Former Vice President Joe Biden says he regrets not speaking more candidly about President Donald Trump and his administration sooner. He made the remarks at a charity dinner held by the Human Rights Campaign, an LGBTQ organization. Huffington Post reported that Biden said he and former President Barack Obama had decided to wait before making public remarks.
Barack and I agreed to remain silent for a while to give this administration a chance to get up and running the first year,” Biden said. “God forgive me.”
He regretted granting the leeway after the horrific events in Charlottesville, VA. In August 2017, a white supremacist rally was held in the town. Marchers carried tiki torches as anti-racist protesters chanted messages of acceptance. However, tragedy struck when a man attending the white supremacist rally drove his car into a group of the anti-racist protesters. As a result, he killed 32-year-old Heather Heyer.
“We have leaders who at the time when that occurred, when these guys were accompanied by white supremacists and Ku Klux Klan… making a comparison saying there are good people in both groups,” Biden said. “What has become of us? Our children are listening. Our silence is complicity.”
Trump did not publicly take a stand after the events in Charlottesville, instead, he took the stance Biden mentioned, of stating that there were good people on both sides of the argument. This stance baffled many, including Obama.
“How hard can that be, saying that Nazis are bad?” Obama said.
Biden began publicly speaking out against President Trump after the incident and delivered a speech shortly after in 2017 about how America was heading down a very dark path with the current state of affairs. Throughout his candidacy and presidency, Trump has not been as closemouthed about Obama or Biden, mentioning them frequently and disparagingly.
Crazy Joe Biden is trying to act like a tough guy. Actually, he is weak, both mentally and physically, and yet he threatens me, for the second time, with physical assault. He doesn’t know me, but he would go down fast and hard, crying all the way. Don’t threaten people Joe!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 22, 2018
Obama recently spoke out about Trump this month as he has begun campaigning for Democrats who are running for Congress. Democrats are hoping to wrest control of the House of Representatives and the Senate from Republicans. They are hopeful that if the GOP does not have a majority in Congress, then they will be able to prevent some of Trump’s proposed policies from passing.
The November midterm elections are gearing up to be incredibly close and competitive. Even some of the Trump supporters have joined in the backlash as his Presidency has not delivered on some of the key promises they were counting on. Obama and Biden are encouraging everyone, especially young people, to get out and vote in the midterms.