Former Vice President Joe Biden believes that President Trump is wrong to hold China accountable for COVID-19 and that Trump’s comments on the “Chinese virus” and “Wuhan virus” are harmful because people can’t tell those of Asian origin apart. The presidential candidate made the claims in a virtual town hall event hosted by the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) on Wednesday.
“People don’t make a distinction, as you well know, from a South Korean and someone from Beijing” he said while gesturing to members of the town hall. “They make no distinction. It’s Asian.”
Biden also said that Donald Trump is the first racist president ever elected and that he is intentionally “spreading racism.”
“The way he deals with people based on the color of their skin, their national origin, where they’re from, is absolutely sickening,” Biden said. “No sitting president has ever done this. Never, never, never. No Republican president has done this. No Democratic president. We’ve had racists, and they’ve existed. They’ve tried to get elected president. He’s the first one that has.”
President Trump’s campaign team released a statement in response to Biden’s allegations saying that “no one should take lectures on racial justice from Joe Biden.”
“President Trump loves all people, works hard to empower all Americans, and is supported by more Black voters than any Republican presidential candidate in modern history,” said campaign senior adviser Katrina Pierson.
Biden has a long history of suspected racism. Whether it was the time he told members of the Asian and Latino Coalition in Des Moines, Iowa that “poor kids are just as bright and just as talented as white kids,” the time he apologized for referring to then Sen. Barack Obama as the “first mainstream African American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy,” or the time he claimed “You cannot go to a 7-11 or a Dunkin’ Donuts unless you have a slight Indian accent. I’m not joking.” Biden has shown lack of poise when it comes to racist commentary.
More recently, Biden even claimed in an interview with Charlamagne tha God that “you ain’t black” if you vote for Trump.
“Well I tell you what, if you have a problem figuring out whether you’re for me or Trump, then you ain’t black,” he said.
