He apologized later in the day, saying he "shouldn't have been such a wise guy" in the interview with Charlemagne.
Which, very good. Biden was wrong. He shouldn't have said it.
But the outrage summoned by Haley and his ilk seems to miss a big reality: Trump says and does things almost daily that far exceed the inappropriateness of Biden's comment. And yet there is the silence of the same people who want to jump in to condemn Biden.
Just to prove my point, let's review what Trump tweeted and retweeted between Friday morning - when Biden made his remark "is not black" and Sunday morning.
* Retweeted an article calling 2016 Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton "skank".
* Retweeted an article suggesting - contrary to science - that hydroxychloroquine is an effective treatment for coronavirus, adding these words: "Many doctors agree with you. Also, very good studies!"
* Retweeted a photo of former 2018 Georgia governor candidate Stacy Abrams, which included these words: "She fought a tough race, kissed a lot of babies and visited all the state's buffet restaurants . "
* Retweeted two doctored photos of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi - one with a Trump 2020 mask and one with masking tape. The tweet said: "To protect PolyGrip during this pandemic, we have developed 2 options. With the DJT option, she will be able to tongue and adjust her prostheses more easily. With adhesive tape, she will not be able to drink alcohol on the work as much. "
* Tweeted, without evidence or proof, that postal ballots will produce "the biggest rigged election in history".
* Retweeted an article on the death of an intern in the office of former Florida representative Joe Scarborough, adding: "So a young marathon runner happened to pass out in her office, hit her head on his desk and die? is much more in this story than that? "
* Tweeted this unfounded speculation about the death in the 1990s of the intern in the Scarborough office: "A blow to the head? Body found under his desk? Suddenly leaves Congress? Great topic of discussion in Florida ... and , it's a Nut Nut (with bad marks). Keep digging, use forensic geniuses! "
* Tweeted that former Attorney General Jeff Sessions should drop the Alabama Senate race - accusing him of having "no courage and ruining many lives".
It's all in the last 48 hours.
So, you can see why the shock and horror that Trumpworld expresses over Biden's admittedly stupid comment is a little hard to bear. If you want to act like Biden's remark "you're not black" is the worst thing you've ever heard while simply ignoring the President of the United States suggesting a) a former congressman - and now a TV host by cable - committed a murder (without any evidence) b) the former secretary of state is a "skank" c) a former candidate for governor is overweight and d) the Speaker has a problem d will be very difficult for me to consider your upheaval as authentic.
And, by the way, you don't get by just looking up and saying something like, "This is how Trump talks." Yes it is. But to give Trump some sort of pass because he has lowered the bar for a president's acceptable behavior so much is to normalize him - and in so doing allow him to be judged on a different standard than the one to which Biden is bound.
I have said - and written - repeatedly that one of the tactics used by Trump throughout his campaign and presidency is to say so much outrageous that the bar for writing about or commenting on them is lowered under the floor.
It is like in a basketball game if one side fouls the other team in each game. The referees are obliged to decide whether, as the rules suggest, to foul in each game and to commit a foul. fouling a team in the first quarter or changing the way they officiate the game - thus allowing a team to play a level. room for maneuver in terms of faults and conduct on the field which the other team does not enjoy.
That's what Trump is doing here. To say that Biden's comment is somehow the worst thing that has ever been said by a politician, even if the President himself says five more offensive things - by any objective measure over a 24-hour period.
Trump's behavior - this weekend and almost all the time - is do not Ordinary. It doesn't make what Biden said right. It is not. But it is certain that this calls into question those Republicans who are shocked - shocked! - to Biden's comment and choose to somehow miss all the offensive things the President says.