Biden Said ‘We Got To Lock Him Up’ About Trump Ahead of 2024 Election

In late October 2024, two weeks before the November presidential election, U.S. President Joe Biden’s words at a Democratic campaign office in New Hampshire were shared across social media. According to numerous X posts, Biden said: “We gotta lock him up,” referring to former President Donald Trump.

For example, conservative activist Charlie Kirk wrote on X: “14 days before the presidential election, Joe Biden calls for the incarceration of Donald Trump: ‘We gotta lock him up.’ This is the ‘tell’ as to why the Democrat machine has been feverishly working to imprison Trump. It’s all been intentional.” 

While Biden did indeed use those words, the above caption is missing important context. Immediately after Biden mentioned locking up Trump, he added: “Politically lock him up. Lock him out, that’s what we have to do,” suggesting his words were figurative, not literal. As such, we have rated this quote as a correct attribution but with additional context.

Per the White House transcript, Biden’s full comments on Trump can be read below (emphasis ours):

This is a guy also wants to replace every civil servant — every single one; thinks he has a right under the Supreme Court ruling on immunity to be able, if need be — if he — if it was the case — to actually eliminate — physically eliminate — shoot, kill — someone who is — he believes to be a threat to him.

I mean — so, I know this sounds bizarre. It sounds like — if I said this five years ago, you’d lock me up. (Laughter.) We got to lock him up — (applause) — politically lock him up. Lock him out, that’s what we have to do.

And so, look, you all know how this works. Every single vote counts. And that’s, again, not hyperbole. Think of the — think how close these elections can be. And you’ve got one of the best delegations in the United States Senate. I’m not joking. (Applause.) No, no, no. That’s not a joke. That’s not a joke.

Biden made the statement in question at the 1:45 mark in the video below:

Multiple news outlets reported that a Trump campaign spokesperson responded by saying: “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. The Harris-Biden Admin is the real threat to democracy. We call on Kamala Harris to condemn Joe Biden’s disgraceful remark.”

Trump deployed the phrase “Lock her up” when referring to Hillary Clinton, his opponent in the 2016 presidential election. He was referring to the investigation surrounding Clinton’s email practices while she was secretary of state for then-President Barack Obama. However, she was never charged with a crime. Trump often chanted the phrase at his campaign rallies and stood silently as his supporters chanted “Lock her up.” He also explicitly called for Clinton’s imprisonment. 

Sources