read the full Biden interview with Lester Holt on NBC News (NBC News)
• 5 Takeaways From Biden’s NBC Interview With Lester Holt (US News & World Report)