Vice President Joe Biden says heโs known in Washington as โMiddle Class Joe,โ a man of the people. So he felt comfortable dropping dozens of zingers aimed straight at Donald Trump Tuesday in Philly.
Biden was stumping for Hillary Clinton at Drexelโs Great Court space just hours after she wrapped up her first presidential debate against Trump. Heโs campaigning for Clinton and pushing civic engagement for National Voter Registration Day. (Still need to register to vote in Pennsylvania? You can do so online here. The deadline is Oct. 11.)
And after entering the stage saying โIโm Joe Biden and I work for Hillary Clintonโ and throwing out a quick shoutout to Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz, he took aim at Trumpโs debate performance, the GOP nomineeโs tax plan, his failure to release his own tax returns and the impact a Trump presidency could have on โAmericaโs standing in the world.โ
Here are six of Bidenโs best โ yeah, weโll stick with that term โ zingers:
1. โDonald Trump is painfully uninformedโ
Biden started his talk to students at Drexel by slamming Trumpโs performance during last nightโs debate, saying the candidate didnโt deny that he doesnโt pay anything in federal taxes and saying thatโs an affront to blue-collar Americans.
โDonald Trump is painfully uninformed,โ Biden said, โand his policies are not very helpful for this country. But what bothers me about this race โ and I know Iโm sort of a one-man broken record on this โ is how palpable his cynicism is about the American people.
โHe acknowledged that he didnโt pay taxes, he said, because heโs smart. It makes him smart. Tell that to the janitor here whoโs paying taxes. Tell that to my dad who, when he was aliveโฆ paid all his taxes. Tell that to your mothers and fathers breaking their necks to send you here. It angers me.โ
2. โA rigged system? He is part of the rigged system.โ
The vice president painted Trump as an out-of-touch rich guy figure whose policies are aimed exclusively at helping himself and giving Wall Street a boost. He pointed out that Trumpโs admitted heโs donated millions to candidates for his own political gain.
โHe brags about gaming the system,โ Biden said. โA rigged system? He is part of the rigged system.โ
3. โWhat in the hell is he talking about?โ
Does Donald Trump have the moral center that presidents before him have possessed? Thatโs the question Biden posed toward the beginning of his talk, hitting again on Trumpโs business practices.
Biden brought up that when Trump was a businessman, the housing market crash in 2008 worked out for his real estate business. PolitiFact rated a Clinton claim that said Trump was โhopingโ for for a real estate crash Mostly True.
โThis is a guy who said that it was good business for him to see the housing market fail,โ Biden said. โWhat in the hell is he talking about?โ
4. โI heard heโs on the verge of acknowledging gravity.โ
Maybe this was a hit on Trumpโs past statements claiming global warming is a conspiracy or a Chinese hoax. Maybe it was just some shade-throwing with regard to Trumpโs relative lack of experience in the foreign policy arena.
โIm glad Donald Trump found out that, you know, Crimea was part of Ukraine,โ he said. โBy the way, I heard he was on the verge of acknowledging gravity.โ
5. โLet me tell you who built this damn country.โ
Once again describing Trump as the rich one, Biden said his policies ignore the middle class.
โI know Iโm called Middle Class Joe. And in Washington, that means Iโm not sophisticated. But let me tell you who built this damn country,โ he said, telling the students in the room that the itโs a โhistorical factโ that Americaโs middle class is whatโs behind the nationโs success on a world stage.
6. โHe doesnโt represent America.โ
Biden said NATO nations have already told the White House theyโre concerned a Trump presidency would mean the United States wouldnโt hold up its end of the NATO bargain. The vice president said heโs spent significant time attempting to convince those nations that America will uphold its promises.
โThink of the damage heโs already doing to Americaโs standing in the world. I donโt know if he thinks itโs a gameโ Biden said. โHe doesnโt represent America. He does not represent our basic fundamental values โ the core sense of who we are as a nation.โ





