President Joe Biden on Tuesday echoed language former President Donald Trump has used prior to now, saying of the previous president that “we gotta lock him up.”

Talking at a marketing campaign occasion in New Hampshire, Biden mentioned Trump’s insurance policies are so “weird” and harmful that if he’d warned about them 5 years in the past “you’d lock me up.”

“We gotta lock him up,” Biden mentioned to applause from the small crowd earlier than he appeared to catch himself and added, “politically lock him up.”

“Lock him out,” Biden continued. “That’s what now we have to do.”

A White Home official later mentioned that Biden’s two speedy clarifications — specifying “politically” locking up Trump and locking him “out” — are how the president’s feedback needs to be interpreted. Biden was talking to how voters ought to take into consideration the stakes of the election, the official added.

The Trump marketing campaign responded Tuesday night time by difficult Vice President Kamala Harris to sentence Biden’s comment.

“Joe Biden simply admitted the reality: he and Kamala’s plan all alongside has been to politically persecute their opponent President Trump as a result of they’ll’t beat him truthful and sq.,” marketing campaign press secretary Karoline Leavitt mentioned in an announcement.

“The Harris-Biden Admin is the true risk to democracy. We name on Kamala Harris to sentence Joe Biden’s disgraceful comment,” she added.

Steven Cheung, a Trump marketing campaign spokesman, additionally criticized the remarks on X.

“President Trump is the one candidate who was shot within the head in a failed assassination try,” Cheung mentioned, referring to the July 13 capturing at a marketing campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.

“What a bit of s— Biden is,” Cheung added.

Each Biden and Harris have condemned political violence within the wake of a pair of makes an attempt to assassinate Trump.

Biden’s feedback sparked backlash from different Trump allies.

Charlie Kirk, founding father of the conservative activist group Turning Level USA, mentioned on X: “That is the ‘inform’ as to why the Democrat machine has been feverishly working to imprison Trump. It’s all been intentional.”

Biden’s remarks introduce a distraction for the Harris marketing campaign at a crucial section in a razor-close race, they usually come when she is already making the calculated choice to not seem with him on the path earlier than Election Day.

At her rallies, Harris has sometimes shut down “lock him up” chants directed at Trump, saying the courts would deal with that.

Trump was convicted in Could on 34 felony counts of falsifying enterprise data in a New York state case. His sentencing is scheduled for subsequent month after the election. Federal prosecutors led by particular counsel Jack Smith have charged Trump in two separate circumstances; Trump has pleaded not responsible and denied wrongdoing in every case.

Chants of “lock her up” geared toward 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton grew to become common with Trump supporters throughout that election, with Trump typically standing by because the crowds chanted and different occasions agreeing “they need to lock her up.”

Chants of “lock him up” have been returned by a crowd on the Democratic Nationwide Conference in August this yr as Clinton spoke in assist of Harris.

Trump, in the meantime, has not shied away from threatening to prosecute his political opponents.

In August, he reposted manipulated photos of Biden, Harris and different political opponents wearing orange jail uniforms with the caption: “HOW TO ACTUALLY ‘FIX THE SYSTEM.’”

Trump additionally referred to Democrats and people who have investigated him as “the enemy from inside,” claiming in an interview that aired this month that they pose a risk that is larger than China, Russia and different nations.

He has frequently painted Harris and Clinton as criminals. Trump referred to Harris as a “prison” at a marketing campaign rally in Aurora, Colorado, this month.

Biden’s feedback on Tuesday got here throughout his second cease of the day, throughout a go to to the headquarters of the New Hampshire Democratic Occasion to spice up the social gathering’s candidates in each the open gubernatorial and congressional race. There, and at an earlier cease in Harmony, Biden spoke in dire phrases about what was at stake within the presidential contest.

“I’m not one that’s susceptible to hyperbole, however now we have a gaggle working — the MAGA Republicans — who’re have a anti-democratic perspective towards the best way the Structure features,” he mentioned throughout the marketing campaign workplace go to.

Talking of Trump, he mentioned: “In the event you don’t imagine it now, you’re going to study if he wins, it’s a critical, major problem. So people, the primary level I wish to make to you is we should. We should, we should win. Should win, not just for ourselves, however for our youngsters, and people kids who aren’t even born but. It makes a major distinction.”

On the earlier occasion in Harmony, Biden referred to personal conversations with world leaders who he mentioned have been very involved about Trump returning to energy.

“They’ll pull me apart, one chief after one other, quietly, and say, ‘Joe, he can’t win. My democracy is at stake. My democracy is at stake.’”

Biden has had a minimal presence on the marketing campaign path, with a current journey to Germany and different journey to survey injury from Hurricane Helene additionally competing for his time.

The day’s major occasion was technically not a marketing campaign cease, as Biden appeared with Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., meant to deal with lowering prescription drug costs. Nonetheless, he delivered a extra on-message, if additionally unscripted, jab at Trump over his “ideas of plan” to switch the 2010 Reasonably priced Care Act.

“I like this man. I’m making an attempt to be an excellent fellow. I’m not letting my Irish get the very best of me,” he joked. “I’ve heard that idea of a plan now for nearly eight years, an idea of a plan. What the hell is an idea? He has no idea of something.”