Joe Biden almost accused President Trump of giving credibility to “racist f–ks” during a speech in Philadelphia last week, but stopped himself just before uttering the expletive.
The near gaffe, caught Saturday by The Sun, happened Thursday during a roundtable discussion, as Biden recounted what he described as Trump’s history of racially divisive statements.
“When a president speaks, no matter how good or bad he is, people listen,” the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee said of his opponent.
“And when he speaks and gives credibility to these racist f–,” Biden said before hesitating and then saying “folks” instead.
“I better watch my language. Folks out there, they come out from under rocks,” he said.
Trump began his 2016 campaign by decrying “Mexican rapists,” and in 2017, praised “very fine people on both sides” of a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Va., Biden complained.
Biden made no mention of his own more recent, widely condemned remark to Charlamagne Tha God, after the radio presenter told him in an interview that he was an undecided voter.
“Then you ain’t black,” Biden said.