When Joe Biden Challenged Donald Trump for an On Stage Push-up Contest

In the heat of political battles, the 2020 presidential campaign season delivered one of the most memorable moments when former Vice President Joe Biden jokingly suggested challenging then-President Donald Trump to a push-up contest. During an interview with MSNBC’s Mika Brzezinski on Morning Joe, Biden was asked how he would handle Trump’s relentless attacks on his age or mental fitness during a potential debate. To which Biden chuckled, “I would say, ‘Come on Donald, come on man. How many push-ups do you want to do here, pal?’ Jokingly. You know, come on, run with me, man.”

As per CNN, he further added, "I'm not going to get down in the dirt with him, that's the only place he knows how to fight. I'm just going to continue to talk about what he's doing and why it is so damaging to America. I'm not going to take any guff from him."  Biden’s push-up challenge was more than just a retort to potential ageism; it was a reminder of his long history of taking on bullies. Reflecting on his past experiences, Biden remarked, “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 when I was a kid that I stutter, and I’d smack him in the mouth.”

Biden also exclaimed, “It’s very different than turning to someone on a stage who says something that’s so off the wall to me because I don’t want to attack anyone on stage, that’s not what I intend to do. But I realize that some have concluded that because I didn’t respond very toughly back to (Kamala Harris) how can I take on Trump? I’ve never had any trouble taking anyone on from Trump to (Russian President Vladimir) Putin to (Chinese President) Xi Jinping himself.”

Biden has also positioned himself as someone who prefers to focus on the issues rather than engage in personal attacks. He said, "I'm used to bullies. That's all you've got to do with this guy. I know it will be an ugly campaign. I know it will be not an honorable campaign that he'll run, but I'm not backing down at all from him." This wasn’t the first time Biden had alluded to a physical confrontation with Trump, as reported by USA Today.

Back in 2018, while campaigning for congressional candidates, Biden remarked over Trump’s lewd comments about women, "A guy who ended up becoming our national leader said, 'I can grab a woman anywhere and she likes it,' They asked me if I’d 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.' I've been in a lot of locker rooms my whole life. I'm a pretty damn good athlete. Any guy that talked that way was usually the fattest, ugliest S.O.B. in the room."