On Thursday, former President Donald Trump claimed that President Joe Biden “blew it” by saying, “We gotta lock him up” about Trump.
Trump responded sharply to Biden’s comment during a rally in Arizona, a crucial swing state he aims to win in his 2024 White House bid against Vice President Kamala Harris, with the election just under two weeks away.
“He blew it. He said ‘lock him up.’ He said ‘lock him up’ last night. He’s not allowed to say that! He’s such a stupid guy,” Trump said with a chuckle. “Such a stupid fool.”
"HE BLEW IT, HE SAID LOCK HIM UP LAST NIGHT, HE'S NOT ALLOWED TO SAY THAT!" – President @realDonaldTrump comments on Joe Biden's comments to "lock him up!" pic.twitter.com/dRF7mM8rwr
— Real America's Voice (RAV) (@RealAmVoice) October 24, 2024
During an event in New Hampshire on Tuesday, Biden referenced Trump’s efforts to reduce the Department of Education, then remarked about locking him up in connection with the federal 2020 election interference case involving the former president.
Trump “thinks he has a right under the Supreme Court ruling on immunity to be able if need be, if it was the case, to actually eliminate, physically eliminate, shoot and kill, someone who he believes to be a threat to him,” Biden said.
“I mean, so, I know this sounds bizarre. It sounds like if I said this five years ago, you’d lock me up. We gotta lock him up,” Biden said, before adding seconds later: “Politically lock him up.”
Biden in NH lists what Trump would do as president and says: “we gotta lock him up” and then, appearing to realize how his comments would be taken, adds: “politically, lock him up.” pic.twitter.com/cw3X8RzKn2
— Alex Thompson (@AlexThomp) October 22, 2024
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre clarified to reporters on Wednesday that Biden’s remark was intended to mean “lock him out politically,” referring to defeating Trump in the upcoming election.
Q: What did the president mean when he said last night about Donald Trump, 'we you gotta lock him up?'"@PressSec: "He meant lock him out politically." pic.twitter.com/0gd0ymBpCh
— CSPAN (@cspan) October 23, 2024
The remark may already have had consequences. Trump’s legal team filed a motion to dismiss the 2020 election case, led by Special Counsel Jack Smith, pointing to Biden’s “lock him up” comment as a factor.
Trump, of course, encouraged similar chants of “lock her up” regarding his 2016 opponent, Hillary Clinton, and “lock him up” in 2020 while running against Biden.
However, Biden’s use of a similar phrase comes as Trump faces federal prosecution under his administration.
Speaking at an event in the key battleground state of Georgia on Wednesday, Trump claimed that Biden’s actions amounted to interference in the 2024 presidential race.
“I’ve been telling you that it’s election interference,” Trump said. “This is all it is. He said ‘we got to lock him up.’ This is illegal.”
