- Democrat nominee Joe Biden and running mate Kamala Harris made their first public appearance together this morning
- In their addresses, both Biden and Harris heavily critiqued President Donald Trump on a range of issues
- Biden blasted Trump’s criticism of Kamala Harris as the vice-president pick and the President’s handling of the coronavirus
- Harris said Trump has run the American economy “straight into the ground”
- This comes after President Trump said Harris was his “number one draft pick”
- The President also said Harris performed “very, very poorly in the primaries,” and that he was “a little surprised that [Biden] picked her.”
Democrat nominee Joe Biden and running mate Kamala Harris made their first public appearance together this morning.
The Biden-Harris presidential campaign is already picking up steam after Joe Biden named his vice-president pick yesterday morning.
The pair appeared in a live-streamed event in a Delaware school gymnasium where they spoke to a group of journalists and critics. Biden said he has “no doubt” he picked the right person to be his potential vice president.
“Kamala, as you all know, is smart. She’s tough. She’s experienced. She’s a proven fighter for the backbone of this country: the middle class,” he said.
Of course, it didn’t take long for Biden’s address to take aim at current U.S. president Donald Trump.
With just over 80 days until the November election, both Biden and Harris lambasted President Trump over a range of issues.
Biden’s critique
Biden took a shot at President Trump over his criticism of Harris as the vice-president pick.
“Donald Trump has already started his attacks, calling Kamala, quote, ‘nasty’, whining about how she is, quote, ‘mean’ to his appointees,” Biden said.
“It’s no surprise because whining is what Donald Trump does best,” he said.
“Is anyone surprised Donald Trump has a problem with a strong woman, or strong women, across the board?” he asked the crowd.
Biden also blasted Trump’s handling of COVID-19, saying despite the rising death toll, there has still been “no real leadership or plan” from the Trump administration of how to get the pandemic under control.
He said the upcoming November election is a battle for “the soul of the nation” of America.
Harris’ critique
Off the bat, Harris took a swipe at President Trump, claiming he cares more about himself than the people who elected him.
“[We have] a president who is making every challenge we face even more difficult to solve,” Harris said.
Like Biden, she blasted Trump’s handling of COVID-19.
“This virus has impacted almost every country, but there’s a reason it has hit America worse than any other advanced nation,” she said.
“It’s because of Trump’s failure to take it seriously from the start.”
On top of this, Harris accused Trump of running the U.S. economy “straight into the ground”.
“This is what happens when we elect a guy who just isn’t up for the job — our country ends up in tatters, and so does our reputation around the world,” she said.
Trump’s critique
Of course, the pugnacious President had his own critiques of the new Biden-Harris campaign, remaining confident and claiming that Harris was his “number one draft pick” yesterday.
“She is a person that’s told many, many stories that weren’t true,” the President said.
“She’s very big into raising taxes, she wants to slash funds for our military at a level that nobody can even believe.”
President Trump also criticised Harris’ position on socialised health care and fracking, which he says is “very important”.
.@KamalaHarris started strong in the Democrat Primaries, and finished weak, ultimately fleeing the race with almost zero support. That’s the kind of opponent everyone dreams of!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 12, 2020
“She did very, very poorly in the primaries,” he said.
“She was expected to do well and she ended up right around two per cent and spent a lot of money,” he said.
“I was a little surprised that [Biden] picked her.”