President Joe Biden and Republican nominee Donald Trump took a jibe at each other’s golf handicaps during the CNN presidential debate on Thursday.
At CNN’s Atlanta studio, moderator Dana Bash pointed out the old age of Biden and Trump and raised voters’ queries about their health and physical stamina.
Trump reiterated that he is in top physical shape after boasting about his prowess in both physical and mental aptitude. Notably, Biden would turn 86-year-old at the end of his second presidency, and Trump would be 82.
Defending his age, Biden said, he “spent half my career being criticized about being the youngest person in politics. I was the second youngest person ever elected to the United States Senate, and now I’m the oldest.”
He then turned the conversation towards Trump’s age, stressing that “this guy is three years younger and a lot less competent.”
Mocking 81-year-old Biden, Trump stated that he won two championships, while Biden “can’t hit a ball 50 yards.”
“I just won two club championships, not even senior, two regular club championships,” he stated. “To do that, you have to be quite smart and you have to be able to hit the ball a long way and I do it. He doesn’t do it, he can’t hit a ball 50 yards. He challenged me to a golf match, he can’t hit a ball 50 yards. I think I’m in very good shape.”
The former president then stated that he is “willing to take a cognitive test”.
Trump has taken the test twice with ex-White House doctor Ronny Jackson, who asked the Commander-in-Chief to go through the same testing.
“I was willing to take a cognitive test, and you know what, I didn’t do well — I aced them,” the GOP leader said.
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On other hand, Biden used the opportunity to make fun of Trump’s size and weight and said, “I’d be happy to have a driving contest with him. I got my handicap, when I was Vice President, down to a 6.”
Trump was captured laughing at the assertion made by Biden, who continued, saying: “I told you before I’m happy to play golf if you carry your own bag.”
Trump called Biden’s challenge to a round of golf absurd, by ending the exchange saying, “Let’s not act like children”.
In March, Biden announced to the crowd that he had issued Trump a golf challenge. “I told him once before, when he came into the Oval before he got sworn in, I said, ‘I’ll give you three strokes if you carry your own bag.”
