Biden Hits Trump’s Populist Image, Says ‘Look Closely’ How He Treats Supporters

Topline

Former Vice President Joe Biden on Monday doubled down on his “Scranton vs. Park Avenue” strategy, aimed at appealing to working class voters, casting himself as a standard-bearer for American workers and accusing Trump of private disdain for his own supporters.

Key Facts

Crucial Quote

In an appeal to voters in pivotal Midwestern swing states, Biden seized on Trump’s frequent framing of blue states as separate from the rest of America on issues like crime and coronavirus. “Think about what he’s saying. He’s saying if you live in a state like Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, states with Democratic governors, you’re not his problem. He has no obligation to you,” Biden asserted. “I don’t see the presidency that way… We have to bring people together. That’s gonna be my primary job.”

Chief Critic

“Can we cut the bull with this ‘aw shucks middle-class Joe’ schtick the Biden team is running?” tweeted GOP creative director Leigh Wolf. [Biden] made 11 MILLION in 2017. That put him in the top 0.01% of earners. He’s rich, just like every other swamp monsters who’s been in DC for 40 years.”

Big Number

$9 million. That’s how much Biden and his wife Jill Biden were worth as of Aug. 2019, according to a Forbes analysis, though the bulk of that came from speaking fees and book tour events after his vice presidency. Trump, by comparison, is worth $2.5 billion, making him the 339th richest person in the world.

Surprising Fact

Biden is polling better than Hillary Clinton among white working-class voters, the core of Trump’s base and a voting bloc modern Democratic candidates have perennially struggled with. According to Morning Consult polling, Biden is down by 15 points among whites without a college degree, compared to Clinton’s 37-point loss with that group in 2016 according to CNN exit polling.