ATKINSON, NEW HAMPSHIRE — Joe Biden hit back at critics who say he represents a bygone era in Democratic politics, telling voters Saturday he has the energy to see his forward-looking vision to fruition.
“We have to unite this country. That’s not very much in vogue these days. I’m told that, you know, Biden thinks we should go back to the old days. I don’t want to go back to anything old. Nothing,” the former vice president said during a campaign stop.
The 2020 White House hopeful, who dropped into the Republican stronghold as part of his two-day swing of the early nominating Granite State, similarly pushed back on President Trump’s nickname for him and its implication that he lacks the vitality for the nation’s top job.
“I was at a parade in Independence, Iowa, on the Fourth of July, and in parades I run,” the 76-year-old recounted. “And a guy says to me, ‘Hey, sleepy Joe!’ I said, ‘Come run with me!'”
During Saturday’s event, Biden alluded to the political attacks launched at him by his fellow presidential candidates, arguing they lacked “context.” He told the crowd they could differentiate him from the rest of the primary field vying for the right to challenge Trump based, for example, on his position on healthcare. His remarks follow comments he made Friday outside Annabelle’s Ice Cream in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, about some of his rivals having “so far not” been as forthright about the financial and coverage implications of “Medicare for All” as Sen. Bernie Sanders as opposed to a public option, a pathway he prefers.
Biden’s trip to New Hampshire marks a shift in the longtime senator for Delaware’s campaign strategy, which so far has mostly targeted Trump. On Saturday, he took a stance against adding seats to the Supreme Court, a proposal touted by opponent South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg.
“Structural reform is a fancy way to say packing the court,” he said. “I think packing the court is a mistake.”
