Big Lines From New Joe Biden Speech

Trump is 'more interested in power than in principle'
By Newser Editors,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 2, 2020 11:35 AM CDT
Big Lines From New Joe Biden Speech
Democratic presidential candidate, former Vice President Joe Biden speaks in Philadelphia, Tuesday, June 2, 2020.   (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Joe Biden is no longer hunkered down in his basement waiting out the pandemic. The presumptive Democratic nominee gave a speech in Philadelphia Tuesday in which he condemned President Trump's presidency in general and his handling of the George Floyd protests in particular. Some big lines, via the AP, the Washington Post, NPR, and Politico:

  • Given that Trump had "peaceful protesters" dispersed "from the doorstep of the people’s house, the White House" with tear gas so he could stage what Biden called a photo op at a nearby church, "we can be forgiven for believing that the president is more interested in power than in principle."
  • “The president held up a Bible,” Biden said. “I just wished he opened it once in awhile instead of brandishing it.”

  • Trump's “narcissism has become more important than the nation that he leads.”
  • Trump appears “more interested in serving the passions of his base than the needs of the people in his care. For that's what the presidency is: a duty of care—to all of us, not just our voters, not just our donors, but all of us."
  • “Look, the presidency is a big job. Nobody will get everything right. And I won’t either." But, he promised, "I won’t fan the flames of hate.”
  • He said Floyd's last words of "I can't breathe" did not "die with him. They’re still being heard. Echoing across this nation. They speak to a nation where too often just the color of your skin puts your life at risk. ... It’s a wake-up call for our nation in my view. For all of us. And I mean all of us.” On that note, he said Congress should move quickly on laws addressing police brutality, per the Hill.
(Biden could actually seal the Democratic nomination in voting Tuesday.)

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