During Thursday’s presidential debate, Donald Trump attempted to paint himself as different from Democrat Joe Biden, whom he accused of acting like a standard politician, ABC News reported. The criticism came after Biden spoke directly to the camera and suggested that the president is attempting to avoid discussing issues that affect average Americans.
“He doesn’t want to talk about the substantive issues,” Biden said. “It’s not about his family and my family. It’s about your family and your family is hurting badly.”
Needless to say, Trump wasn’t buying the narrative.
“That is a typical statement,” he responded.
“That’s a typical political statement. Let’s get off this China thing. He looks at the family around the table, just a typical politician. I’m not a typical politician. That’s why I got elected. Let’s get off the subject of China. Let’s talk around sitting around the table. Come on, Joe. You can do better.”
The attack appeared to land with some people watching, including progressive commentator Krystal Ball.
Trump’s kinda got Biden on the pre-packaged middle class family line. #Debates2020
— Krystal Ball (@krystalball) October 23, 2020
Some social media users disagreed with Ball and suggested that Biden’s appeal was an accurate depiction of American families and would likely ring true for middle-class citizens.
Trump’s criticism echoes his approach to his 2016 campaign, which led to him defeating establishment Democrat Hillary Clinton, who was widely predicted to win. Per Vox , he is the only U.S. leader with no political or military experience.
Nevertheless, the publication noted that polls reveal most Americans, Trump supporters, in particular, distrust the government and suggested that the president’s “outsider appeal” might have been a significant factor in his successful presidential bid.
According to Vanity Fair , Trump’s campaign promise to clean house in Washington, D.C., and rid the government of establishment politicians never came to fruition. Notably, the publication pointed to two reports that found Trump-connected lobbyists are thriving under his leadership. The publication also said that Trump’s lobbyist connections mean they are investing their time and money into ensuring he gets re-elected.
Unlike Trump, Biden has had a long political career, including his stint as a U.S. senator for Delaware from 1973 to 2009 and as vice president to Barack Obama from 2009 to 2017, which has made him an easy target for Trump and his allies.
For example, The New York Post previously accused Biden’s campaign of attempting to brand Obama-era policies using Trump-era slogans. Elsewhere, a Breitbart reporter pointed to Biden’s plan to hire former Obama administration officials into his potential administration and argued that Biden and his allies are enacting the strategy under the banner of a diversity initiative.