Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden on Thursday bashed President Trump by accusing him of prioritizing the stock market over the well-being of Americans as coronavirus cases continue surging across the country.
Speaking at a campaign event in Dunmore, Pennsylvania, Biden outlined his economic platform which would include raising the corporate tax rate to 28% from the current 21%, demanding that Amazon pay income taxes and calling for a $15 an hour federal minimum wage.
Biden particularly appealed to growing frustrations among people who feel that Wall Street is getting bailed out more than the average American as the country continues roiling under health, economic and racial crises amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The former VP specifically knocked Trump for being “almost singularly focused on the stock market” as the U.S. surpasses 3 million coronavirus cases. The President slammed Biden the day before in a tweet warning that stocks will “disintegrate and disappear” if he loses the presidential election in November.
“The Dow and Nasdaq, not you. Not your families,” Biden said. “If I’m fortunate enough to be elected president, I’ll be laser-focused on working families. The middle class families I came from here in Scranton, not the wealthy investor class. They don’t need me, but working families do.”
Later in his speech, Biden touted that he sees “a different America than Trump” that is “still dedicated to equality, liberty, human dignity and justice.”
“That’s the tragedy of Donald Trump being our president,” Biden said, before arguing that Trump is “exactly the wrong person to lead at this moment” and won’t bring the country together.
“He’s determined to drive us apart, to keep his base in place. He’ll not be President for all the American people,” Biden said. “His base — he believes he’s elected president only by his base. He will not appeal to the best instincts in the rest of us. He’s determined to stroke and revive the worst moments from our past.”
Watch Biden’s remarks below:
Biden rails against Trump for focusing on the stock market during the COVID-19 pandemic: "The Dow and Nasdaq, not you. Not your families." pic.twitter.com/Q8D2A8VpIy
— Talking Points Memo (@TPM) July 9, 2020
