Yet Trump, who has faced far more serious allegations about his own behavior, made just that argument on Friday, showing how he just ignores charges of hypocrisy that would make a normal politician avoid such sensitive ground.
"I think I'm a very good messenger, and people got a kick out of it," Trump told reporters at the White House.
"He's going through a situation, let's see what happens. But people got a kick ... we gotta sort of smile a little bit, right?" Trump said, adding that he doesn't see the former vice president as a threat in the 2020 election.
Trump's willingness to tackle Biden's problems head on is not just an example of the remarkable chutzpah that underpins his unorthodox political method. It is a fresh indication of how the President has warped expectations that would exact a heavy price from a conventional candidate for similar behavior.
Biden has yet to formally kick off his campaign for the Democratic nomination, but he's facing a crisis over allegations from multiple women that his behavior crossed the line.
Trump on Thursday mocked Biden in a tweet promoting a doctored version of a video the former vice president released to explain himself.
"WELCOME BACK JOE!" Trump tweeted.
Biden responded with his own tweet, writing "I see that you are on the job and presidential, as always."
The Democratic veteran, who has worked hard to put to rest a reputation for committing gaffes made a somewhat clumsy attempt to move past the controversy at the start of a speech on Friday.
He told an audience that he wanted them to know he had "permission" to hug International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers President Lonnie Stephenson.
A few moments later, Biden put his arm around a child on stage and quipped: "by the way, he gave me permission to touch him."
Trump's almost mystical capacity to skate over controversies is one reason why he is such a formidable political figure and it is so hard for his opponents to bring him down. The President, as he has sometimes remarked, seems to be able to get away with almost any conduct, that traditionally would have been seen as a disqualifying outrage, thanks to the impervious support of loyal political base.
During the 2016 campaign, at least 15 women accused Trump of misbehavior ranging from sexual harassment and sexual assault to lewd behavior around women. Most came forward in the wake of a 2005 "Access Hollywood" tape that was released in October 2016, in which he is caught saying on a hot mic: "And when you're a star, they let you do it. You can do anything. ... Grab them by the p****. You can do anything."
The thrice-married Trump has repeatedly denied the allegations.
But the President has also been effectively named as an unindicted co-conspirator by federal prosecutors in New York. They said in court filings that Trump directed his then-lawyer Michael Cohen to make payments in violation of campaign finance laws to two women who claimed they had affairs with Trump.
The clash with Biden is not the first time that Trump has simply ignored the questionable aspects of his own past to attack an opponent over allegations of sexual misconduct.
In 2016, he held a news conference with women who made allegations against former President Bill Clinton in an attempt to rattle his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton before one of their presidential debates.
Biden currently faces allegations from multiple women that his physical behavior made them uncomfortable though none have accused him of of anything approaching assault.
Former Nevada Assemblywoman Lucy Flores, the first woman to come forward, alleged that Biden had kissed the back of her head at a 2014 Nevada campaign rally, making her feel "uneasy, gross, and confused."
Flores and several other women have been clear that they don't view Biden's conduct as violent or sexual. Biden has pledged to be more "mindful" about respecting personal space.
As the storm threatened to overwhelm his expected campaign launch, Biden released a video on Wednesday explaining that "I shake hands, I hug people, I grab men and women by the shoulders and say, 'You can do this.'"
"You know, social norms have begun to change, they've shifted, and the boundaries of protecting personal space have been reset, and I get it, I get it," Biden said.
"I hear what they're saying, I understand it, and I'll be much more mindful, that's my responsibility. My responsibility, and I'll meet it," he said.
Exchanges between Biden and Trump will be closely watched because one of the biggest selling points of the former vice president's potential campaign is that his experience and campaigning skills equip him to cope with the President's scorched-earth style while his lifelong blue collar values appeal to voters in the industrial Midwest who helped Trump win the White House.
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Only Trump could think he's 'a very good messenger' to attack Biden"
Post a Comment