President Joe Biden told supporters at the New Hampshire Democratic Party headquarters in Concord, “We gotta lock him up,” referring to Donald Trump, on October 22, 2024, two weeks before Election Day.

Biden had just come from an earlier health care event in the city and was building his long-running argument that Trump poses a threat to democracy. “Our democracy is at stake,” he told the crowd. “Think about what would happen if Donald Trump wins this election.”

He appeared to catch himself almost immediately, adding, “Politically lock him up. Lock him out. That’s what we have to do.”

A White House official later said Biden’s two clarifications were how the remark should be interpreted, framing it as a statement about the stakes of the election rather than literal imprisonment.

The Trump campaign pounced on the moment. Spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said, “Joe Biden just admitted the truth: he and Kamala’s plan all along has been to politically persecute their opponent President Trump.”

Campaign spokesman Steven Cheung also criticized the comment on social media, invoking the assassination attempt against Trump the previous July.

Biden has largely avoided weighing in on the Justice Department’s cases against Trump throughout his presidency, insisting politics has played no role.