(NewsNation) — “The only person on this stage who’s a convicted felon is the man I’m looking at right now,” President Joe Biden said about former President Donald Trump during their Thursday debate on CNN.
“Think of all the civil penalties you have,” Biden said in one of his strongest moments of the night. “How many billions of dollars do you owe in civil penalties for molesting a woman in public? For doing a whole range of things? Of having sex with a porn star … while your wife was pregnant? What are you talking about? You have the morals of an alley cat.”
“I didn’t have sex with a porn star,” Trump retorted. On his felony conviction in the hush money case in New York, Trump said he’ll win on appeal and blasted the judge and the prosecutor as “high-ranking Democrats.”
“I did nothing wrong. We have a system that was rigged and disgusting. I did nothing wrong,” said Trump.
On Trump’s campaign trail promise to go after Biden and other political opponents if he returns to the White House, Biden said “The idea that you have the right to seek retribution against any American just because you’re president is wrong. It’s simply wrong. No president has ever spoken like that before.”
“I said my retribution is going to be success,” Trump responded before attacking the president’s son, Hunter Biden, who was recently convicted on a charge of lying on a federal background form when buying a gun.
“When [Biden] talks about a convicted felon, his son is a convicted felon. He should have been convicted before, but his Justice Dept. let the statute of limitations lapse,” Trump said. “[Biden] could be a convicted felon as soon as he gets out of office. Joe could be a convicted felon with all of the things that he’s done. He’s done horrible things.”
Biden reminded the TV audience that Trump faces many more courtroom appearances.
“He’s got a lot of cases coming up. He’s got a whole range of issues he’s got to face. I don’t know what the juries will do, but I do know he’s got a real problem,” Biden said.
“There’s a reason why 40 of his 44 top cabinet officers refuse to endorse him this time. His vice-president hasn’t endorsed him this time. Why? They know him well. They served with him. Why are they not endorsing him?” Biden continued.
Pence previously said he would not endorse Trump because Trump is “walking away” from conservative principles. He also cited Trump’s attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election.