Former Vice President Joe Biden took President Donald Trump to task during a Las Vegas rally on Saturday, even as the president took swipes at the Delaware Democrat at his own Nevada event.
Biden claimed that the positive values which helped America achieve greatness "are being shredded by a president who’s all about himself," according to Time Magazine. The vice president described his concept of America's core values as "an idea, the American idea, basic fundamental decency, and it’s being shredded," adding that the widespread admiration held for these values had caused "the great alliances in literally the history of the world."
Biden made it clear during his speech that he was horrified with Trump's behavior. "But my God, think of what’s going on now," Biden told the audience, lamenting the fact that America's most important values "are being shredded by a president who’s all about himself. It’s all about Donald."
The former vice president also called out Republicans in general, claiming that "because of gerrymandering and unlimited spending" that they "are in fact choosing party over their country."
Trump, for his part, took swipes at Biden in a rally of his own. While Biden's rally had been before the Culinary Workers Union Local 226 in Las Vegas, Trump spoke to Republicans at the rural Nevada community of Elko. During that event, he attempted to coin a new nickname for Biden — either Creepy Joe, Sleepy Joe Biden or One Percent.
"He never had more than one percent. So we call him either Sleepy Joe Biden or One Percent. Which is better?" Trump asked the audience at the rally, which was loud about its support, according to CNN. When one supporter apparently called him "Creepy Joe," the president latched onto the idea while claiming to dislike it.
"Oh no, she said Creepy Joe. She said Creepy Joe," Trump exulted. He added, "No, I would never do that. I would never insult him like that. She said she's only kidding. I would never insult."
After the rally, Trump told reporters outside Air Force One that he hoped Democrats would nominate Biden as his opponent in the 2020 presidential election.
"Now look, I wish Biden the best. I hope he's going to be the nominee actually. I mean, One Percent Joe," Trump told the reporters. "I just hope they pick somebody good, somebody that's going to represent their interests."
That reference to "someone that's going to represent their interests" could have been calling back to the "One Percent Joe" insult from the rally. As Trump said at the time, according to Politico, "I think he ran three times, and he never had more than 1 percent, so we call him, ‘One-Percent Joe. And then remember what happened? Obama came along and took him off the trash heap and made him vice president. But he never had more than 1 percent."
Biden in fact only ran for president twice, seeking the Democratic nomination in 1988 (which he lost to Michael Dukakis) and 2008 (which he lost to Barack Obama). Despite these losses, he is currently the frontrunner for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020, followed by Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont.
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