Biden suggests Trump deserves 'smack' in the rear

Joe Biden has always been known as a veritable gaffe machine, but his propensity for putting his foot directly in his mouth seems to be taking on new proportions in the final days of the presidential race.

As the New York Post reports, in the wake of a series of embarrassing missteps, Biden described former President Donald Trump as someone who deserves a swat on the rear end, an odd choice of words for the commander in chief.

Biden holds forth

The president's latest jab at Trump came during an appearance in Scranton, Pennsylvania, designed to boost the electoral prospects of Kamala Harris as well as down-ballot Democratic Party hopefuls.

During his remarks to a union-heavy crowd, Biden weighed in on Trump's reputation and the characteristics some voters might fight appealing.

“I know some of you guys are tempted to think he's this macho guy,” referring to Trump, whose tough talk about his adversaries often makes headlines.

“But, I'm serious,” Biden went on, “these are the kind of guys you'd like to smack in the a**,” a remark made through gritted teeth and a gruff facial expression.

Despite the bizarre nature of the comment, Biden drew claps and cheers from the assembled attendees, who seemed to agree with the president that, in terms of Tuesday's election, “the stakes couldn't be higher.”

Gaffe parade continues

The “smack in the a**” remark comes amid a string of misfires for Biden which began when he sparked considerable backlash by stating that Trump needed to be locked up, seemingly lending credence to the former president's claims of political persecution.

Though Biden attempted to backtrack by claiming that he meant Trump should be “politically” locked up, the damage seemed to have been done.

Then, the president sparked another firestorm by referring to Trump supporters as “garbage,” only to strong-arm the White House stenographers into altering the official transcript of his remarks in an attempt to change the meaning of his comment entirely.

Biden's remark about Trump's voter base was viewed by many as eerily reminiscent of Hillary Clinton's infamous “basket of deplorables” label for conservative voters, something often identified as a key contributor to her 2016 loss.

Given Biden's apparent inability stay on message and not veer into a stream-of-consciousness rant every time he takes to the podium, it is no wonder the Harris campaign is staying as far away from him as possible until the election comes to a conclusion.