Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Wednesday, April 24, 2024 81° Today's Paper


Top News

Joe Biden challenges man to pushup contest after testy exchange

1/3
Swipe or click to see more
By New York Times
NEW YORK TIMES
                                Reporters talk with a man who questioned Hunter Biden’s overseas business dealings, during a campaign stop in New Hampton, Iowa by former Vice President Joe Biden today. The man said he was an 83-year-old retired farmer, but he declined to give his name to reporters. Joe Biden, a Democratic candidate for president, angrily lashed the man, calling him a “damn liar” in an unusually heated exchange.
2/3
Swipe or click to see more

NEW YORK TIMES

Reporters talk with a man who questioned Hunter Biden’s overseas business dealings, during a campaign stop in New Hampton, Iowa by former Vice President Joe Biden today. The man said he was an 83-year-old retired farmer, but he declined to give his name to reporters. Joe Biden, a Democratic candidate for president, angrily lashed the man, calling him a “damn liar” in an unusually heated exchange.

NEW YORK TIMES
                                Former Vice President Joe Biden, a Democratic candidate for president, is questioned about his son, during a campaign stop in New Hampton, Iowa during his “No Malarkey” bus tour today. Biden angrily lashed the man who questioned his son’s overseas business dealings, calling the man a “damn liar” in an unusually heated exchange.
3/3
Swipe or click to see more

NEW YORK TIMES

Former Vice President Joe Biden, a Democratic candidate for president, is questioned about his son, during a campaign stop in New Hampton, Iowa during his “No Malarkey” bus tour today. Biden angrily lashed the man who questioned his son’s overseas business dealings, calling the man a “damn liar” in an unusually heated exchange.

NEW YORK TIMES
                                Reporters talk with a man who questioned Hunter Biden’s overseas business dealings, during a campaign stop in New Hampton, Iowa by former Vice President Joe Biden today. The man said he was an 83-year-old retired farmer, but he declined to give his name to reporters. Joe Biden, a Democratic candidate for president, angrily lashed the man, calling him a “damn liar” in an unusually heated exchange.
NEW YORK TIMES
                                Former Vice President Joe Biden, a Democratic candidate for president, is questioned about his son, during a campaign stop in New Hampton, Iowa during his “No Malarkey” bus tour today. Biden angrily lashed the man who questioned his son’s overseas business dealings, calling the man a “damn liar” in an unusually heated exchange.

NEW HAMPTON, Iowa >> Former Vice President Joe Biden today angrily lashed a voter who questioned his son’s overseas business dealings at a campaign stop here, calling the man a “damn liar” in an unusually heated exchange.

The man — who declined to identify himself to reporters — said that Biden had “sent” his son to work in Ukraine and accused him of “selling access to the president.”

“You’re a damn liar, man,” Biden shot back. “That’s not true. And no one has ever said that. No one has proved that.”

President Donald Trump faces the possibility of impeachment after pressuring the Ukrainian government to investigate the Bidens. He has made debunked claims about corruption, and there is no evidence that the Bidens engaged in wrongdoing. But Hunter Biden, Biden’s son, did hold a lucrative position on the board of a Ukrainian energy company. The man suggested that the younger Biden “had no experience” in that field.

Before raising that issue, he said Biden was “too old for the job” of president.

“I’m not sedentary,” Biden, 77, said. “The reason I’m running is because I’ve been around a long time and I know more than most people know. And I can get things done. That’s why I’m running.”

He went on to encourage the man to do push-ups or go running with him, or take an IQ test with him, as the room applauded. At another point, he appeared to say, “Look, fat, look, here’s the deal.”

The man eventually told Biden he would not be voting for him. “Well, I knew you weren’t, man,” Biden responded. “You think I thought you’d stand up and vote for me? You’re too old to vote for me.”

Afterward, the man said he was an 83-year-old retired farmer, but he declined to give his name to reporters. He said Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts was his top choice in the Democratic primary race.

The moment captured Biden appearing to lose his cool when questioned about his son — a topic Trump is sure to press him on if he faces Biden in a general election. But Biden’s forceful pushback also comes as some Democratic voters say they would like to see the former vice president more aggressively defend himself and his family.

The exchange instantly overshadowed the campaign’s announcement that former Secretary of State John F. Kerry was endorsing Biden.

Still, the Kerry endorsement is among Biden’s most significant to date. His support provides Biden the backing of the Democratic Party’s 2004 presidential nominee and a past winner of the Iowa caucuses.

“I believe Joe Biden is the president our country desperately needs right now, not because I’ve known Joe so long, but because I know Joe so well,” Kerry said in a statement. “I’ve never before seen the world more in need of someone who on Day 1 can begin the incredibly hard work of putting back together the world Donald Trump has smashed apart.”

The Biden campaign announced Kerry’s endorsement as Biden began the sixth day of his eight-day “No Malarkey” bus tour in Iowa, which brought him to New Hampton for an event on this morning. The bus tour and endorsement come just two months before the caucuses here in Iowa, where Biden is scrambling to regain traction after months of slipping in the polls, amid organizational challenges and struggles to generate enthusiasm.

Kerry will join Biden in Iowa on Friday and will also campaign with him in New Hampshire on Sunday, the Biden campaign said.

In his own presidential contest, Kerry, like Biden, was perceived as a more establishment, centrist figure, and he struggled both nationally and in the early-voting states in the months leading up to the Iowa caucuses. But following a major campaign push in the state, he went on to win there with a message focused on electability, and eventually to become the nominee.

In his endorsement, Kerry cited Biden’s legislative accomplishments, and in particular, his work on foreign policy as vice president and as a former chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

“He’s the candidate with the wisdom and standing to fix what Trump has broken, to restore our place in the world, and improve the lives of working people here at home,” Kerry said.

Those remarks come as Biden is increasingly highlighting his international experience as a way to contrast himself both obliquely with his Democratic rivals, and more overtly with Trump. His team on Wednesday released a video detailing what they said were Trump’s “failures” at a NATO leaders summit in London. By this afternoon, it had amassed nearly 8 million views.

By participating in online discussions you acknowledge that you have agreed to the Terms of Service. An insightful discussion of ideas and viewpoints is encouraged, but comments must be civil and in good taste, with no personal attacks. If your comments are inappropriate, you may be banned from posting. Report comments if you believe they do not follow our guidelines. Having trouble with comments? Learn more here.