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Joe Biden Slams Trump's Racist Rhetoric: He's 'A Dog Whistle As Big As A Foghorn'

"'Abraham Lincoln' here is one of the most racist presidents we have had in modern history," the former vice president said during the presidential debate.

Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden called out President Donald Trump while answering a question on race in America during the final presidential debate Thursday night, slamming Trump as a “dog whistle as big as a foghorn.”

Moderator Kristen Welker, the first Black woman to moderate a presidential debate since 1992, challenged Trump on his repeated vitriol toward the Black Lives Matter movement and Black athletes exercising their First Amendment right, as well as Trump’s tweeting of a video that included a man shouting, “White power!”

Welker asked Trump what he’d say to people who argue that his rhetoric contributes to a climate of racial violence, which the president evaded. He made reference to his first “glimpse” of Black Lives Matter and claimed that hearing the anti-police chant “Pigs in a blanket, fry ’em like bacon” at a 2015 protest march was “a terrible thing.”

The march, which Trump has brought up before, was held by an independent entity not affiliated with the national Black Lives Matter organization. Still, the president continued his answer by claiming that he has “great relationships with all people” and that he’s the “least racist person in this room.”

Welker posed the question again. Trump replied, “I don’t know what to say.”

He went on to claim that people “can say anything” and that it “makes me sad because I am the least racist person.”

“I can’t even see the audience because it is so dark, but I don’t care who’s in the audience. I am the least racist person in this room,” he said.

The former vice president’s response made reference to Trump’s repeated claims that he’s done more for the Black community than any other president besides Abraham Lincoln.

“‘Abraham Lincoln’ here is one of the most racist presidents we have had in modern history. He pours fuel in every single racist fire, every single one,” declared Biden, who went on to slam Trump for calling Mexican immigrants “rapists,” creating the Muslim travel ban, and refusing to denounce the white supremacist group Proud Boys.

Biden declared: “This guy is a dog whistle as big as a foghorn.”

Trump pushed back by reiterating his refrain that not since Lincoln has “anybody done what I have done for the Black community.”

“I did not say I am Abraham Lincoln,” he insisted.

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This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost India, which closed in 2020. Some features are no longer enabled. If you have questions or concerns about this article, please contact indiasupport@huffpost.com.