Joe Biden tells Donald Trump to 'grow up and be an adult' over Twitter attacks

It is ‘absolutely mindless’ for President-elect not to have faith in intelligence agencies, outgoing VP says

Joe Biden has told Donald Trump that he needs to “grow up” and start “acting like an adult”.

The Vice President launched a scathing attack on the President-elect after being asked to comment on the incoming leader's regular outbursts on Twitter.

“Grow up Donald, grow up, time to be an adult, you’re president,” he said in an interview with PBS, when asked to comment on Mr Trump’s tendency to lash out at people he disagrees with on the site.

“Time to do something. Show us what you have.”

The comments came as part of an interview in which Mr Biden launched a range of attacks on the businessman.

In particular, the Vice President said it was “absolutely mindless” and “dangerous” for the President-elect to reject the view of the intelligence agencies that Russian hackers were involved in the US election.

Mr Trump has repeatedly used his Twitter account to cast doubt on those claims, on which there is a consensus among all the US intelligence agencies.

“For a president not to have confidence in, not to be prepared to listen to, the myriad intelligence agencies, from defence intelligence to the CIA, is absolutely mindless,” Mr Biden said in the interview.

“The idea that you may know more than the intelligence community knows – it’s like saying I know more about physics than my professor. I didn’t read the book, I just know I know more.”

The Obama administration initially looked to keep good relations with Mr Trump and those around him. But tensions and attacks have escalated since the election, and Mr Trump has publicly attacked the outgoing president on Twitter.

Mr Biden did say that he expects that Mr Trump’s behaviour will change once he is in power, and that at that point it will become “much clearer what he’s for and against”.

He also said that Mr Trump was surrounding himself with “very smart people” like retired Marine Corps Gen James Mattis, who he has picked for defence secretary.