Biden to say Trump ‘fails the basic standard to be president’ in Iowa speech

Former Vice President Joe Biden, a 2020 White House hopeful, is expected to go after President Trump during an appearance in Iowa on Tuesday. 

The Democratic front-runner will target the president’s tariff war with China, climate change and attempt to get rid of the Affordable Care Act during his speech in Davenport, Iowa, according to prepared remarks obtained by The Hill. 

“There’s a lot of ways Trump fails the basic standard to be president — but one of them is this: Donald, it’s not about you. It’s about America,” Biden is planning to say.{mosads}

“Did he do anything to signal that he’s prepared to walk away from the thugs he’s embraced on the world stage — from Putin to Kim Jong Un? No. He did none of that. Instead, he gets up in the middle of the night to attack Bette Midler. He attacks the mayor of London. He attacks the American Speaker of the House. It was a stunning display of childishness for the whole world to see,” he’ll add. 

He is expected to say that the U.S. is “in a competition” with China during the speech. 

“We need to get tough with China. They are a serious challenge to us, and in some areas a real threat,” Biden plans to say. “And every single step that Donald Trump is taking is only exacerbating the challenge.”

“How many sleepless nights do you think Trump has had over what he’s doing to America’s farmers?” he plans to add, “Here’s the answer: Just as many as he had when he stiffed the construction workers and electricians and plumbers who built his hotels and casinos. Zero.”

Biden is also expected to hit Trump over his apparent retreat on the Affordable Care Act, a signature achievement of the Obama White House. 

“Remember when Trump’s Justice Department decided to argue that the Affordable Care Act in its entirety is unconstitutional just a few months ago?” he plans to say. “Now he’s got his tail between his legs and barely mentions it — doesn’t even tweet about it — because he knows the American people will give him a thrashing in 2020 just like they gave the Republicans in 2018 for trying to get rid of it.”

Biden will make stops in in Ottumwa, Mount Pleasant, and Davenport on Tuesday, and will go to Clinton on Wednesday.

Trump will also be campaigning in Iowa on Tuesday. 

Biden is among two dozen people vying for the party’s 2020 nomination. 

— This report was updated at 8:12 a.m.