'Is he embarrassed?' Biden zings Glenn Youngkin for refusing to campaign with Trump in Virginia governor race.

President Biden crossed the Potomac to campaign with Democrat Terry McAuliffe in Alexandria, Virginia, on Tuesday night, a week before Virginia chooses its next governor. It is a tight race between McAuliffe and his Republican rival, former private equity executive Glenn Youngkin, and Biden pointedly asked the crowed why Youngkin is not campaigning with the head of his party, former President Donald Trump.
"Think about it, he won't allow Donald Trump to campaign for him in this state," Biden said. "And he's willing to pledge his loyalty to Trump in private? Why not in public? What's he trying to hide? Is there a problem with Trump being here? Is he embarrassed?"
In addition to razzing Youngkin and "firing up Democrats," CNN's Jeff Zeleny tweeted, "Biden seems to have another mission here tonight at this McAuliffe rally: Trying to goad Donald Trump to weigh in on the race in the final week." Trump's "(relative) quiet" on the Virginia race "has been a boon" to Youngkin and "disappointed Democrats," The New York Times' Jonathan Martin agreed, and now "Biden himself is throwing chum in the water."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Biden touted McAuliffe's accomplishments as governor in his 15-minute speech, but he also "hit Trump on everything from his claims of election fraud, the pandemic, and the Jan. 6 insurrection, to the former president's recent attacks on former Secretary of State Colin Powell following his death," Politico recaps. He called Youngkin a "Trump acolyte" and warned that extremism comes in many forms, in a mob siege of the Capitol or "in a smile and a fleece vest," Youngkin's typical look.
While McAuliffe has been "hammering Youngkin for his ties to Trump," Youngkin has been trying to turn out his base by "pressing culture war issues — prompting a debate over banning books in high school classrooms," The Associated Press reports. McAuliffe passed out copies of Toni Morrison's Beloved at his rally. Youngkin spent Tuesday campaigning down south in Clarksville and Danville, where he called his campaign "a movement" and apparently pledged to audit the DMV.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
The Pentagon's missing missiles
Feature The U.S. military is low on weapons. Can it restock before a major conflict breaks out?
-
Rescissions: Trump's push to control federal spending
Feature The GOP passed a bill to reduce funding for PBS, NPR and other public media stations
-
Knives come out for Pam Bondi
IN THE SPOTLIGHT She wasn't Trump's first pick to lead the Justice Department. After months of scandals and setbacks, is the attorney general's MAGA shelf life winding down?
-
Can Gaza aid drops work?
Today's Big Question UN's Palestinian refugee agency calls plan a 'distraction and smokescreen' as pressure mounts on Israel to agree ceasefire and fully open land crossings
-
'Spending is what card issuers are hoping you will do'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Trump executive order targets homeless
Speed Read It will now be easier for states and cities to remove homeless people from the streets
-
Columbia pays $200M to settle with White House
Speed Read The Trump administration accused the school of failing to protect its Jewish students amid pro-Palestinian protests
-
Florida judge and DOJ make Epstein trouble for Trump
Speed Read The Trump administration's request to release grand jury transcripts from the Epstein investigation was denied