Joe Biden tells 60 Minutes it's Trump who's 'round the bend' not him, says the Hunter scandal was caused by the Russians feeding Giuliani disinformation and laughs off concerns about his mental capacity
Joe Biden has accused Rudy Giuliani of being a Russian pawn orchestrating a 'smear campaign' against him, stemming from the discovery of a laptop which is said to belong to his son Hunter.
In an interview for Sunday night's episode of 60 Minutes, the 77-year-old also detailed his plans for the Supreme Court, after weeks of dodging the question.
He laughed off questions about 'dementia', even as he muddled some of the data regarding his economic plan for schools.
But, he insisted, it was Donald Trump - not him - who was losing his grip on reality.
Joe Biden spoke to Norah O'Donnell for his 60 Minutes interview, which aired on Sunday
Biden, 77, used the wide-ranging interview to address his son's business and Russian plots
Rudy Giuliani, Trump's lawyer, has been promoting the contents of Hunter Biden's laptop
'The way he's handling COVID is just absolutely totally irresponsible,' said Biden.
'He's telling people that we've turned the bend, in one of his recent rallies.
'Well, he's gone - as my grandpop would say he's gone round the bend. I mean, we are in real trouble.'
Biden spoke out about the laptop scandal and the emails that have been found detailing plans for business ventures involving China and Ukraine.
Biden said he believed that Giuliani, Trump's lawyer, who has touted the laptop around various media outlets seeking publicity, was being used by Russia.
'From what I've read and know the intelligence community warned the president that Giuliani was being fed disinformation from the Russians,' Biden said.
'And we also know that Putin is trying very hard to spread disinformation about Joe Biden.
'And so when you put the combination of Russia, Giuliani, the president, together - it's just what it is.
'It's a smear campaign because he has nothing he wants to talk about. What is he running on? What is he running on?'
Biden was also asked by interviewer Norah O'Donnell what he made of Trump's suggestion he had 'dementia.'
'Hey, the same guy who thought that the 911 attack was a 7-Eleven attack?' Biden responded.
'He's talking about dementia?
'All I can say to the American people is watch me, is see what I've done, is see what I'm going to do. Look at me. Compare our physical and mental acuity.
'I'm happy to have that comparison.'
Photos of Hunter Biden from a laptop were circulated by Giuliani and given to the media
Biden also addressed his proposals for reform of the Supreme Court
However, Biden was unable to walk away from the interview without mangling his data on public schools.
'I can send every single qualified person to a four-year college in their state for $150 billion,' he said.
CBS later said that Biden's advisers later told them he misspoke, and meant to say double that.
O'Donnell asked: 'Your age makes the choice of your vice president all the more important, why do you think Senator Harris would be ready to step in and become Commander in Chief if something were to happen to you.'
Biden replied: 'Number one her values, number two she's smart as a devil, number three she has a backbone like a ramrod, number four she's really principled, number five she has had significant experience in the largest state in the union, running a justice department that's only second in size to the United States' Justice Department. And obviously I hope that never becomes a question.'
He spoke with unusual clarity about whether he would change the makeup of the Supreme Court, in the light of Amy Coney Barrett's expected nomination and the conservative bent the court will take.
Biden, who was strongly criticized by his opponents for saying that voters would have to wait until after the election to see his plans for the Supreme Court, said in Sunday's episode that he would convene a panel of Democrats, Republicans and legal scholars to explore all the options.
Biden's running mate, Kamala Harris said that she believed Trump was racist, and that his attacks on her were 'predictable, sadly.'
Harris said that she hoped her role, if elected, will inspire future generations.
She also denied that she disagreed with Biden on healthcare policy and the Green New Deal, insisting that his platform was her platform.
'I would not have joined the ticket if I didn't support what Joe was proposing,' she said.
Kamala Harris also sat down to talk to O'Donnell in Sunday's episode
Much of the program - a traditional pre-election show, featuring interviews with the president, vice president and their two challengers - was dedicated to Trump, who ended the interview early, irritated by the questions.
Trump's refusal to sit through Lesley Stahl's questioning on Tuesday sparked uproar on social media, and the president, furious at being called weak, released the entire clip on his Facebook page on Thursday.
'Look at the bias, hatred and rudeness on behalf of 60 Minutes and CBS,' he said, with a link to the 37 minute segment.
Stahl, in her introduction to Sunday's show, explained: 'We had prepared to talk about the many issues and questions facing the president, but in what has become an all-too-public dust-up, the conversation was cut short.'
'It began politely, but ended regrettably, contentiously,' she said.
On Sunday night viewers saw what happened once Trump's camera stopped rolling, and the president walked off.
Stahl remained in her chair, looking surprised.
Donald Trump walked out of the interview after 38 minutes, with questions remaining
Lesley Stahl, the host, was left looking over her shoulder in bewilderment
'I've got a lot of questions I didn't ask,' Stahl says, as Trump leaves the set
'I've got a lot of questions I didn't ask,' Stahl says as the president walks out past the cameras.
Kayleigh McEnany, the White House press secretary, then enters with a weighty folder which she describes as 'his health care plan'.
Stahl comments, in a voiceover: 'It was heavy. Filled with executive orders, congressional initiatives, but no comprehensive health plan.'
Stahl then asked McEnany: 'And the president's not coming back?'
McEnany replies: 'The president's given you a lot of time.'
Kayleigh McEnany presents what she calls a 'healthcare plan' - a series of executive orders
Stahl said the folder was 'heavy' but contained 'no comprehensive health plan'
Mike Pence, the vice president, was then in the hot seat.
He told Stahl that Trump was not interested in 'back and forth with the media'.
'Lesley, President Trump is a man who speaks his mind,' Pence said.
'I think it's one of the great strengths that he's had as president of the United States, is that the American people always know where they stand.
'And he's always ready. And the American people know that - in this time, it's, it's - it's less about the back and forth with the media, and it's - it's really more about how we bring this country all the way back.'
Trump was due to return, to film a segment in the Rose Garden with Pence, but he did not come back.
Mike Pence, on Trump walking out, said he was uninterested in 'back and forth with the media'
Pence filmed a segment with Trump, but Trump did not return to the cameras
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