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Amid a heated Presidential debate in the United States, President Joe Biden called former President Donald Trump a “sucker” and a “loser”, echoing language Trump has been accused of using to refer to military members who have been prisoners of war or died in combat.

Meanwhile, Trump demanded an immediate apology from Biden over his remark and claimed the quote was “made-up”.

“My son was not a loser, was not a sucker. You’re the sucker, you’re the loser,” Biden told Trump.

Biden was referring to the claims made by Trump’s former White House Chief of Staff John Kelly that Trump called military members who died in combat “losers” and those who were wounded or captured “suckers”.

Responding to the President, Trump said, “First of all, that was a made-up quote. Suckers and losers. Who would say [that]? He should apologise to me right now.”

Democratic US President Joe Biden and his Republican rival Donald Trump took the stage on Thursday night for a debate that offered voters a rare side-by-side look at the two oldest candidates ever to seek the US presidency.

Biden, 81, and Trump, 78, were under pressure to display their command of issues and avoid verbal stumbles as they sought a breakout moment in a race that opinion polls show has been deadlocked for months. Biden, in particular, has been dogged by concerns about his age and sharpness.

The two candidates appeared with no live audience, and their microphones automatically cut off when it was not their turn to speak – both atypical rules imposed to avoid the chaos that derailed their first debate in 2020 when Trump interrupted Biden repeatedly.