Biden says he should not have called Trump a 'clown' during debate, calls Trump 'embarrassing'

Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden says that he should not have called President Trump a "clown" during the first presidential debate last week.

"I should have said this was a clownish undertaking instead of calling him a clown," Biden said Monday evening during a town hall with NBC News' Lester Holt.

"It was just very difficult," said the former vice president of the debate, which was marred by constant interruptions and name-calling from both candidates. "I didn't want to further demean the process of the debate by getting in a shouting match with him." 

Biden did say that he felt Trump's aggressive performance was "embarrassing for the nation to see."

For the second debate, which is scheduled to take place on Oct. 15, the Commission on Presidential Debates has announced it will amend the format of the event "to ensure a more orderly discussion of the issues."