Former Vice President Joe Biden explicitly called for President Trump to be impeached on Wednesday afternoon at a campaign stop in New Hampshire. “Donald Trump has violated his oath of office, betrayed this nation and committed impeachable acts,” Biden said while speaking onstage at a stop in Rochester. “He should be impeached.” The move represents a significantly stronger stance for the Democratic contender, who has for weeks faced sustained attacks from the president. He went on to criticize Trump’s treatment of the United States Constitution, saying he’s “shooting holes” in the document. “The United States cannot have a president who will abuse whatever power he has available to him in order to get reelected,” he said.

Minutes later, Trump responded on Twitter, writing, “So pathetic to see Sleepy Joe Biden, who with his son, Hunter, and to the detriment of the American Taxpayer, has ripped off at least two countries for millions of dollars, calling for my impeachment - and I did nothing wrong. Joe’s Failing Campaign gave him no other choice!” Trump’s remarks are part of a broader line of attacks alleging Biden’s son Hunter engaged in misconduct in Ukraine, which have been widely debunked.  

The Daily Beast recently reported that senior Trump campaign officials are increasingly considering the 2020 Democratic nomination to be a two-way race between Biden and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), who was the first top-tier contender to call for an impeachment inquiry, and shares front-runner status with Biden.