During the final presidential debate on Thursday, Donald Trump repeated the claim that he had done more for Black Americans than any other president since Abraham Lincoln. His opponent Joe Biden later sarcastically referred to him as “Abraham Lincoln,” and the president appeared to miss the joke.
Vox journalist Aaron Rupar posted a clip of the exchange on Twitter and shortly after, the site exploded with memes mocking Trump’s reaction.
“‘Abraham Lincoln’ here is one of the most racist presidents we’ve had in modern history,” Biden began, before slamming him for exacerbating the problem of racism in the United States.
He went on to say that Trump had called Mexican immigrants rapists, instituted a travel ban on people from primarily Muslim countries, and declined to denounce the white supremacist group, the Proud Boys, who Biden referred to as the “Poor Boys.”
“You made a reference to Abraham Lincoln, where did that come in?” his opponent replied after the statement.
“You said you’re Abraham Lincoln,” the Democratic candidate responded.
At that point, Trump defended himself, saying that he had never claimed he was the 16th president.
“No, I said not since Abraham Lincoln has anybody done what I’ve done for the Black community. I didn’t say I’m Abraham Lincoln, I said not since Abraham Lincoln has anybody done what I’ve done for the Black community.”
Biden smiled and looked at the camera the explanation was made.
Public figures pounced on the exchange.
“Donald Trump claims he is not Abraham Lincoln. I WANT TO SEE HIS BIRTH CERTIFICATE,” tweeted comic Hari Kondabolu, referencing infamous calls for Barack Obama to reveal his birth certificate to prove that he met the qualifications to be president of the country.
“Fact Check: Donald Trump is correct when he says he’s not Abraham Lincoln,” tweeted The Daily Show .
Others noted that it appeared the president didn’t understand the sarcasm or that he missed the subtle jab. Scott Monty tweeted that dementia patients can’t understand sarcastic comments.
I thought Trump had a finely honed understanding of sarcasm. No? No.
— Chris Stone ????? (@ChrisStoneTV) October 23, 2020
Others took issue with the fact that Trump seemed more concerned with being called the wrong name than addressing the rest of Biden’s attack.
While the debate was largely seen as more civil and respectful than the previous one, there were still multiple instances when the two candidates clashed.
In another exchange, Biden attacked Trump’s relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and compared the dictator to Adolph Hitler, calling him a thug, as The Inquisitr previously reported. The president responded that Jong Un didn’t like Biden.
