Joe Biden dismissed the idea he could flip President Trump’s supporters who revel in his racially-charged rhetoric.
“His base? Probably not,” the presumptive 2020 Democratic presidential nominee told donors with a chuckle when asked during a virtual fundraiser late Wednesday whether he could reach Trump backers.
Biden added, “There are people who support the president because they like the fact that he is engaged in the politics of division. They really support the notion that, you know, all Mexicans are rapists, and all Muslims are bad and … dividing this nation based on ethnicity, race.”
Instead, the two-term vice president and 36-year Delaware senator indicated he’d focus his efforts on ginning up enthusiasm with his own base, “among the people I grew up with, white working-class, high school-educated people.” He said many of those people were “going through a really difficult transition” in 2016, and Trump’s message of the “forgotten man” resonated with them. The president, however, had since “decimated” their “ability to have health insurance,” providing Democrats with the opportunity to woo them back, he explained.
Biden also acknowledged the work he needed to do to “energize” young Democrats ahead of November’s general election, particularly those who were fans of former rival Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and his brand of politics.
“First of all, you put your finger on what happened last time and could happen this time if I don’t do better. Last time, you had, I think it was either 14% or 17% of Bernie supporters voting for Trump, or not voting for her,” he said, referring to 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton. “So, what I have to do is make sure that I listen. … I have to make sure you know I’m listening.”
Though the fall fight won’t officially begin until after the Democratic and Republican nominating conventions, early polling suggests Biden will head into the summer with a slight advantage. He averages a 5.5 percentage point lead, according to RealClearPolitics data.
