President Joe Biden branded former president Donald Trump a “convicted felon” during CNN’s presidential debate on Thursday night.
There were a series of tense moments in the debate as both candidates answered questions about the riot on the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.
In his response, Biden said: “[Trump] sat for three hours watching…He talked about them being the great patriots of America. He wants to commute their sentences, he didn’t do a damn thing [to stop it].”
Trump then dipped his head as Biden called him a “convicted felon” in the aftermath of Trump’s New York criminal hush money trial.
The president said: “The only person on this stage who is a convicted felon is the man I’m looking at right now…
“The crimes that you are still charged with – and think of all the civil penalties you have. For doing a whole range of things? Of having sex with a porn star on the night – while your wife was pregnant?”
Trump was found guilty last month on 34 counts of falsifying business records related to a hush money payment to an adult film star in 2016.
Following Biden’s response, Trump fired back and called Biden’s son Hunter a “convicted felon,” referencing Hunter’s recent federal gun trial in which a Delaware jury found him guilty on three felony charges.
The two candidates’ statements came following a back-and-forth between them about the January 6 riot and the violence that took place in the aftermath of George Floyd’s killing.
Biden added that there was “no effort” on Trump’s part to stop the riot on the US Capitol.
A series of fiery exchanges between the candidates resulted from questions on the economy, immigration, abortion rights, and the wars in Ukraine and Israel.
Biden and Trump were set to face off Thursday evening for a debate that offered an unparalleled opportunity for the two candidates to try to reshape the presidential race.
Biden, the Democratic incumbent, had the chance to reassure voters that, at 81, he’s capable of guiding the US through a range of challenges. The 78-year-old Trump, meanwhile, sought to convince an audience of tens of millions that he’s temperamentally suited to return to the Oval Office.
Biden and Trump entered the night facing stiff headwinds, including a public weary of the tumult of partisan politics and broadly dissatisfied with both, according to polling.
