Former President Donald Trump attacked and mocked President Joe Biden at a campaign rally on Tuesday, his first since the pair faced off on the debate stage last month.
“Our victory was so absolute that Joe’s own party now wants him to throw in the towel and surrender the presidency after a single 90-minute performance,” Trump said at the event at his golf course in Doral, Florida. “It’s a shame the way they’re treating him. But don’t feel sorry for him. He’s a very bad guy.”
The former president returned to the campaign trail for the event amid ongoing turmoil in the Democratic Party over Biden’s reelection bid. Biden has faced calls he step aside after his disastrous appearance in Atlanta and cratering polls, but he has insisted he will remain in the race.
Trump also upped his attacks against Vice President Kamala Harris on Tuesday, who would be a prime contender to replace Biden were he to step aside.
“Despite all the Democrat panic this week, the truth is, it doesn’t matter who they nominate because we are going to beat any one of them in thundering landslides and this November’s going to be amazing,” Trump said.
The former president echoed many of his talking points from the debate, including fear-mongering about migration across the southern border and unfounded claims that Biden is “mentally deficient.”
Trump went on to challenge Biden to another debate in the near future, as well as a “golf-off” to test the president’s “skills and stamina against mine.”
“I’m officially offering Joe the chance to redeem himself in front of the entire world,” Trump said. “Let’s do another debate this week so that sleepy Joe Biden can prove to everyone all over the world that he has what it takes to be president. But this time it will be man-to-man, no moderators, no-holds-barred.”
The Biden campaign rejected those calls shortly afterwards, calling Trump “deranged” and pointing to his predecessor’s record while in office.
“Joe Biden doesn’t have time for Donald Trump’s weird antics — he’s busy leading America and defending the free world,” the president’s campaign said in a statement to media outlets.
“We’d challenge Donald Trump to follow the law, but he breaks it,” James Singer, a Biden spokesperson, added.