In a statement, Kate Bedingfield, Biden's deputy campaign manager and communications director, said Trump's call to China was "this election's equivalent of his infamous 'Russia, if you're listening' moment from 2016 -- a grotesque choice of lies over truth and self over country."

"The White House itself has admitted that Donald Trump tried to bully a foreign country into lying about the domestic opponent he's afraid to look in the eye next November," Bedfield said. "Now, with his administration in free-fall, Donald Trump is flailing and melting down on national television, desperately clutching for conspiracy theories that have been debunked and dismissed by independent, credible news organizations."

.@JoeBiden campaign comms director Kate Bedingfield on Trump’s South Lawn comments this morning, calling them “... a grotesque choice of lies over truth and self over the country.” #ImpeachmentInquiry pic.twitter.com/BdVgZwDtUt — Sam Lisker (@ slisker ) October 3, 2019

Trump and his personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani, have previously tried to raise suspicions about Joe Biden's son, Hunter Biden, and his business dealings in China, according to The Associated Press. Trump and his associates have claimed Hunter Biden convinced China to contribute $1.5 billion to a fund for an investment firm he had a stake in, Politico reported. However, a spokesman for China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Monday that the allegation was "totally groundless."

There is no evidence the former vice president benefited financially from his son's business relationships.

The president's comments drew criticism from Democrats who accused Trump of soliciting foreign help to influence the 2020 election.

"Soliciting a foreign power to investigate your political opponent is an abuse of power," Rep. Ted Lieu, D-Calif., told Cox Media Group's Jamie Dupree. "That's why Congress started a formal impeachment inquiry."

At the White House, President Trump calls on two foreign governments to investigate his possible 2020 opponent https://t.co/GoEF4eotEJ — Jamie Dupree (@ jamiedupree ) October 3, 2019

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi confirmed last week that Democrats had launched an impeachment inquiry after a whistleblower came forward with concerns about Trump's conduct with foreign leaders. The whistleblower was particularly concerned about a July 25 call between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

A rough transcript of the call released by the White House showed Trump raised unsubstantiated allegations against Biden and urged Zelensky to coordinate with Giuliani and U.S. Attorney General William Barr to investigate the claims. Trump has denied that the conversation was inappropriate.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.