While President Donald Trump called himself the ‘least racist person in this room,’ Democrat Joe Biden gave the exact opposite assessment during a tussle over race during the Nashville presidential debate.
‘Abraham Lincoln here is one of the most racist presidents in modern history,’ Biden said.
Trump had tried to tarnish Biden’s civil rights record by pointing to his Senate vote in the 1994 crime bill and falsely claimed the former vice president had referred to black men as ‘super predators.’
‘Nobody has done more for the black community than Donald Trump … with the exception of Abraham Lincoln, possible exception, but with the exception of Abraham Lincoln, nobody has done what I’ve done,’ Trump said, repeating a boast he’s been making all year, name-dropping the president who ended slavery.
The president pointed to his record of funding historically black colleges and universities, signing the bipartisan First Step act – a big criminal justice reform bill – and creating so-called ‘opportunity zones’ to boost minority communities.
Debate moderator Kristen Welker asked Trump about a different part of his record – noting how he had called the Black Lives Matter movement a ‘symbol of hate.’
She also mentioned how Trump had shared a video of a man chanting ‘white power’ and he lashed out at athletes who have taken a knee over racial inequality.
‘The first time I ever heard of Black Lives Matter, they were chanting “Pigs in a blanket,” talking about our police, “fry them like a bacon,” I said that is a horrible thing,’ the president said. ‘I thought it was a terrible thing.’
He then made the claim,’ I am the least racist person in this room.’
Biden then made fun of Trump’s Abraham Lincoln line.
‘He pours a fuel on every single racist fire,’ Biden said. ‘Every single one.’
‘He started his campaign coming down the escalators that he was going to get rid of those Mexican rapists. He banned muslims because they are muslims. He said about the poor boys last time he was on stage, he told them to stand down and stand ready,’ Biden said
He messed up the name of the right-wing group, the Proud Boys.
‘Come on, this guy is a dog whistle about as big as a fog horn,’ Biden said.
Trump bristled that Biden had smacked him for his Lincoln boast, pointing out the Democrat got the context wrong.
‘He made a reference to Abraham Lincoln, where did that come in?’ Trump said. ‘No, I said not since Abraham Lincoln has anybody done what I’ve done for the black community. I didn’t say I’m Abraham Lincoln.’
Trump returned to his attack line on the crime bill.
Biden uttered, ‘Oh God.’