Rudy Giuliani Slimes Joe Biden as “Mentally Deficient”

Andrew Harnik/AP

For indispensable reporting on the coronavirus crisis, the election, and more, subscribe to the Mother Jones Daily newsletter.

When Donald Trump goes low, Rudy Giuliani gleefully follows him.

On Friday, the president’s lawyer continued to channel his boss’ playbook, lobbing crass personal insults at political opponents who’ve devoted their lives to public service. In an interview with the Huffington Post, Giuliani called former Vice President Joe Biden “a moron” and “a mentally deficient idiot.”

He made the statement while discussing Trump’s chances of winning reelection in 2020, arguing that his boss would surely sail to victory, especially if Democrats nominated Biden as their candidate. Giuliani later clarified his remarks during an appearance on CNN, saying he had only been referring to Biden’s aptitude during political campaigns. “He’s dumb,” Giuliani told host Chris Cuomo. “I think Joe’s last in his law school’s class.” Watch the whole clip below.

Meghan McCain, a co-host of ABC’s The View and daughter of Republican Sen. John McCain, took exception to what she called Giuliani’s “abhorrent and idiotic comments” about Biden, who is close with her father. “Joe Biden is one of the great political leaders of all time,” she tweeted, “one of the truly decent men left in politics—and someone my family has looked to for strength during the most difficult time in our lives.”

In April, Biden said he was not ruling out the possibility of running in 2020, though he added, “I’m really hoping that some other folks step up.”

As HuffPost points out, a poll this year showed that 58 percent of Americans viewed the former vice president favorably, while Trump’s approval ratings have hovered around the mid-30s and 40s during his presidency.