Biden enters ’20 race, targets Trump
WASHINGTON — Declaring the “soul of this nation” at stake, former Vice President Joe Biden pushed into the crowded 2020 presidential contest on Thursday and quickly sparked a fierce debate over the direction of the modern-day Democratic Party.
Ignoring the political noise in his own party, Biden aimed directly at Donald Trump in an announcement video seizing on the Republican president’s response to the deadly clash between white supremacists and counter protesters in Charlottesville, Va., two years ago. That was the spur for him to open a third presidential bid, Biden said, noting Trump’s comments that there were some “very fine people” on both sides of the violent encounter, which left one woman dead.
“We are in the battle for the soul of this nation,” Biden declared. “If we give Donald Trump eight years in the White House, he will forever and fundamentally alter the character of this nation — who we are. And I cannot stand by and watch that happen.”
Biden, 76, a native of Scranton, Pa., and former U.S. senator from Delaware, became part of a Democratic field that now spans at least 20 contenders. If elected, he would be the oldest person ever elected president — Trump was 70 in 2016.
As an older white man with often-centrist views, Biden must now prove he’s not out of step with Democrats trying to push the party to the left. He’s also yet to outline his positions on issues defining the 2020 Democratic primary, most notably “Medicare for All,” the universal health care concept that has been embraced by many in the Democratic field.
Biden is betting that his working class appeal and ties to Barack Obama’s presidency will help him win over skeptics.