Biden blasts Trump's `narcissism' in new phase of campaign
PHILADELPHIA — Joe Biden mounted one of his most aggressive attacks against President Donald Trump on Tuesday, deriding the commander in chief's disregard of core constitutional values and blistering him for being “more interested i n power than i n principle.”
“He thinks division helps him,” the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee said in a speech at Philadelphia's City Hall. “This narcissism has become more important than the nation's well-being.”
Biden seized on police driving back peaceful protesters near the White House on Monday so Trump could briefly pose with a Bible in front of nearby St. John's Church.
“If he opened it instead of brandishing it, he could have learned something,” Biden said as he chided authorities for using “tear gas and flash grenades in order to stage a photo op.”
Biden said Trump “might also want to open the U.S. Constitution. If he did, he'd find the First Amendment. It protects the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.”
Trump senior advisor Kellyanne Conway denied that the president directed authorities' actions to move back the protesters and bristled at suggestions the church visit was merely a photo op. She countered that Biden and other critics had no basis to second-guess what was in the president's heart and his intentions.
Still, Biden's address marked a new phase of a presidential campaign that had been effectively frozen for more than two months by the spread of the coronavirus. The former vice president is now emerging from his Delaware home to confront Trump and using in-person appearances to offer direct competition with the president, rather than relying on virtual events that often failed to garner a lot of attention.
It was the third consecutive day that Biden made a public appearance and the first time he's been out of the state since March. His remarks were carried live on the three major cable news networks.
Biden spoke as upheaval i n t he wake of George Floyd's death has spread
around the country. While Biden spoke, the National Guard maintained a visible presence to defend public buildings as Philadelphia continues t o f ace s ustained violent protests. Several buildings adjacent to City Hall, including banks, convenience stores and hotels, were boarded up.