President Biden and former President Donald Trump each warned that World War III would begin if the other man is elected in November.
The two men each accused the other of weakness.
“He will drive us into World War III and we are closer to World War III than anyone can imagine and he’s driving us there,” Mr. Trump said about his presidential rival.
Mr. Trump pointed to the wars in the Middle East and Ukraine, saying foreign leaders “don’t respect” or “fear” Mr. Biden.
That prompted a sharp rebuke from Mr. Biden, who accused Mr. Trump of being the one who had let the next world conflict happen.
“If you want World War III, let him follow and win, and [say to Russian President Vladimir Putin] do what you want with NATO,” Mr. Biden responded.
“The idea. I can’t think of a single leader in the world who wouldn’t trade places with the job I’ve done,” he said.
Mr. Biden was referring to a comment by Mr. Trump in February, when he said that he would not protect NATO countries if they don’t pay their fair share into the alliance.
“No. I would not protect you,” Mr. Trump said that he told a NATO president. “In fact, I would encourage [Russia] to do whatever the hell they want. You got to pay.”
• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.