Biden ready to debate Trump -- on Zoom if necessary

• Biden's final debate with Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders was held on March 15 without a live audience because of the coronavirus epidemic.
• "This president can't stop talking about himself, asking governors to thank him for what he's doing for them," Biden said.
• "He's President of the United States of America, it's his responsibility to lead our nation through this," Biden said. "This isn't about politics."

WASHINGTON: Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, said Thursday that he is ready to debate President Donald Trump -- on Zoom or another online platform if necessary.

"I can hardly wait to debate Donald Trump," Biden told supporters, according to a pool report from an online fundraiser.

"I'm ready to debate him," the former vice president said. "Zoom or Skype or Slack or hangouts or in person, anytime, anywhere he wants."

Biden's final debate with Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders was held on March 15 without a live audience because of the coronavirus epidemic.

With the United States still in the grip of the virus, questions have been raised about how an eventual Biden-Trump debate could be held ahead of the November election.

During the fundraiser, Biden also criticized Trump's response to the outbreak.

"This president can't stop talking about himself, asking governors to thank him for what he's doing for them," Biden said.

"Thank him? Come on!" he said. "It's always about how this crisis affects him, about how it's not his job to fix it.

"He's President of the United States of America, it's his responsibility to lead our nation through this," Biden said. "This isn't about politics."