Former Vice-President Joe Biden has come under attack from other Democratic 2020 candidates in a televised debate, report agencies.
There were sharp exchanges on healthcare and the southern border between the frontrunner and nine other hopefuls on stage in Detroit.
In an echo of the last debate in June, Senator Kamala Harris launched another assault on Mr Biden’s record on race.
But she herself had to defend her actions against drug offenders when she was a prosecutor in California.
‘She put over 1,500 people in jail for marijuana violations, then laughed about it when she was asked if she ever smoked marijuana,’ said Hawaii Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard.
And as the candidates were introduced, Mr Biden and Ms Harris shared their first exchange of the night, with the former vice-president saying: ‘Go easy on me, kid.’
Mr Biden was criticised during the last debate in June for being unprepared amid fierce criticism of his ties to two Democratic senators who had favoured racial segregation, but he seemed better equipped to respond on Wednesday.
It was the second of two nights of debates among Democrats vying to win the presidential nomination, which will be announced next July at the party’s convention.
Tuesday’s debate saw heavyweights Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren come under attack from more centrist candidates.
The presidential election will take place in November 2020.
The former vice-president came into the Detroit debate with a giant target on his back. Kamala Harris had drawn blood with her attacks in the first debate, and weakness begets weakness.
‘I think Democrats are expecting some engagement here,’ Biden said to begin the debate, ‘And I expect we’ll get it.’
He got it alright. He clashed with Harris on healthcare. Both Harris and Cory Booker blasted his record on criminal justice reform. He took shots from Julián Castro on immigration. Jay Inslee went after him on climate change. Kirsten Gillibrand questioned old comments he had made about the place of women in the workplace.
He didn’t have a clean slate by any means. There were several moments where he displayed the kind of stumbles that typified his first debate.
He did, however, mount a vigorous defence of his record and policies. There were moments where he displayed the kind of fire he’s had in the past. His performance won’t put all the questions about his age and political dexterity to bed, but it more than steadied the ship.
The first question tackled healthcare and Medicare for All, the single-payer health system plan popularised by Senator Sanders.
Mr Biden said that expanding President Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act was the best way to fix problems in the system quickly.
In their first back-and-forth of the debate, Ms Harris answered that her Medicare for All plan would allow people to sign up from day one, while Mr Biden’s proposal ‘leaves out 10 million Americans’.
The former vice-president responded that Ms Harris’s policy would cost too much, take too long and raise taxes for the middle class, and he asked: ‘What happens in the meantime?’
‘The cost of doing nothing is far too expensive,’ Ms Harris said.
The candidates next offered their takes on immigration policy, which saw Mr Biden clash with Mr Castro over decriminalising illegal border crossings.
Mr Biden called out Mr Castro, who was also a member of Mr Obama’s administration, for not speaking up about the issue at that time. He also said decriminalising it would be unfair to people around the world who also wanted to come to the US but had to wait in line.
‘When people cross the border illegally, it is illegal to do it unless they’re seeking asylum,’ Mr Biden said. ‘People should have to get in line.’
Another heated exchange followed when the candidates were asked about criminal justice reform, this time between Mr Biden and Mr Booker.
‘Since the 1970s, every crime bill, major and minor, has had his name on it,’ Mr Booker said of Mr Biden.
‘You claimed responsibility for those laws, and you can’t just now come out with a plan to put out that fire.’
Mr Biden hit back by criticising Mr Booker’s record during his time as Mayor of Newark and issues with police corruption.
Ms Harris and Ms Gabbard also shared a sharp debate over criminal justice, when Ms Gabbard said Ms Harris ought to apologise to those she had jailed as a prosecutor in California.
Ms Gabbard accused Ms Harris of extending jail sentences, forcing Ms Harris to defend her prosecutorial record.
Several candidates called the healthcare and education policies of Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren - who represent the left-most wing of their party - unrealistic and not the best way for the party to defeat President Trump.
The politicians disagreed over whether to keep border crossings illegal, and whether reparations should be paid to black Americans for the crime of slavery.
But the 10 hopefuls largely agreed when it came to gun violence, dark money in politics and the need to urgently address climate change.
Only 10 candidates will qualify for the next debate in September, based on polling and fundraising.
For now, Mr Biden continues to maintain a significant lead in the polls.
BBC