Bill Ackman heckled Joe Biden, and it didn’t end well for Ackman

That’s when Ackman intervened with an apparent attempt at a joke:

“Why? That’s never stopped you before,” he said.

Biden didn’t take kindly to Ackman’s jab. From Fox Business:

The formal, and understated dinner conversation suddenly turned tense, according to three people who were present and confirmed both the substance and the wording of Biden’s responses.

Biden, these people say, turned to someone seated near him, and asked, “who is this a–hole?,” a reference to Ackman.

Then he turned directly to Ackman and stated: “look, I don’t know who you are, wisea–, but never disrespect the memory of my dead son!” these people say.

Ackman attempted what was described as an apology, to which Biden said, “just shut the hell up.”

A spokesman for Ackman downplayed the interaction, but didn’t refute Biden’s language.

Biden’s near-candidacy was a popular topic at the SALT conference. In one speaking appearance that week, Biden publicly said of Hillary Clinton: “I never thought she was a great candidate. I thought I was a great candidate.”

But it took until Friday for news of the Ackman incident to surface.

“Biden was in rare form,” a source told Fox Business. “I can’t believe it has never leaked out.”

The former vice president has not ruled out a 2020 White House bid.