Former Vice President Joseph R. Biden plans to take on President Trump directly in a blistering speech on Tuesday in Iowa, where both men will be for various events.
In a speech in Davenport, Mr. Biden plans to say he believes Mr. Trump is an “existential threat” to the United States and confront him on issues ranging from China to climate change to tariffs to health care, according to excerpts of the speech released by his campaign.
“You know, Donald Trump and I are both in Iowa today. It wasn’t planned that way, but I hope Trump’s presence here will be a clarifying event,” Mr. Biden plans to say, ABC News reported.
He says Mr. Trump doesn’t get the “basics” and “thinks his tariffs are being paid by China.”
“Any beginning econ student at Iowa or Iowa State could tell you that the American people are paying his tariffs,” he plans to say. “The cashiers at Target see what’s going on; they know more about economics than Trump.”
Mr. Biden, who has been leading in recent polling on the 2020 Democratic presidential field, is campaigning in the state on Tuesday and Wednesday.
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White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders on Tuesday dismissed Mr. Biden’s planned remarks as “truly laughable.”
“The idea that he would say that the president poses any type of threat is truly laughable considering he was part of the administration that allowed Russia to interfere in our election,” she told reporters.
Mrs. Sanders also said Mr. Biden was part of an administration that failed to adequately confront countries such as Iran, China and North Korea.
“If anything, I think he’s got a lot of explaining to do,” she said.
Mr. Trump, meanwhile, is scheduled to tour Southwest Iowa Renewable Energy in Council Bluffs. He’s expected to talk about his administration’s recent move to lift certain restrictions on sales of ethanol-blended gasoline, which is likely to please farmers in the key presidential state.
The president is also scheduled to speak at a state Republican Party event later in the day.
• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.
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