Hanna Panreck on July 16, 2019
Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden said he would challenge President Donald Trump to do push ups when asked how he would respond to Trump’s questions of his mental fitness on the debate stage.
Biden revealed his challenge in a Tuesday interview with Mika Brzezinski on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” when pressed on how he’d handle Trump on the debate stage.
“Let’s just say it, he lies. Fact. He bullies. Fact. He has a very, very loose respect for the law, that’s putting it kindly,” Brzezinski said to Biden. She pushed him on his mental toughness and ability to take on Trump, after seeing how he reacted to an attack from Democratic California Sen. Kamala Harris during the first Democratic debate.
Biden said “I realize that some have concluded that because I didn’t respond very tough back to her, that how can I take on Trump? I’ve never had trouble taking on anyone, from Trump to Putin, Xi Jinping or anybody else,” Biden replied.
“But what do you do, you make it to the general and you’re on the debate stage, he’s lying, he says we’re doing great, that’s his brand. We’re stronger than ever, he starts making fun of your age, your mental state, he starts going after you, ” Brzezinski pressed.
“I’d say come on Donald, come on man, how many push ups do you want to do here pal,” Biden, 76, said gesturing with his hands, “You know jokingly, come on run with me man.”
This was not the first time Biden tried to show his toughness when it comes to Trump, the Washington Post reported.
“If we were in high school I’d take him behind the gym and beat the hell out of him,” Biden said this while campaigning for congressional candidates at the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida, in March 2018.