Joe Biden didn’t hold back when discussing Donald Trump during an interview with CNN on Tuesday morning.
“How can he be so out of touch?” Biden said of Trump before recounting his experience with veterans as vice president.
“I was asked to present a Silver Star to a young man who had jumped into a burning Humvee to pull out his buddy after an IED exploded,” Biden said. “And the kid died. The commanding general ... asked me to pin on a Silver Star, when I was there. You know what the kid said to me? ‘I don't want it. I don't want it. He did not live, sir. He did not live, sir.’ That kid probably goes to sleep every night with a nightmare.”
The vice president was referring to Trump’s comments on Monday where he said that veterans with PTSD and other mental health disorders “can’t handle it” and aren’t “strong.”
“When people come back from war and combat, and they see things that maybe a lot of the folks in this room have seen many times over, and you're strong and you can handle it,” Trump said. “But a lot of people can't handle it.”
Biden also hit Trump over his attacks on Hillary Clinton’s energy.
"I bet he couldn't carry his bag 18 holes in one of his own golf courses, speaking of energy," Biden said. "Can you imagine the President getting up at 3:30 in the morning and tweeting vitriol?"
The vice president has been busy on the campaign trail in recent weeks. He spent Monday in Florida where he raised his voice repeatedly over Trump’s recent behavior and his late son Beau’s military service.
Biden’s potential successors, Democrat Tim Kaine and Republican Mike Pence, will debate tonight at 9pm in Virginia.
Alex Daugherty: 202-383-6049, @alextdaugherty