Trump, Biden trade barbs as both visit Iowa
Back-and-forth reveals political stakes for each
MOUNT PLEASANT, Iowa — President Donald Trump and Democrat Joe Biden spent Tuesday trading insults — sometimes almost simultaneously — as they stumped across Iowa in split-screen moments that could preview a ferocious fight ahead if the two face off for the presidency next year.
The back-and-forth laid bare the rising political stakes for each man, even with the election about 17 months away.
Trump has zeroed in on Biden as a potential threat to his re-election chances and is testing themes to beat him back. Biden, meanwhile, is campaigning as a front-runner, relishing the one-on-one fight with Trump while making sure he doesn’t ignore the demands of the Democratic primary.
“People don’t respect him,” Trump said after touring a renewable energy facility in Council Bluffs. “Even the people that he’s running against, they’re saying: ‘Where is he? What happened?’ ”
With a dose of exaggeration and name-dropping his 2016 rival, Hillary Clinton, the president added: “He makes his stance in Iowa once every two weeks and then he mentions my name 74 times in one speech. I don’t know. That reminds me of Crooked Hillary. She did the same thing.”
At almost the same moment in Mount Pleasant, Biden noted the attention he has been getting from Trump. Biden’s appearances from earlier in the day were playing on TV screens when Air Force One landed in Iowa.
“I guess he’s really fascinated by me,” said Biden, who mentioned Trump by name about a dozen times during his first two events in Iowa. “I find it fascinating.” He started to say more but then stopped himself, quipping: “My mother would say: ‘Joey, focus. Don’t descend. Stay up.’ ”
Pressed later by reporters about his repeated assurances that he wouldn’t openly criticize Trump while campaigning, Biden said, “By not talking about him personally — talking about where I disagree with him on the issues, why he’s doing such damage to the country — that’s totally different than attacking his character or lack thereof.”
Speaking Tuesday night in Davenport, Biden said voters must stop the president’s attempts to elevate his office beyond its traditional limits of power. Trump is “breaking down the barriers that constrain his power,” Biden said, and acting like he has “complete power.”
“No, you don’t, Donald Trump!” Biden thundered into the microphone, sparking cheers from a crowd of around 500 at the Mississippi Valley Fairgrounds.
Trump, meanwhile, insisted that Biden was the candidate he hoped to face off against in 2020.
“I’d rather run against Biden than anybody,” Trump told reporters on the White House lawn before flying to Iowa. “I think he’s the weakest mentally, and I like running against people that are weak mentally.” Elsewhere on the campaign trail:
Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg laid out his foreign policy vision Tuesday, calling for an end to “endless war,” rebuilding America’s relationships with its allies and treating climate change as an “existential threat.” The 37-year-old mayor of South Bend, Indiana, an Afghanistan War veteran, said he wants to repeal the 2001 authorization for use of force in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Democratic presidential candidate and California Rep. Eric Swalwell plans to meet Wednesday with people affected by gun violence in Las Vegas, the site of the country’s deadliest mass shooting in modern history.