BREAKING: Joe Biden encourages NC crowd chanting 'Lock Him Up' about Trump: 'There’s time for that'

On Friday, President Joe Biden encouraged a crowd who was chanting "Lock Him Up" in reference to Donald Trump during a North Carolina rally.  

While the crowd chanted "Lock Him Up!" repeatedly, Biden responded, "There's time for that." 

The rally comes after a dismal performance from the incumbent president on Thursday evening. During the debate as well as in during other parts of the campaign, Biden has been critical of Trump for saying that he will have "retribution" when he becomes president. When Trump was pressed on the topic in the debate by moderators, Trump said, "Well, I said my retribution is going to be success. We're going to make this country successful again, because right now it's a failing nation. My retribution is going to be success." 

Biden responded in the debate, "The idea that you have a right to seek retribution against any American just because you're president is wrong. It's simply wrong. No president's ever spoken like that before." Biden has made similar comments along the campaign trail and at other events. 

During the White House Correspondents dinner earlier in April and in other instances, Biden has brought up the topic time and time again. At the dinner he commented, “He tells reporters he wants revenge and retribution. When on God's name have you ever heard a president say something like that?” 

Biden’s comments from Friday’s rally in North Carolina, however, strike a tone similar to what the incumbent president has said Trump is guilty of. 

During the New York City trial of Trump, the Biden camp brought in anti-Trumper actor Robert De Niro for a presser where he said at the time that Trump wants to destroy the country "and eventually he can destroy the world.” Biden campaign communications director Michael Tyler added that they were holding the presser near the Trump trial to talk to people about "the threat that Donald Trump poses to the United States of America and to our democracy."

Biden encouraging the calls to lock Trump up at the rally, the presser with De Niro, as well as other instances of the Biden camp may appear to come in conflict with Biden criticisms of Trump’s rhetoric on retribution.