Joe Biden has said that if they were in high school they would “beat up” President Donald Trump for his comments about women. But on the stage of the debate, as opponents of the presidency, it’s a different story.
When Biden and Trump meet for their first presidential debate later this month, Biden says he has one goal: “I hope I don’t take the bait.”
“I hope they don’t fool me into a fight with this guy, because that’s the only place he’s comfortable,” Biden said Thursday during a fundraiser.
His comments offer a clue to how the former vice president views the upcoming debate on Sept. 29 in Cleveland, Ohio. Biden has previously said that he plans to be a “fact-checker” on the stage of the debate and hold Trump accountable for any errors or falsehoods. But on Thursday night, Biden said that “people know what a liar” Trump is.
“This is a guy who is absolutely in bad taste. Totally tasteless. So pointing it out doesn’t do much good, ”he said.
But Biden acknowledged that he expects the president to “say horrible things about me and my family” during the debate to try to provoke him, and the debate will almost certainly feature confrontations over the families of the two candidates, as such. The attacks have been central themes that have already developed in the campaign.
The Trump campaign in particular has targeted Biden’s son Hunter for his ties to Chinese and Ukrainian companies. And Biden has been visibly angered by events in recent days over Trump’s comments calling downed Marines “fools” and “losers,” speaking of his son Beau, who served in the Delaware Army National Guard. Beau Biden died of brain cancer in 2015. And Democrats often criticize Trump for his use of his sons in government office and political negotiations, as well as the financial gain his family’s business has derived from the presidency.
While Biden said he doesn’t want to be fooled by Trump, he expressed confidence that “I know how to handle bullies.”
But Biden suggested that his strategy in the debate will focus more on contrasting Trump on competition and politics, and offering Americans an alternative to the Trump presidency.
“The place where you feel most uncomfortable is the facts. The place where you feel most uncomfortable is in the area of what you are going to do. The place where you feel most uncomfortable is knowing politics. He is one of the substantially less informed presidents I have ever worked with, ”said Biden.
Biden added: “Everyone knows who Donald Trump is. I plan to tell you who I am. “
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