Trump, Biden Continue to Exchange Fighting Words

 

This is What’s Trending Today…

American President Donald Trump¹ and former Vice² President Joe Biden are both over the age of 70. But they recently exchanged insults that some say make them seem like school-aged children.

During the 2016 presidential campaign, Biden criticized Trump’s moral standing³ after a 2005 video showed Trump bragging⁴ that he could touch women sexually without their permission. Trump said, “When you’re a star, they let you do it. You can do anything.” At the time, Trump was starring on his reality television show “The Apprentice⁶.”

When that video went viral in October 2016, Biden was still vice president. As a Democrat⁷, he supported Trump’s opponent, Hillary Clinton, in the presidential race.

After seeing the video, Biden said that if he had been in high school with Trump, he would have taken him outside and beaten him up.

This week, Biden brought up that feeling again.

He spoke⁸ Tuesday at the University of Miami in Ohio at an event for his “It’s On Us” advocacy group. The group aims to change the culture that surrounds sexual violence on college campuses.

Biden said of Trump, "A guy who ended up becoming our national leader said, 'I can grab a woman anywhere and she likes it...' They asked me if I’d like to debate this gentleman, and I said 'no.' I said, 'If we were in high school, I’d take him behind the gym and beat the hell out of him.'"

During the election, Trump and his supporters described Trump’s comments in the video as “locker⁹ room talk.” In other words, the comments included rude, sexual language between men that was not meant to be heard in public.

Biden said on Tuesday, “I’ve been in a lot of locker rooms my whole life….Any guy that talked that way was usually the fattest, ugliest...in the room.”

On Thursday, Trump decided¹⁰ to answer Biden’s comments about him. He did so on Twitter.

The president tweeted, “Crazy Joe Biden is trying to act like a tough guy. Actually, he is weak, both mentally and physically¹¹, and yet he threatens me, for the second time, with physical assault.”

The president also wrote that if the two decided to fight, Biden would “go down fast and hard, crying all the way.”

By Thursday afternoon, the president’s post had been retweeted nearly 50,000 times. It also has more than 70,000 comments. Some people made jokes or mocking comments about either Trump or Biden. Others suggested that both men should “grow up.”

One Twitter user wrote, “Comments from both of them about physical violence are neither productive nor appropriate from men who view themselves as leaders.”

And that’s What’s Trending Today.

I’m Caty Weaver¹².

Words in This Story

brag⁵ - v. ? to talk about yourself, your achievements, your family, etc., in a way that shows too much pride?

advocacy - n. ?the act or process of supporting a cause or proposal : the act or process of advocating something?

campus - n. ?the area and buildings around a university, college, school, etc.?

grab - v. to quickly take and hold (someone or something) with your hand or arms

locker room - n. ?a room in a school, sports stadium, etc., for changing clothes and for storing clothes and equipment in lockers¹³?

gym - n. a room or building that has equipment for sports activities or exercise?

rude - adj. ?not having or showing concern or respect for the rights and feelings of other people : not polite?

assault - n. ?the crime of trying or threatening to hurt someone physically?

appropriate - adj. right or suited for some purpose or situation?

view - v. to think about (someone or something) in a particular way

mock - v. to laugh at or make fun of (someone or something) especially by copying an action or a way of behaving or speaking?

ugly - adj. unpleasant to look at: not pretty or attractive

1 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

2 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

3 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

4 bragging   

v.自夸，吹嘘( brag的现在分词 )；大话

参考例句：

• He's always bragging about his prowess as a cricketer. 他总是吹嘘自己板球水平高超。 来自辞典例句
• Now you're bragging, darling. You know you don't need to brag. 这就是夸口，亲爱的。你明知道你不必吹。 来自辞典例句

5 brag   

v./n.吹牛，自夸；adj.第一流的

参考例句：

• He made brag of his skill.他夸耀自己技术高明。
• His wealth is his brag.他夸张他的财富。

6 apprentice   

n.学徒，徒弟

参考例句：

• My son is an apprentice in a furniture maker's workshop.我的儿子在一家家具厂做学徒。
• The apprentice is not yet out of his time.这徒工还没有出徒。

7 democrat   

n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员

参考例句：

• The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
• About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后，他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。

8 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

9 locker   

n.更衣箱，储物柜，冷藏室，上锁的人

参考例句：

• At the swimming pool I put my clothes in a locker.在游泳池我把衣服锁在小柜里。
• He moved into the locker room and began to slip out of his scrub suit.他走进更衣室把手术服脱下来。

10 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

11 physically   

adj.物质上，体格上，身体上，按自然规律

参考例句：

• He was out of sorts physically,as well as disordered mentally.他浑身不舒服，心绪也很乱。
• Every time I think about it I feel physically sick.一想起那件事我就感到极恶心。

12 weaver   

n.织布工；编织者

参考例句：

• She was a fast weaver and the cloth was very good.她织布织得很快，而且布的质量很好。
• The eager weaver did not notice my confusion.热心的纺织工人没有注意到我的狼狈相。

13 lockers   

n.寄物柜( locker的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• I care about more lockers for the teachers. 我关心教师要有更多的储物柜。 来自辞典例句
• Passengers are requested to stow their hand-baggage in the lockers above the seats. 旅客须将随身携带的行李放入座位上方的贮藏柜里。 来自辞典例句