President Joe Biden ended his pause on attacks against former President Donald Trump on Tuesday during his first campaign speech since the attempted assassination of his Republican opponent at the NAACP’s annual convention in Las Vegas.
The president had spent the days following the assassination attempt on Trump urging the country to “lower the temperature” surrounding the election, but Biden took the gloves off during his remarks at the convention, admonishing the 2024 Republican presidential nominee and his record.
Biden’s campaign also began resuming typical campaign messaging and fundraising operations after Trump announced Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) at the Republican National Convention on Monday.
Biden opened his speech by discussing the importance of the NAACP and condemning any and all forms of political violence before launching into full-blown campaign mode.
“Here’s the truth about what Donald Trump’s presidency held for black America,” he told the crowd before knocking Trump for attempting to repeal the Affordable Care Act, championing a tax cut that “overwhelmingly benefited the superwealthy,” and ballooning the national deficit.
Biden proceeded to shame Trump for his past claims about former President Barack Obama’s birth and recent comments about “black jobs.”
“Folks, I know what a black job is. It’s vice president of the United States,” the president continued, referencing Vice President Kamala Harris and earning cheers from the crowd. “She’s, now, a great vice president. She can be president of the United States.”
“Give hate no safe harbor. Leave no one behind,” Biden closed attempting to explain his “vision” for the future. “That’s a stark contrast to my predecessor and the MAGA movement.”
Democratic operatives had previously voiced concerns to the Washington Examiner about how long Biden, who is still fending off calls from his own party to exit the race, about how long the president could afford to hold off on attacking Trump.
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“President Biden sets the tone for his campaign, but there’s also a sense of urgency from aides to continue with this momentum,” one veteran Democratic strategist told the Washington Examiner.
You can watch Biden’s remarks in full below.