President Joe Biden and Republican nominee Donald Trump resorted to knocking one another’s golf handicaps at Thursday night’s presidential debate on CNN, a talking point that prompted the network’s Daniel Dale, who fact checked the debate on Twitter, to quip, “Cannot fact check this golf exchange.”
Trump introduced the sport after he crowed about his physical and cognitive aptitude.
“I took physical exams, I did a test, I took physical exams every year,” he said. “And we knock on wood wherever we may have wood, that I’m in very good health.”
“I just won two club championships, not even senior, two regular club championships,” he continued. “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.”
Trump then added that he is “willing to take a cognitive test,” something he did twice with former White House doctor Ronny Jackson. On Sunday Jackson told “Sunday Morning Futures” that Biden should be subjected to the same testing.
“I was willing to take a cognitive test, and you know what, I didn’t do well — I aced them.”
Biden took the opportunity to mock Trump’s height and weight before he replied, “I’d be happy to have a driving contest with him. I got my handicap, when I was Vice President, down to a 6.”
In response to that claim, Trump visibly laughed and ducked nearly out of frame.
“And by the way,” Biden added, “I told you before I’m happy to play golf if you carry your own bag.”
In March Biden told the audience at a campaign fundraiser that he had challenged Trump to a golf match. “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,’” Biden said.
You can watch the full debate moment in the video above.
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