Biden says toning down political rhetoric doesn’t mean he’ll ‘stop telling the truth’ about Trump

LAS VEGAS (AP) — The president Joe Biden returned to the campaign trail Tuesday for the first time since assassination attempt former President Donald Trump, continuing his call to calm divisive rhetoric on both sides but also saying that “doesn’t mean we should stop telling the truth” as he lashed out at his Republican rival.

Speaking at the NAACP convention in Las Vegas, Biden said combating political violence in the country should mean limiting all kinds of bloodshed — including better addressing police brutality and banning weapons like the AR-style rifle used in the weekend attack on Trump.

“It’s time for a meaningful dialogue in this country. Our politics have become too fraught,” Biden said.

That didn’t stop him from listing reasons why the Trump administration has been “hell” for African Americans, including the former president’s mishandling of the coronavirus pandemic, skyrocketing unemployment during the first lockdowns and attempts, as Biden put it, to erase black history.

“Just because we need to lower the temperature in our politics when it comes to violence doesn’t mean we need to stop telling the truth,” Biden told the crowd that often chanted “Four more years!”

The president wants to show his administration’s support for black voters, who are at the heart of the Democratic coalition and his personal political support. As part of his Nevada tour, he will also participate in an interview with BET and address the Hispanic rights group UnidosUS, another crucial Democratic-leaning bloc.

In front of the NAACP crowd, Biden seized on Trump’s recent reference to “black jobs,” drawing loud applause as he quipped, “I love that phrase.”

“I know what a black job is. It’s vice president of the United States,” Biden said of Vice President Kamala Harris, who added that she “could be president.” He also referenced Barack Obama, the country’s first black president, and his own nomination of its first black and female Supreme Court justice, Ketanji Brown Jackson.

Biden’s trip comes as Democrats have been struggling for weeks with confidence in his candidacy after his devastating debate with Trump last month. The president’s faltering performance has stoked voter concerns about his age, fitness for office and ability to defeat Trump again.

Republicans, for their part, are demonstrating that they are more united than ever around Trump in the midst of their National Convention in Milwaukee.

Biden, 81, has rejected a wave of calls within his party for him to step down, reaffirming his belief that he is the Democrat best placed to beat Trump. counted a lot on his support among black and Latino elected officials, and was scheduled to appear with several of them in Nevada.

The president indirectly referred to the unrest within his own party on Tuesday, recalling President Harry S. Truman’s famous statement: “If you want a friend in Washington, get a dog.”

“After these last two weeks, I know what he means,” Biden said. He later added: “I hope with age comes a little wisdom.”

Biden also promised that within the first 100 days of his second term, he would oversee congressional approval of a dramatic expansion of voting rights, something he has been unable to do so far as president. He also renewed earlier promises to “end medical debt,” saying he was working with states to settle unpaid health care bills for “pennies on the dollar.”

“I know that the good Lord did not bring us here and then abandon us now,” Biden told the convention, in an openly religious tone.

Trump has tried to appeal to both black and Latino voters, hoping to capitalize on Biden’s declining popularity. not clear While the loss of enthusiasm for Biden contributed to these groups’ approval of Trump, any marginal loss of support for Biden could prove crucial in a close race.

The president and his campaign paused their criticism of Trump in the wake of the shooting Saturday at Trump’s rally in Pennsylvania, in which the Republican nominee was shot in the ear, a rallygoer was killed and two others were seriously injured.

In a Oval Office Address On Sunday night, Biden called on Americans to reject political violence and for political leaders to “calm down.” In an interview with NBC News on Monday, he admitted to making a “statement” error ” when he told campaign donors he wanted to put Trump in the crosshairs, but argued that his opponent’s rhetoric was more inflammatory.

“Look, how do you talk about the threat to democracy, which is real, when a president says things like he says?” Biden asked. “Are you not saying something just because it might provoke someone to react?”

NAACP President Derrick Johnson, in an interview with the AP, sidestepped questions about whether Biden should withdraw from the Democratic field and whether the president, who often credits his Oval Office spot to Black voters, could still inspire people to turn out for his candidacy.

Johnson instead focused on the need for black voters to hear “solutions” to issues such as inflation, education and attacks on civil rights, which are among the top concerns of black communities in this election.

“We want to focus on the policy goals of whoever is in the White House in the next term,” Johnson said. He added that black voters would reject candidates “concerned with personality and slogans.”

At an economic summit hosted by Congressional Black Caucus Chairman Rep. Steven Horsford later Tuesday, Biden was also expected to unveil policy measures to control rising housing costs, a critical issue in the swing state.

Biden is expected to announce a proposal to cap rent increases at 5% for tenants whose landlords own more than 50 units. If landlords raise rents more than that, they would lose access to tax deductions tied to the depreciation of their buildings. The Bureau of Land Management is also opening public comments on a proposal to sell 20 acres of public land in Clark County, Nevada, for home construction.

But the president’s proposal would require congressional approval, which he is unlikely to obtain with a Republican majority in the House of Representatives – a sign that his proposal is more about political messaging at a critical moment.

Trump also used Nevada to launch new economic policies. He announced that he would eliminate taxes on tips earned by workers in the service-industry state, a concept that has since been endorsed by Nevada Democratic Sens. Jacky Rosen and Catherine Cortez Masto.

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Miller reported from Washington. AP journalists Matt Brown and Will Weissert and Josh Boak in Washington contributed to this report.