Biden slams Trump during Pa. stop for defending Confederate flag
Near the end of a campaign speech in Pennsylvania designed to rally support from working-class Americans, former Vice President Joe Biden slammed President Donald Trump for defending the Confederate flag and dividing the country.
“Donald Trump may believe that pitting Americans against Americans may benefit him. I don’t,” said Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee for president.
Biden later said the president was "determined to drive us apart."
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"Donald Trump cynically claims that he is defending Americans' heritage by embracing the Confederate flag and public monuments of generals who rebelled against and were treasonous against the United States of America," Biden said. "You think Donald Trump has any idea that 360,000 Pennsylvanians fought on the side of the Union to defeat that flag, that Confederate flag, including more Black soldiers coming from the state of Pennsylvania than any other state in the nation? Do you think he has any clue that 33,000 Pennsylvanians died in the Civil War fighting against everything that flag stood for?"
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The former vice president, who was unveiling his "Build Back Better" economic recovery plan, made those comments in response to recent tweets from Trump.
The president on Monday defended the Confederate flag and suggested NASCAR made a mistake in banning it at races. He also accused Black driver, Darrell Wallace Jr., of being complicit in a hoax regarding a noose found in his garage.
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"Has @BubbaWallace apologized to all of those great NASCAR drivers & officials who came to his aid, stood by his side, & were willing to sacrifice everything for him, only to find out that the whole thing was just another HOAX? That & Flag decision has caused lowest ratings EVER!" Trump tweeted on Monday.
The same day the president tweeted his disapproval of sports franchises reviewing their nicknames.
"They name teams out of STRENGTH, not weakness, but now the Washington Redskins & Cleveland Indians, two fabled sports franchises, look like they are going to be changing their names in order to be politically correct. Indians, like Elizabeth Warren, must be very angry right now!" Trump said on Twitter.
As sports teams and other professional organizations have taken steps to remove names, symbols and statues, Trump has called for preserving "our heritage" and said its the "Black Lives Matter" name that is a "symbol of hate."
Trump also recently retweeted a video of a supporter yelling "white power" at supporters of the Black Lives Matter movement.
Candy Woodall is a reporter for the USA Today Network. She can be reached at 717-480-1783 or on Twitter at @candynotcandace.