President Joe Biden , who some conservatives have accused of using inflammatory language about Donald Trump , on Monday defended how he has spoken about Trump and the danger he believes the former president represents to U.S. democracy.

How do you talk about the threat to democracy, which is real, when a president says things like he says? Do you just not say anything, because it may incite somebody? Biden asked in an excerpt of an interview with NBC News Lester Holt.

In the wake of the failed assassination attempt against Trump Saturday, some Republicans have pointed to what they say is overheated rhetoric from Democrats about Trump being authoritarian or that his election would endanger Americas 248-year-old democracy.

In particular, they have pointed to a remark by Biden to donors on a recent call in which he asked them to move on from Bidens poor debate performance and instead focus on Trump. Its time to put Trump in the bulls-eye, he said.

The FBI has yet to publicly disclose any motives the shooter may have had for the attack, other than investigating it as an attempted assassination. Its unknown if the shooter had heard of Bidens comments in the call with donors.

Biden said he meant the comment figuratively, not literally.

I didnt say crosshairs. I meant bulls-eye. I meant focus on him, focus on what hes doing, focus on his policies, focus on the number of lies he told in the debate, Biden said.

Referring to Trumps remarks saying he would free some Jan. 6 insurrection convicts, saying there would be a bloodbath if he lost, or making fun of the hammer attack on former House Speaker Nancy Pelosis (D-Calif.) husband, Biden said his rhetoric should not be compared with Trumps.

Ive not engaged in that rhetoric. Now my opponent has engaged in that rhetoric, he said.