Joe Biden compares Donald Trump to childhood bully he'd ‘smack in the mouth as a kid’

The Democratic frontrunner has previously said that if he'd been at high school with the president he'd have 'beaten the hell' out of him

Joe Biden has derided Donald Trump as "the bully that I knew my whole life" and would "smack in the mouth".

The former vice president and 2020 frontrunner made the comments during a wide-ranging interview with the network’s Chris Cuomo when discussing how he plans to defeat Mr Trump if he were to secure the Democratic nomination.

“I beat him by just pointing out who I am and who he is and what we’re for and what he’s against,” Mr Biden said. “This guy is a divider-in-chief, this guy is acting with racist policies, this guy is moving to ferment hate, to split, that’s the only way he can be successful.”

Mr Biden then referred to a moment from the 2016 debates when Donald Trump seemingly attempted to intimidate Hillary Clinton by repeatedly swooping behind his former Democratic opponent while she was speaking.

“I’m looking forward to this, man,” he continued. “The idea that I’d be intimidated by Donald Trump? He’s the bully that I knew my whole life. He’s the bully that I’ve always stood up to. He’s the bully that used to make fun of me as a kid with a stutter and I’d smack him in the mouth.”

The former vice president has previously made similar comments when he said he would “beat the hell” out of Mr Trump if the two were in high school.

Speaking last year at the University of Miami before announcing his candidacy, Mr Biden said of the president, “They asked me would I like to debate this gentleman, and I said no. I said, 'If we were in high school, I'd take him behind the gym and beat the hell out of him’.”

While campaigning for Ms Clinton in 2016, the former vice president also said he wished he could take Mr Trump behind the gym, suggesting he’d fight the president if he had been afforded the opportunity at an earlier age.

Though he’s not the only prominent figure to have openly discussed a possible physical altercation with Mr Trump — actor Robert De Niro also said he’d like to smack around the president — some say the messaging could hinder his 2020 odds.

Mr Biden later walked back those comments in an interview, saying “I shouldn't have said what I said ... because I don't want to get down in the mosh pit with this guy.”

He has presented himself as the most viable candidate among the crop of 2020 hopefuls to challenge Mr Trump in the general election, using his status as the frontrunner of the race thus far to hit the president on his various stances ranging from immigration to the economy.

The president responded to Mr Biden’s comments while speaking to reporters before departing the White House on Friday, saying: “I don’t think I’m a bully at all … I just don't like being taken advantage of by other countries, by pharmaceutical companies, by all of the people that have taken advantage of this country."