ATLANTA: President Joe Biden and his Republican rival Donald Trump sparred over the state of the economy, border, foreign policy, abortion and national security during the first of presidential debates as they called each other a liar and the worst president in the history of the US.
During their roughly 90-minute debate defined by personal attacks on Thursday night, Biden called Trump a sucker and loser. “I was recently in France for D-Day, and I spoke to all about those heroes that died. I went to the World War II cemetery — the World War I cemetery he refused to go to,” Biden, the presumptive candidate of the Democratic Party, said, referring to Trump, who declined to visit the cemetery in 2018.
“He was standing with his four-star general, and he told me, he said, ‘I don’t want to go in there, because they’re a bunch of losers and suckers. My son was not a loser. He’s not a sucker. You’re the sucker. You’re the loser,” Biden said.
Trump said the quotes were made up in a third-rate magazine and he later fired the general. On the age factor, 81-year-old Biden reminded that 78-year-old Trump is just three years younger than him. Trump called Biden a criminal after the latter called him a “convicted felon,” referring to his conviction in a New York hush-money case.
“Joe could be a convicted felon with all of the things that he’s done, he’s done horrible things. This man is a criminal. This man, you’re lucky, you’re lucky, I did nothing wrong. We have a system that was rigged and disgusting,” Trump said.
“When he talks about a convicted felon, his son (Hunter Biden) is a convicted felon, at a very high level,” he alleged. As the two leaders sparred over various issues, Biden accused Trump that he does not know what he is talking about.
“He has no idea what the hell he’s talking about. I’ve never heard so much foolishness. This is the guy who wants to get out of NATO. You’re going to stay in NATO? He’s going to pull out of NATO,” Biden said.