‘Basket of deplorables’ 2.0? Biden claims up to 50 million Americans are ‘not very good’ people
Having called for Donald Trump to unify the country amidst George Floyd protests, Joe Biden referred to “10 to 15 percent” of Americans as “not very good people,” a quote some have predicted will damage his campaign.
Biden made the comment during a virtual discussion that included ‘Avengers’ actor Don Cheadle.
“Do we want our kids — do we really think that this is as good as we can be as a nation? I don’t think the vast majority of people think that. There are probably anywhere from 10 to 15 percent of the people out there that are just not very good people. But that’s not who we are,” the former vice president said. “The vast majority of people are decent. We have to appeal to that and we have to unite people.”
With the US containing a population of over 300 million people, Biden’s comment could refer to up to 50 million citizens.
In the same chat, Biden called on Trump to do a better job unifying the country amidst violent protests across the nation.
“Look, if elected, my view is that you will have to address these issues straight on,” he said. “So when a president stands up and divides people all the time, you’re going to get the worst of us to come, the worst in us to come out.”
Biden’s “10 to 15 percent” comment already has people questioning the wisdom of alienating such a large portion of the country ahead of a presidential election.
Joe Biden says that about "10 to 15 Percent" of Americans are "not very good people." pic.twitter.com/xwd1W6tLrr
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) June 5, 2020
Donald Trump Jr. tweeted on Friday Biden is not including “the looters burning down communities” when he speaks of “not very good people.”
Sleepy @Joebiden called 30-50 million Americans “not very good people.”Who is he including in that?Christians who want to go to church?Small biz owners trying to save their companies?Because something tells me, he's not talking about the looters burning down communities!
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) June 5, 2020
https://www.rt.com/usa/490955-biden-10-15-percent-not-good-people/