DETROIT — Joe Biden expressed surprise his political rivals were so critical of former President Barack Obama during the second round of 2020 Democratic presidential primary debates in Detroit, vowing to finish the work his old boss started with healthcare.
“I must tell you, I was a little surprised at how much incoming was about Barack, about the president. I’m proud to have served with him, and I’m proud of the job he did. I don’t think there’s anything he has to apologize for,” Obama’s two-term vice president told reporters Thursday outside the Detroit One Coney Island Restaurant.
While Biden said his administration would reflect how “the world has changed” since the 2016 election when asked about the Obama White House’s record on deportations, he pledged to build on the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare.“We tried to get the Medicare option added to it. We couldn’t get it done. I will get it done this time because the people have realized what it’s about. They figured it out,” he said.
The former vice president admitted he regretted miffing the text line supporters could contact to help his bid, defending his attacks on his opponents by arguing he was responding to their own salvos. He said the race was “a marathon,” but he was confident he could woo back voters in the Rust Belt, such as those in the state of Michigan, including African American Democrats, by not using “double talk” and genuinely caring about their concerns.
The stop, hosted by the busy downtown diner complete with a Michigan State University flag strung from the ceiling, wraps Biden’s trip to the Great Lake State. He was greeted with cheers and spent more than an hour weaving in between the booths to talk and pose for photos with patrons, both local residents and Biden supporters wearing campaign T-shirts alike. “Regular, old Joe,” a man said. “He’s so cool!” one woman exclaimed.
Biden was joined by Detroit-based political figures, including Michigan Rep. Debbie Dingell and Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan. The former vice president will next travel to Nevada for the AFSCME Public Service Forum in Las Vegas on Saturday followed by two community events in the crucial, diverse early-voting state.
