Joe Biden indicated that he regretted resorting to name-calling during his first presidential debate against President Trump on Tuesday.
“I was trying to figure out how I could possibly have him respect the debate, respect the moderator, and get us an opportunity to speak … He did not want to talk about substance,” the former vice president and Democratic presidential nominee said during an NBC town hall on Monday night.
Trump repeatedly interrupted Biden and moderator Chris Wallace of Fox News in what was arguably the messiest debate on record.
Biden, at one point, told the president to “shut up” and called him a “clown.”
“I did get very frustrated. I did get frustrated. And I should have said this is a clownish undertaking instead of calling him a clown,” Biden said. “But the fact is, I’ll be very honest with you — I think it was embarrassing for the nation.”
Town hall moderator Lester Holt of NBC News asked Biden if his debate performance is an indication of how he might act if world leaders get under his skin, should he be elected president.
Biden brushed off the question, noting that he had met with many world leaders during the Obama administration.
“[They’ve] gotten under my skin,” Biden said. “And we’ve had very quiet conversations. I’ve told President Putin exactly what I think of him. He knows it. We looked eye to eye, and we know what’s going on.”
“You can look back on all those international meetings I’ve had,” Biden added. “You can’t think of a time when I’ve not handled it properly.”
