The second and final presidential debate between Joe Biden and Donald Trump was certainly a bit calmer than the previous one thanks to the addition of a mute button, but that doesn’t mean that the 90-minute discussion went by without any major incidents. One of the biggest came late in the debate, when Biden mocked Trump by referring to him as “Abraham Lincoln.” Trump did not appear to get the joke.
“As far as my relationships with all people, I think I have great relationships with all people. I am the least racist in this room,” Trump said directly to the moderator, Kristen Welker of NBC News, who is a woman of color. And he wasn’t content with saying it once. He repeated it, with emphasis, moments later.
Trump trashes Black Lives Matter, then claims, “I am the least racist person in this room.” pic.twitter.com/kyP3D9rqsg
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) October 23, 2020
“I am the least racist person — I can’t even see the audience because it’s so dark, but I don’t care who’s in the audience. I’m the least racist person in this room.”
Biden, however, was not amused by Trump’s proclamation. Watch the exchange below.
Biden sarcastically refers to Trump as “Abraham Lincoln,” and Trump gets confused by it pic.twitter.com/Ogdt1QXf3g
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) October 23, 2020
“Abraham Lincoln here is on of the most racist presidents we’ve had in modern history. He pours fuel on every single racist fire. Every single one. He started off his campaign coming down the escalator saying he’s gonna get rid of those Mexican rapists. He banned Muslims because they’re Muslims. He has moved around and made everything worse across the board,” Biden said in direct response to Trump’s comment.
“This guy has a dogwhistle the size of a foghorn.”
Welker gave Trump a few seconds to reply to that statement from Biden, but Trump seemed confused.
“You made a reference to Abraham Lincoln, where did that come in?” Trump said.
“You said you’re Abraham Lincoln,” Biden mocked.
“No, no,” Trump replied. “I said not since Abraham Lincoln has anybody done what I’ve done for the Black community. I didn’t say I’m Abraham Lincoln. I said not since Abraham Lincoln has anyone done what I’ve done for the Black community.”
Biden just smiled and chuckled to himself.
Trump has, on numerous occasions, claimed that no one has ever done more for Black people than he has — with no allowance for Abraham Lincoln. It’s a sweeping statement, and one that, naturally, is claiming that he has had a greater positive impact on the Black community than the president who ended slavery.
As for presidents after Lincoln, Lyndon Johnson signed into law the Civil Rights Act of 1968 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.