United States President Joe Biden and his likely Republican challenger in the November presidential election, Donald Trump, traded barbs while separately campaigning in the state of Georgia on Saturday.

In a veiled warning to voters, Biden reminded that Trump vowed to be a “dictator” for one day, stressing the threat he poses to democracy and freedom.

“When he says he wants to be a dictator, I believe him,” Biden told a rally.

Trump, who is pledging a crackdown on illegal immigration as a key plank of his campaign, slammed the president for saying he should have used the word “undocumented” instead of “illegal” to describe a Venezuelan migrant suspected of killing an American nursing student in Georgia last month.

“Laken Riley would be alive today if Joe Biden had not willfully and maliciously eviscerated the borders of the United States,” Trump told a crowd of supporters in Georgia’s Republican-leaning northwestern corner, referring to the slain victim.

He slammed Biden for backtracking on his use of the word “illegal” to describe the Venezuelan suspect in the crime, saying, “Biden should be apologizing for apologizing to this killer.”

At his rally, Trump also pretended to be a stuttering Biden, mocking his 81-year-old opponent.

Biden’s campaign launched a TV ad Saturday in which the president directly addresses his advanced age, a major concern among voters.

“Look, I’m not a young guy. That’s no secret. But here is the deal. I understand how to get things done for the American people,” he says in the spot.

Trump’s team quickly responded with a video message that starts with Biden’s statement, followed by clips of the president stumbling, falling or looking confused.

WITH AFP