Democratic presidential candidate and Sen. Cory Booker (N.J.) on Tuesday said his testosterone sometimes makes him want to "feel like punching" President Donald Trump.
Booker appeared on the Late Show with Seth Meyers, where he was asked about some of the tenets that he discusses on the campaign trail. Meyers specifically brought up "civic grace" and "courageous empathy" and asked Booker how he would be practicing these knowing that Trump would not be abiding by these tactics during the campaign.
Booker began by reflecting on a campaign event in Iowa, where he said a guy put his arm around him and told Booker to punch Trump in the face, prompting Booker to inform him that this would be a felony.
"Donald Trump is a guy who you understand he hurts you and my testosterone sometimes makes me want to feel like punching him, which would be bad for this elderly, out-of-shape man that he is if I did that," Booker said. "This physically weak specimen—but you see what I'm talking about here?"
"That's his tactics and you don't beat a bully like him fighting him on his tactics on his terms, using his turf. He's the body shamer. He's the guy that tries to drag people in the gutter. This is a moral moment in America," Booker continued.
Booker's comments come in contrast with pledge to make love a major focus of his campaign. In a New York Magazine profile, he described America as "a physical manifestation of a larger conspiracy of love." In a CNN town hall in March of this year, Booker said that he believes "in radical love for all people."
Booker isn't the only Democratic presidential candidate who has talked about wanting to punch Trump. Back in 2016, then-Vice President Joe Biden said he wished he could go back to high school and take Trump behind the gym, suggesting he could beat Trump up.