One candidate is too old and mentally unfit to be president. The other one is me, says Biden at the Gridiron Club dinner, a Washington tradition that began in the 1880s…reports Asian Lite News
President Joe Biden has joked about former President Donald Trump’s mental fitness during a speech at the Gridiron Club dinner, a Washington tradition that began in the 1880s.
“One candidate is too old and mentally unfit to be president. The other one is me,” Biden said on Saturday in front of more than 650 guests who included the Taoiseach of Ireland Leo Varadkar, Amazon founder and Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos, and TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew, whose US business could be banned by Biden.
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“Don’t tell him, he thinks he’s running against Barack Obama, that’s what he said,” said Biden, 81, who also quipped that he was staying up way past his bedtime.
Trump’s campaign did not respond, though the 77-year-old Republican leader has also questioned Biden’s mental capacity to be president. The Democratic leader has deflected ongoing criticism that his memory is hazy and he appears confused.
It was the first time Biden had attended the traditional dinner during his presidency, and comes as the 2024 election looms and the November rematch between Biden and Trump heats up.
Biden’s appearance at the dinner, in which politicians and journalists trade humorous barbs in a white-tie formal affair, was the first time a president has attended in person since Trump himself came in 2018.
Biden reinforced the importance of the press, which he said is not “the enemy of the people”, in stark contrast to previous remarks by Trump about the news media.
He also spoke about the war in Ukraine with Estonia’s Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, who attended Saturday’s dinner. “We will not bow down, they [Ukrainians] will not bow down and I will not bow down,” Biden said.
After his speech, Biden descended to the floor and took selfies with reporters and called one guest’s mother.
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, representing the Democratic Party at the event, also spoke, as well as Utah Governor Spencer Cox, representing the Republican Party.
Cox, 48, joked that he was announcing his candidacy for the presidency “in 2052, when I still will be younger than both President Biden and President Trump”.
Trump tears into Biden administration
Meanwhile, Trump came out heavily against the Biden administration over the ‘heavy influx’ of migrants from the border and migrant crimes, while announcing that he will terminate every ‘open border policy’ if he comes to power, Fox News reported.
He was addressing a rally in the Dayton suburb of Vandalia, Ohio, during which he also mentioned the death of University of Georgia nursing student Laken Riley.
The former President further attacked Biden, blaming him for “allowing millions of migrants,” including, “violent gang members and gangsters,” into the US.
“Not one more American life should be lost to migrant crime. We can’t have another Laken…When I’m President of the United States, we will demand justice for Laken on day one. My administration will terminate every open border policy of the Biden administration,” Trump said at the rally.
He added, “The fastest way to reverse every single Biden disaster is to very simply put me back in office.”
Emphasising on the situation at the US-Mexico border, Trump said, “We’re going to fix it again.”
“Among my very first actions will be to stop the invasion of our country and send Joe Biden’s illegal aliens back home,” the former President added.
Further, during his Ohio speech, the former president warned of a ‘bloodbath’ in the country if he does not get elected in the polls set to be held later this year, Politico reported.
“Now, if I don’t get elected, it’s gonna be a bloodbath. That’s going to be the least of it.” He said, “It’s going to be a bloodbath for the country.”
Trump often showcases a dark image of the nation to present his case against US President Joe Biden ahead of the presidential elections that are likely to be held in November. During his campaign events, Trump frequently brings up the events of January 6, as he still denounces the 2020 elections that he lost.
Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump secured the Democratic and Republican presidential nominations, respectively, setting up a rematch with each other.
‘Trump wants another Jan 6’
Meanwhile, Biden’s campaign spokesperson, James Singer, said in a statement that former President Donald Trump “wants another January 6” after Trump on Saturday said that there would be a ‘bloodbath’ in the country if he lost the upcoming polls, reported CNN.
Condemning his statement, Singer emphasised that the US people would not make him win the presidential elections.
“American people are going to give him another electoral defeat this November because they continue to reject his extremism, his affection for violence, and his thirst for revenge,” Singer said.
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