A Biden campaign advisor insisted Thursday that the former vice president never fat-shamed a man who tangled with him during an Iowa campaign event, even as the phrase “look, fat” took off on social media.

Mr. Biden entered into a heated exchange with the man over his characterization of Hunter Biden’s work with a Ukrainian gas company, then appeared to take a jab at the voter’s physique.

“Look, fat, here’s the deal,” said Mr. Biden, as shown on video.

Biden senior advisor Symone D. Sanders insisted afterward that the candidate for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination never made any reference to the man’s appearance.

“To be clear: Any assertion VP Biden said a word about the gentleman’s appearance is making this something it is not,” tweeted Ms. Sanders. “In the latter part of the exchange, the VP began to say ‘Look, facts’ then said ‘here’s the deal.’ If you’ve been to a Biden event, you’ve heard this before.”

Her defense did not go unchallenged on Twitter, with some commenters calling the explanation “malarkey,” a reference to Mr. Biden’s “no malarkey” campaign slogan.

Others pointed out that the alleged “look, fat” comment wasn’t Mr. Biden’s only reference to weight and fitness. At the start of the exchange, Mr. Biden challenged the man’s claim about Hunter Biden, at which point the man cited television coverage.

“You see it on the TV,” Mr. Biden said. “No, I know you do. And by the way, that’s why I’m not sedentary.”

The candidate also challenged the man to push-ups and a run in response to his reference to Mr. Biden’s age, which is 77.

As the hashtag #lookfat made the rounds on Twitter, conservatives and others asked whether Mr. Biden would be held accountable for the comment, coming a day after Peloton was slammed for a television ad in which a husband gives his model-thin wife a stationary bike for Christmas.

“I look forward to the bevy of thinkpieces on why Joe Biden bullying a man for his weight is utterly unacceptable. #lookfat,” tweeted conservative pundit Ben Shapiro.

I look forward to the bevy of thinkpieces on why Joe Biden bullying a man for his weight is utterly unacceptable. #lookfat https://t.co/AqWW2fleR9 — Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) December 5, 2019

Tell me if I’m mishearing but Biden at 1:57 calls this man fat “Look fat…” because he dared to challenge him on Hunter. He also challenges him to a push up contest and warns him about being “sedentary.” So wrong. This man deserves an answer and apology. https://t.co/jl1QXEQ6Xn — Krystal Ball (@krystalball) December 5, 2019

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