Donald Trump Tells Joe Biden He's 'The Least Racist In This Room' During Final Debate

Donald Trump declared he was “the least racist person in this room” during his final debate with Democratic rival Joe Biden on Thursday night. He also touted the achievements of his administration on criminal justice reform while disparaging Biden’s crime bill.

Trump claimed that Joe Biden’s crime bill, which he espoused in 1994, had led to the incarceration of tens of thousands of black men. “Your crime bill, the super-predators,” he said. “Nobody has done more for the Black community than Donald Trump. And if you look with the exception of Abraham Lincoln, nobody has done what I’ve done,” he added.

He also trumpeted his signing of the criminal justice reform law and his support for historically black colleges and universities in the U.S. “If you had to see the arms I had to twist to get that done,” he said.

Trump also denied mocking the Black Lives Matter movement, saying he only bashed the movement because the protesters had made horrible statements about police the first time he encountered them.

“I think I have great relationships with all people,” he said. “I am the least racist person in this room.”

While Biden admitted that his championing of the 1994 crime bill was a mistake, he said it was Trump who had “poured fuel on every single racist fire.” He mentioned Donald Trump’s previous comments on gangs and condemned his calling for the death penalty of the Central Park Five, who had spent five years behind bars after being falsely convicted of rape in 1989.

“This is a guy, whether Central Park Five, five innocent Black kids, he continued to push for making sure they got the death penalty,” he said. “None of them were guilty of the crimes that were suggested,” he added.

Meanwhile, experts examined Donald Trump and Joe Biden’s exchanges during the final presidential debate and said Trump’s transition to a sharper and calmer style might not be enough to shift the race. “Mr. Trump was more methodical, but it wasn’t enough,” said David Birdsell. “He needed a game changer but didn’t get one. Biden had no significant gaffes that will hurt him over the remaining 12 days.”