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Biden hits back at Trump's attacks about his 'mental fitness': 'Watch me, Mr. President'

Rhea Mahbubani   

Biden hits back at Trump's attacks about his 'mental fitness': 'Watch me, Mr. President'
International2 min read
  • Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), his running mate, were interviewed jointly by ABC World News Tonight anchor David Muir on Sunday.
  • Asked about President Donald Trump's "blistering attacks" on his cognitive abilities, Biden replied, "Watch me, Mr. President."
  • It's a "legitimate question to ask anybody over 70 years old" about their mental wherewithal, said Biden, who is 77 years old and would be the oldest US president, if elected.
  • Muir also asked Harris about being described by Trump as "nasty" and "a disaster." That's the president attempting to "distract the American people" from the "negligence and harm" he is responsible for, she said.

Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden laughed and replied "watch me" when ABC World News Tonight anchor David Muir raised the issue of President Donald Trump's "blistering attacks" on his "mental fitness."

"His campaign has called you 'diminished' and I'm curious how you'd respond to that," Muir said during a joint interview on Sunday with Biden and Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), Biden's running mate.

"Watch me, Mr. President. Watch me. Look at us both, what we say, what we do, what we control, what we know, what kind of shape we're in. Come on," Biden said, as Harris chuckled.

Biden, 77, added that it's a "legitimate question to ask anybody over 70 years old" but dismissed Trump's personal insults. If elected, he would be the oldest US president. Trump, 74, currently holds that title.

"The only thing I can say to the American people ... watch me," Biden said. He will be 78 years old entering the White House but told Muir that he's "absolutely" open to the possibility of serving two terms if he wins in November.

Muir also asked Harris about the vitriol she has faced by way of the president.

"President Trump has referred to you as 'nasty,' 'a sort of madwoman,' 'a disaster,' 'the meanest, most horrible, most disrespectful of anybody in the US Senate,'" Muir said. "How do you define what you hear from the president?"

Like Biden, Harris began laughing midway through hearing the question.

"I think there is so much about what comes out of Donald Trump's mouth that is designed to distract the American people from what he is doing every day that is about neglect, negligence, and harm to the American people," she said.

"And incompetence," Biden chimed in.

"Absolutely," Harris responded.

"The idea that he would say something like that — no president, no president has ever said anything like that. No president has ever used those words," Biden continued.

The Trump campaign has for months described Biden as being in "cognitive decline," with the president saying, he "can't put two sentences together." However, Biden hit back soundly at those claims on Thursday with a powerful address at the Democratic National Convention, which Fox News anchor Dana Perino described as "a home run in the bottom of the ninth."

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