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Joe Biden calls first debate with Trump 'a national embarrassment'

by Hai Brentnall (2020-12-18)


Former Vice President Joe Biden kicked off a train tour Wednesday and immediately began railing against Donald Trump after last night's vicious standoff at the first presidential debate - which he called an 'embarrassment.'

Speaking at a small rail station in Alliance, cheap hosting 2020 Ohio, he blasted Trump as out of touch, and said he can understand why debate viewers would be turned off by the spectacle.

'I can understand it.

I kind of thought at one point, and maybe I shouldn't say this, but the president of the United States conducting himself the way he did, I think it was just a national embarrassment,' Biden said.

Biden confirmed during the Wednesday morning stop that he will participate in the following two debates as questions arose over whether he would still do so following the disastrous first face-off.

He said he is getting ready for the next debate, which will be in a town hall format hosted by C-SPAN's Steve Scully in Miami, Florida - and floated the idea of using technology to rein in Trump.

'I just hope there's a way in which the debate commission can control the ability of us to answer the question without interruption,' he said, suggesting his microphone be muted if the president interrupts him.

'I'm coming into places where people are hurting.

Where people have lost their jobs,' Biden said of his train trip through the two battleground rust-belt states.

He cast Trump as being out for himself and ignoring the voters during the angry prime time clash.

'Does you president have any idea, understand what you're going through?

And if he does, does he care about it?' he said, bringing up the debate hours after it ended.

'Or does he just ignore you, look down on you, lie to you, like this president did?' he said.

'What I saw last night was all about him.

He didn't speak to you or you concerns or the American people even once.' 

Morning after: Joe Biden made a whistle stop Wednesday in Alliance during a chartered Amtrak train tour of eastern Ohio and western Pennsylvania.

During short remarks he called the debate with President Donald Trump the night prior a 'national embarrassment' 

Chartered train: Joe Biden climbed on board the Amtrak car for a tour of Ohio and Pennsylvania the morning after the first presidential debate - a clash called the worst in history. Ohio has become competitive and polls in Pennsylvania have swung to put him ahead in the must-win state

On the train: Joe Biden traveled first from Cleveland to Alliance, Ohio on his specially branded Amtrak charter, with his a few aides and journalists on board

 Democratic allies are suggesting Biden not participate in the two debates next month as Tuesday night's face-off quickly devolved into a series of interruptions and personal attacks.

But Biden said Wednesday that he will participate

'So presidential.' While Biden himself largely did not mention the debate, his wife Jill praised his performance before they boarded the special train in Cleveland

My guy: Jill Biden gave a show of support to her husband Joe after a debate called a 'dumpster fire' for its 90 minutes of acrimony

On board the Biden train: The Democratic candidate started a tour of eastern Ohio and western Pennsylvania on a chartered Amtrak train at Cleveland's mainline rail station

Biden will still participate in the remaining two presidential debates, but suggested that Trump's microphone be muted if he tries to interupt him during his answers