Joe Biden railed against Donald Trump in the vice president’s first appearance with Hillary Clinton on the campaign trail at a rally in Scranton, Pennsylvania, calling the Republican nominee “totally, thoroughly unqualified to be president.”
The vice president first criticized Trump’s “cynicism,” noting that one of the candidate’s favorite phrases is “You’re fired.” Biden said it’s a bunch of “malarkey” that Trump cares about the middle class.
“This guy doesn’t care about the middle class, and I don’t even blame him in a sense because he doesn’t understand it,” he said of Trump. “He doesn’t have a clue.”
Biden then launched into an attack on Trump’s recent comments about foreign affairs.
“He not only lacks the temperament,” Biden said. “On every issue that matters most to our security, Donald Trump has no clue what it takes to lead this great country.”
He said that if Trump had been president while his son was serving in Iraq, he would have “thrown my body in front of him” in order to “keep him from going if the judgment was based on Trump’s decision.”
The vice president then brought up one of Trump’s recent headline-making comments — that President Obama was the “founder of ISIS.”
Biden called the claim “outrageous” and noted that the leader of the terrorist group Hezbollah recently quoted Trump while criticizing the Obama administration. Biden quoted Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.
“This is not simple speech,” Nasrallah reportedly said of Trump’s comments. “This is an American presidential candidate. This was spoken on behalf of the American Republican Party. He has data and documents.”
Biden suggested that Trump’s claim has endangered U.S. troops abroad.
“If my son were still in Iraq — and I say to all those who were there, the threat to their life has gone up a couple clicks,” he said. “Does he have any idea the adverse consequence these outlandish comments have on our allies, our friends, and the physical safety of our troops?”
“Totally, thoroughly unqualified to be president.”
Ah, Joe. Always was a master of understatement.
“If my son were still in Iraq — and I say to all those who were there, the threat to their life has gone up a couple clicks,” he said. “Does he have any idea the adverse consequence these outlandish comments have on our allies, our friends, and the physical safety of our troops?”
DANGER, DANGER…
Drumpf twitterstorm has been forecast. Prepare to see U.S. military attacked.
Joe needs to get back in front of a press gaggle and say four words:
“I told you so.”
That Trump speech was… awful.
This is one of multiple reasons why this election is deadly serious for me. I have a son serving in the Navy. The thought of him and his shipmates having Trump as their commander in chief is truly horrifying.
Keep pounding him, Joe. Just keep pounding him.