Joe Biden delivers a sharp rebuke against Donald Trump: 'He has no clue, period'


Vice President Joe Biden is confident that the United States is on the right path, but the "threats are too great" and the "times are too uncertain" for Donald Trump to ever come close to the Oval Office.
"His cynicism is unbounded and his lack of empathy and compassion can be summed up in a phrase I suspect he is most proud of making famous: 'You're fired,'" Biden said. "He's trying to tell us he cares about the middle class? Give me a break, that's a bunch of malarky!" Trump "doesn't have a clue about the middle class," Biden continued. "He has no clue about what makes America great. Actually, he has no clue, period." The audience, thrilled by Biden's words, began to chant, "Not a clue! Not a clue!"
Biden was just getting warmed up. "No major party nominee in the history of this nation has ever known less or has been less prepared to deal with our national security," he said. "We cannot elect a man who exploits our fears of ISIS and other terrorists, who has no plan whatsoever to make us safer. A man who embraces the tactics of our enemies: Torture, religious intolerance."
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.
It wasn't all doom and gloom. Biden began his speech by calling Obama "one of the finest presidents we've ever had," and received a standing ovation when he mentioned his late son, Beau Biden, who died from cancer in 2015. He shared details about his personal relationship with Hillary Clinton, and what having a woman president would mean for his daughter and granddaughters. Biden ended his speech on a rah-rah note, saying that it's "never been a good bet to bet against America" and the country can get through anything. "We endure, we overcome, and we always move forward. That why I can say with absolute conviction I am more optimistic about our chances today than when I was a 29-year-old kid in the Senate. The 21st century is going to be the American century, because we lead not only by example of our power but by the power of our example. … God willing, Hillary will write the next chapter of our journey." Catherine Garcia
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
Today's political cartoons - April 20, 2025
Cartoons Sunday's cartoons - Pam Bondi, retirement planning, and more
By The Week US
-
5 heavy-handed cartoons about ICE and deportation
Cartoons Artists take on international students, the Supreme Court, and more
By The Week US
-
Exploring the three great gardens of Japan
The Week Recommends Beautiful gardens are 'the stuff of Japanese landscape legends'
By The Week UK
-
Judge threatens Trump team with criminal contempt
Speed Read James Boasberg attempts to hold the White House accountable for disregarding court orders over El Salvador deportation flights
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US
-
Biden slams Trump's Social Security cuts
Speed Read In his first major public address since leaving office, Biden criticized the Trump administration's 'damage' and 'destruction'
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
El Salvador refuses to return US deportee
Speed Read President Nayib Bukele of El Salvador said he would not send back the unlawfully deported Kilmar Ábrego García
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Trump says electronics tariff break won't last
Speed Read The tariff exemptions on smartphones, laptops and other electronic devices are temporary, the administration says
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Man charged in arson attack on Pennsylvania's Shapiro
Speed Read Governor Josh Shapiro and his family were sleeping when someone set fire to his Harrisburg mansion
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
White House pushes for oversight of Columbia University
Speed Read The Trump administration is considering placing the school under a consent decree
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US
-
Supreme Court backs wrongly deported migrant
Speed Read The Trump administration must 'facilitate' the return of wrongfully deported migrant Kilmar Ábrego García from El Salvador, Supreme Court says
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Two judges bar war-powers deportations
Speed Read The Trump administration was blocked from using the Alien Enemies Act to deport more alleged Venezuelan gang members
By Peter Weber, The Week US