NEW HAMPTON, Iowa — Joe Biden’s campaign denied that he criticized the appearance of the voter during a tense confrontation at a town hall.
“Any assertion VP Biden said a word about the gentleman’s appearance is making this something it is not. In the latter part of the exchange, the VP began to say ‘Look, facts’ then said ‘here’s the deal,'” tweeted Symone Sanders, senior adviser for the Biden campaign, on Thursday.
To be clear: Any assertion VP Biden said a word about the gentleman’s appearance is making this something it is not. In the latter part of the exchange, the VP began to say “Look, facts” then said “here’s the deal.” If you’ve been to a Biden event, you’ve heard this before.
— Symone D. Sanders (@SymoneDSanders) December 5, 2019
Many of those who saw the video thought that Biden told the voter, “look, fat,” before cutting himself off.
The voter, who refused to give reporters his name but said he was 83 years old and a registered independent, had brought up concerns about Biden’s age and his son Hunter Biden’s work with the Ukrainian gas company Burisma.
“You’re a damn liar, man. That’s not true. And no one has ever said that, no one has heard that,” Biden told the man.
“And by the way, that’s why I’m not sedentary,” Biden added.
After the event, the voter had a confrontation with another voter and called Biden “senile.” He said that Elizabeth Warren is his first choice for a candidate and that he also likes Bernie Sanders, but said he was not concerned about the other two candidates’ ages.
