10-3-2024 (WASHINGTON) In a fiery exchange, US President Joe Biden and potential White House contender Donald Trump engaged in verbal jousting on Saturday (Mar 9), focusing on age and immigration as they turned their attention to the battleground state of Georgia.
Biden, buoyed by the energy from a spirited State of the Union speech on Thursday, made his way to Atlanta, the capital of Georgia, aiming to rally support among black and Hispanic voters.
Taking aim at his Republican predecessor once again, Biden addressed a rally, emphasizing US economic strength while promising decisive action to reduce costs in areas such as housing, health, and education. He responded to Trump’s claim of wanting to be a “dictator” for a day by saying, “When he says he wants to be a dictator, I believe him.”
In an MSNBC interview aired on Saturday night, Biden expressed regret for using the term “an illegal” when referring to the perpetrator of a recent crime in Georgia. “I shouldn’t have used ‘illegal’; it’s ‘undocumented’,” acknowledged Biden, responding to criticism from progressives and members of his party for adopting terminology more commonly associated with Republicans.
Meanwhile, Trump, who has made cracking down on illegal immigration a central theme of his campaign, dedicated a significant portion of his rally in Georgia to discussing a slain student. He claimed, “Laken Riley would be alive today if Joe Biden had not willfully and maliciously eviscerated the borders of the United States.” Trump criticized Biden for backtracking on his use of the term “illegal” to describe the suspect, asserting that “Biden should be apologising for apologising to this killer.”
At the rally, Trump also impersonated Biden, mocking the 81-year-old opponent for his speech. In response, Biden’s campaign launched a TV ad addressing concerns about the president’s age, with Biden stating, “Look, I’m not a young guy. That’s no secret. But here is the deal. I understand how to get things done for the American people.”
Trump’s team swiftly countered with a video showing Biden’s statement followed by clips of the president stumbling or appearing confused.
Georgia, a closely divided state in the 2020 election, where Biden won by fewer than 12,000 votes, has become a focal point. Trump’s infamous phone call to a top state official, urging him to “find” additional votes, underscored the state’s significance. Trump faces criminal charges in Georgia related to his efforts to overturn the election results.
The twin appearances in Georgia followed Trump’s success in the Super Tuesday primaries, prompting the exit of his last Republican rival, Nikki Haley. Biden, who dominated his party’s nominating contests, plans to visit all battleground states in the coming weeks. Recent polls indicate Trump’s advantage in Georgia, a trend mirrored in most swing states critical to the November election.
Biden’s campaign announced a $30 million television commercial buy in closely divided states, including Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Georgia, Nevada, and North Carolina.
