President Joe Biden lashed out against Donald Trump during a speech in Nevada—his angriest one yet against the former president and Republican primary frontrunner since the beginning of his 2024 campaign.
Addressing wealthy donors at a fundraiser in Las Vegas on Sunday ahead of the Nevada primaries, Biden said he has to hold his "Irish temper" around his rival.
Talking about Trump's reported comments that fallen American soldiers are "suckers" and "losers," Biden said, as quoted by the Daily Mail: "I have to hold my Irish temper. I'm glad I wasn't with him. I'm not sure what I would've done. He said they're all suckers and losers."
Republican presidential candidate and former U.S. President Donald Trump delivers remarks after meeting with leaders of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters at their headquarters on January 31, 2024 in Washington, DC; U.S. President Joe Biden... Republican presidential candidate and former U.S. President Donald Trump delivers remarks after meeting with leaders of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters at their headquarters on January 31, 2024 in Washington, DC; U.S. President Joe Biden speaks during a campaign rally at Pearson Community Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, on February 4, 2024. Addressing Trump's reported comment on fallen American soldiers, Biden made his angriest speech against his Republican rival yet. More Getty Images
Mentioning his son Beau, who served in the Delaware National Guard in Iraq before his death in 2015, the president got animated: "My son was not a sucker nor were any of yours. Who does this guy think he is talking about Americans?"
During a rally in Las Vegas' Historic Westside, Biden repeated a similar version of the speech, telling the crowd: "This is the guy, when he was in France, they asked him to go to an American cemetery in France for World War II, where Americans were buried. You know what he said? He said those folks were suckers and losers."
He added, raising his voice: "Suckers and losers the guy said." He then said he was glad he wasn't there. "Called my son and your sons and daughters who gave their lives in this country suckers and losers. That's how this guy thinks. Who the hell does he think he is?" he said.
Newsweek contacted Trump's 2024 campaign for comment by email early on Monday.
Biden also touted the results achieved by his administration during his years at the White House, citing the most recent jobs reports, which showed that the country added more than 350,000 jobs, and the resilience of the U.S. economy, which grew by 3.3 percent in the last quarter of 2023.
He added that 40,000 infrastructure projects are underway as the result of the bipartisan infrastructure bill he signed into law.
The 2024 presidential race is shaping up to be a likely rematch between Biden and Trump, who's currently leading the Republican primary polling with 74.2 percent of the vote as of February 4, according to FiveThirtyEight. He's ahead of his only standing rival Nikki Haley by a huge margin, as the former South Carolina governor currently had an estimated 17.5 percent of the vote.
Biden told the crowd of about 400 people gathered at Las Vegas' Historic Westside that "we'll make Donald Trump a loser again."