Former vice president Joe Biden told a Michigan autoworker who asked him about his gun-control policies that he was "full of s—t" and "a horse's ass."
"You're full of s—t," Biden said to a worker in a hardhat during a Tuesday morning visit to a Fiat Chrysler assembly plant, according to video posted on Twitter by CBS News's Bo Erickson. The pro-gun worker seemed to be trying to ask Biden about his call to "institute a national buyback program" for so-called assault weapons.
Biden appeared to reject calls from his own staff to withdraw from the confrontation, repeatedly saying "shush" to a woman urging him to move on. He proceeded to tell the man he supports the Second Amendment, but not the right to own an "AR-14." (There is no such gun; he was likely attempting to reference the AR-15, the country's most popular rifle.)
"I have a shotgun, I have a 20-gauge, a 12-gauge. My sons hunt. Guess what? You're not allowed to own any weapon. I'm not taking your gun away, at all," Biden said.
When Biden jabbed his finger in the man's face, another worker said, "This is not okay," to which Biden responded, "Don't tell me that pal or I'll have to go outside with you."
When the pro-gun worker said Biden should listen to his concerns, Biden replied, "Give me a break, man. Don't be such a horse's ass."
Biden said last August during an interview with Anderson Cooper that his administration would confiscate people's "assault weapons." Asked whether his administration will come for people's guns, Biden said he would.
"Bingo," Biden replied. "You're right if you have an assault weapon. The fact of the matter is they should be illegal, period. Look, the Second Amendment doesn't say you can't restrict the kinds of weapon people can own. You can't buy a bazooka, you can't have a flame thrower."
Biden has also gone after his rival Sen. Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.) for not having a strong enough record on gun control, a tactic also used against Sanders by twice-failed presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.
Biden's outburst at the auto worker is the latest in a string of incidents in which the candidate berated skeptical voters. Biden's support for new gun bans could prove problematic among blue-collar workers who have traditionally supported Democrats but with whom President Donald Trump made significant inroads in 2016.