‘We’re As Good As Anybody Else’: Biden Plays Up Lack Of Ivy Degree, Blasts Trump Wealth

Topline

In an effort to appeal to working-class voters, Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden played up his humble roots during a CNN town hall Thursday in his hometown of Scranton, Pa., highlighting his lack of an Ivy League pedigree and blasting President Trump’s inherited wealth while pitching the election as a battle between ‘Scranton’ and ‘Park Avenue.’

Key Facts

Crucial Quote

“I’m running as a Democrat, but I’m gonna be everyone’s president,” Biden said when asked how he will reach out to disaffected Republicans. “I’m not gonna be a Democrat president, I’m gonna be an American president. I’ve made my whole career based upon bringing people together.”

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.