Joe Biden in 5th Democratic Primary Debate

On Civil Rights: MeToo: Change the culture of how women are treated

BIDEN: The first thing I would do is make sure we pass the Violence Against Women Act reauthorization. I wrote the original act. We have to fundamentally change the culture of how women are treated. It's everyone's responsibility.

On Drugs: Black community supports decriminalizing marijuana

On Energy & Oil: Prioritized climate for decades, as existential threat

Joe BIDEN: I think it is the existential threat to humanity. While I was passing the first climate change bill, while I managed the $90 billion recovery plan, investing more money in infrastructure that related to clean energy than any time we've ever done it, my friend was introducing more coal mines and produced more coal around the world, according to the press, than all of Great Britain produces.

Bernie SANDERS: If we don't get our act together within the next eight or nine years, we're talking about major cities going underwater, increased drought, increased extreme weather disturbances.

On Families & Children: Keep punching at it: men can never raise a hand to women

And that's when [in the Obama Administration] we started this movement on the college campuses to fundamentally change the culture. No man has a right to raise a hand to a woman in anger, other than in self-defense, and that rarely ever occurs. And so we have to just change the culture, period, and keep punching at it and punching at it and punching at it. I really mean it. It's a gigantic issue. And we have to make it clear from the top, from the president on down, that we will not tolerate it. We will not tolerate this culture.

On Foreign Policy: Speak out against China at UN, for Uighurs and Hong Kong

On Foreign Policy: Punish senior Saudi leaders; make them the pariah they are

BIDEN: Khashoggi was murdered on the order of the crown prince. I would make it clear we were not going to sell more weapons to them, we were going to make them the pariah that they are. There's very little social redeeming value in the present government in Saudi Arabia.

KLOBUCHAR: We need a new foreign policy in this country, and that means renewing our relationships with our allies. It means rejoining international agreements. It means reasserting our American values. When the president did not stand up the way he should have to that killing and that dismemberment of a journalist with an American newspaper, that sent a signal to all dictators across the country that was OK, and that's wrong.

On Foreign Policy: I know all world leaders, and they know I keep my word

I've never been more optimistic. We're the wealthiest nation in the world, our workers are three times as productive as workers in Asia. We have great research universities. I'm tired of everybody walking around like woe is me. Let's remember, this is the United States of America. There has never, ever, ever been a time when we have set our mind to do something we've been unable to do it. It's time to remember, get up, let's take back this country and lead the world again.

On Health Care: Reform healthcare, don't force folks off private insurance

On Principles & Values: We need to defeat Trump AND gain a Senate majority

BIDEN: Well, look, the next president is going to have to do two things. Defeat Donald Trump, that's number one. And, number two, going to have to be able to go into states like Georgia and North Carolina and other places and get a Senate majority. That's what I'll do. And by the way, I learned something about these impeachment trials. I learned, #1, that Donald Trump doesn't want me to be the nominee. That's pretty clear. Secondly, I found out that Vladimir Putin doesn't want me to be president. But the bottom line is, I think we have to ask ourselves the honest question: Who is most likely to do what needs to be done, produce a Democratic majority in the United States Senate, maintain the House, and beat Trump?

On Principles & Values: Keep the Justice Department independent of politics

BIDEN: I don't think it's a good idea that we model ourselves after Trump and say "lock him up." We have to bring this country together.

Q: When Pres. Ford pardoned Pres. Nixon, he said it was to heal the country. What would you do about criminal investigation into Pres. Trump after he leaves office?

BIDEN: I wouldn't direct my Justice Department like this president does. I'd let them make their independent judgment. I would not dictate who should be prosecuted or exonerated. That's not the role of the president. It's "the attorney general of the United States," not "the president's private attorney." If the attorney general's independent judgment was that he violated the law and he should be, in fact, criminally prosecuted, then so be it. But I would not direct it. Follow the law, period.