President Donald Trump has mocked Joe Biden for his stutter, ridiculing the former vice president at a rally in Iowa.
Trump made the remarks while talking about how Biden has campaigned on the issue of fighting the bully.
“I am a great teleprompter reader, it’s true. I am a great public speaker. Look, no teleprompter, no teleprompter,” Trump said sarcastically.
He then mocked Biden for his stutter, saying: “I don’t like Joe. He is a stutterer, and I have never seen him that way before. Ughhh, can’t do that. Ughhh, okay, I was going to say.”
The comments drew criticism from the Biden campaign and disability rights groups, who argued that mocking someone for his or her speech impediment is unacceptable and should be condemned.
“Biden has faced many challenges during his life, and like so many other Americans he has always persevered,” the Biden campaign said in a statement. “Mocking a stutter is not how a president behaves.”
The National Stuttering Association also condemned Trump’s comments.
“We must not tolerate this kind of attitude and behavior,” the organization said in a statement. “Mocking someone’s speech impediment is not only mean-spirited, it is simply wrong. People who stutter deserve respect and understanding.”
