This archive report was first published on 16 October 2019.
On October 16, 2019, a tense moment unfolded during a Democratic debate as former Vice President Joe Biden and Senator Elizabeth Warren clashed over their respective achievements in office.
Warren, a leading Democratic front-runner, took the stage to discuss her accomplishments, including the creation of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crash.
She credited her determination and the support of President Barack Obama for the agency's passage, which has since forced big banks to return over $12 billion to consumers they had cheated.
Warren emphasized her commitment to using executive authority to drive change and vowed to pass her anti-corruption bill on her first day in Congress, while also repealing the filibuster.
Biden, however, sought to downplay his role in the CFPB's passage, stating that he had 'agreed with the great job' Warren did and had 'convinced people to vote for it.'
Warren responded by expressing gratitude to Obama and the individuals who fought for the agency's passage, but emphasized that her approach was to 'dream big and fight hard.'
As the exchange escalated, Biden interjected, 'Not me,' in response to Warren's assertion that Obama had sometimes had to fight against people in his own administration.
