Tara Reade to Joe Biden: 'You should not be running on character'
Tara Reade spoke out in an interview with Megyn Kelly this week about her allegation that former Vice President Joe Biden sexually assaulted her, calling for him to withdraw from the 2020 race.
Reade, who alleges Biden sexually assaulted her in 1993 when she worked for him in the Senate, spoke with Kelly for an interview, the first clip of which was released Thursday afternoon. In it, Reade delivers a message to Biden personally.
"You and I were there, Joe Biden," she said. "Please step forward and be held accountable. You should not be running on character for the president of the United States."
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.
Asked if she wants Biden to drop out of the race, Reade said, "I wish he would, but he won't."
Reade also said it's been "stunning" to see some Biden surrogates say "really horrible things" about her and that she has not felt safe since coming forward with her allegation.
"His campaign is taking this position that they want all women to be able to speak safely," she said. "I have not experienced that."
Biden broke his silence about Reade's allegation last week, denying it in a statement and interview on MSNBC. "I'm saying unequivocally, it never, never happened," Biden said. "And it didn't. It never happened." Brendan Morrow
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.
-
Political cartoons for October 26Cartoons Sunday’s editorial cartoons include Young Republicans group chat, Louvre robbery, and more
-
Why Britain is struggling to stop the ransomware cyberattacksThe Explainer New business models have greatly lowered barriers to entry for criminal hackers
-
Greene’s rebellion: a Maga hardliner turns against TrumpIn the Spotlight The Georgia congresswoman’s independent streak has ‘not gone unnoticed’ by the president
-
NY attorney general asks public for ICE raid footageSpeed Read Rep. Dan Goldman claims ICE wrongly detained four US citizens in the Canal Street raid and held them for a whole day without charges
-
Trump’s huge ballroom to replace razed East WingSpeed Read The White House’s east wing is being torn down amid ballroom construction
-
Trump expands boat strikes to Pacific, killing 5 moreSpeed Read The US military destroyed two more alleged drug smuggling boats in international waters
-
Trump demands millions from his administrationSpeed Read The president has requested $230 million in compensation from the Justice Department for previous federal investigations
-
Trump nominee in limbo after racist texts leakSpeed Read Paul Ingrassia lost Republican support following the exposure of past racist text messages
-
Trump begins East Wing demolition for ballroomspeed read The president’s new construction will cost $250 million
-
Appeals court clears Trump’s Portland troop deploymentSpeed Read A divided federal appeals court ruled that President Trump can send the National Guard to Portland
-
Millions turn out for anti-Trump ‘No Kings’ ralliesSpeed Read An estimated 7 million people participated, 2 million more than at the first ‘No Kings’ protest in June
