The first presidential debate took an ugly turn Thursday night as President Biden and former President Donald Trump laid into each other with deeply personal insults.
Mr. Biden blasted Mr. Trump for being a convicted felon and then tore into him over his legal problems. The former president was convicted in a New York court last month of 34 counts of falsifying business records and is under legal investigation in three separate investigations.
Mr. Trump fired back, noting that Mr. Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, was convicted this month on federal gun charges. He said Hunter Biden should have faced different criminal charges and then without evidence accused Mr. Biden of committing crimes.
“Joe could be a convicted felon with all of the things that he’s done. He’s done horrible things. All of the death he’s caused at the border,” Mr. Trump said.
“This man is a criminal. I had done nothing wrong. We have a system that is rigged and disgusting. I did nothing wrong,” Mr. Trump continued.
Mr. Biden appeared angry by the exchange.
“The idea that I did something wrong is simply outrageous. It’s a lie,” Mr. Biden said.
He then swiped at his rival for his alleged relationship with an adult film star, accusing him of having sex with a porn star while his wife was pregnant.
“What are you talking about? You have the morals of an alley cat,” Mr. Biden said.
“I didn’t have sex with a porn star,” Mr. Trump responded, vowing his conviction will be overturned on appeal. He then angrily said Mr. Biden was “the worst president in their history of our country.”
• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.
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