US President Joe Biden on Tuesday used language reminiscent of that used in rallies of former President Donald Trump, stating, "We gotta lock him up," in reference to Trump. Speaking during a campaign event in New Hampshire and quoted by NBC News , Biden criticized Trump's policies, calling them so “bizarre” and dangerous that if he had mentioned them five years ago, “you’d lock me up.” “We gotta lock him up,” Biden said before clarifying his remarks and adding, “Politically lock him up.” Biden continued, “Lock him out. That’s what we have to do.” A White House official later explained that Biden’s two immediate clarifications—referring to “politically” locking up Trump and locking him “out”—reflect the intended interpretation of his remarks. The official emphasized that Biden was addressing how voters should consider the stakes of the upcoming election. The Trump campaign responded by urging Vice President Kamala Harris to condemn Biden's comment. “Joe Biden just admitted the truth: he and Kamala’s plan all along has been to politically persecute their opponent President Trump because they can’t beat him fair and square," said Trump campaign press secretary Karoline Leavitt in a statement. "The Harris-Biden Admin is the real threat to democracy. We call on Kamala Harris to condemn Joe Biden’s disgraceful remark,” she added. Chants of “lock her up” aimed at 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton became popular with Trump supporters during that election. At her rallies, Harris has typically shut down “lock him up” chants aimed at Trump, saying the courts would handle that.
