Joe Biden was grilled on why he’s seeking the White House, given that large swathes of voters tell pollsters they’re supporting him because he’s not President Trump.
“I’m running because Trump is the president, and I think our democracy’s at stake, for real,” Biden told reporters Tuesday in Wilmington, Delaware. “And what seems to be the case is many Americans, those who don’t like me and those that do, view me as the antithesis of Trump. And I believe that I am.”
Recommended Stories
The presumptive Democratic presidential nominee and former two-term vice president added that he was rolling out a slew of proposals because he was hoping to convince people to vote for him, rather than simply against Trump. He said if his ideas were passed during his administration, he would “go down as one of the most progressive presidents in American history.”
Biden also touted his foreign policy and international relationships, as well as his ability to bring “people together in Congress and politically.” Those qualities have skyrocketed in value amid the pandemic, he argued.
“People know me. They know me warts and all,” he said after a speech describing his plan for addressing racial economic inequality.
The Trump campaign has struggled to define the president in contrast to Biden as the electorate continues its preoccupation with the coronavirus pandemic.
Trump’s team, for example, has hit Biden for being too tough on crime thanks to his role drafting the 1994 crime bill. Critics accuse that legislation of facilitating a culture of mass incarceration that disproportionately affected minority communities.
At the same time, the Trump campaign has sought to pin Biden to far-left slogans, such as “defund the police.”
Biden on Tuesday responded to the attacks, particularly an ad centered around a 911 phone call that goes unanswered due to a lack of resources.
“I mean, come on. That is all about trying to come up with a bizarre law and order campaign to try to scare the devil out of a group of people,” he said.
