ABC's Robin Roberts and David Muir sat down with former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Kamala Harris for an exclusive interview Sunday night.
Here are 9 things to know about the interview.
Unemployment increases in Florida with Central Florida hardest hit
1) First Interview – ABC News’ Muir and Roberts interviewed the former vice president and California senator in their first sit-down interview since the Democratic ticket was announced. The interview was conducted, taped and broadcast later with some segments released ahead of time.
2) COVID-19 – “I don’t blame him for the COVID crisis, I blame him for walking away and not dealing with the solutions,” said Biden when asked about President Donald Trump’s response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The former vice president when asked about mask mandates said it was “patriotic” to wear a mask to save others, adding that the economy will not recover until the virus is under control.
3) Age – Biden would be 78 on Inauguration Day, the oldest president ever elected if in November. Trump was 70 on the day he was inaugurated, 226 days older than Ronald Reagan when he was inaugurated. On the question of his age Biden said, “I think it’s a legitimate question to ask anybody over 70 years old, whether or not they’re fit and whether they’re ready. But I just, only thing I can say to the American people, it’s a legitimate question to ask anybody. Watch me.”
House approves $25 billion boost for Postal Service
4) Running Mate – “No, I didn’t feel pressure to select a Black woman,” Biden said. The former vice president went on to say, “But what I did think - the government should look like the people, look like the country; 51% of the people in this country are women.” Biden went on to say, “I wanted someone who is strong” saying he wanted what former President Barak Obama wanted from him, someone to be the “last person in the room.”
5) Harris – “So much of what comes out of Donald Trump’s mouth is designed to distract,” said Harris. Following a clip of Harris questioning Biden about forced bussing, the senator dismissed her attack on Biden. Instead she focused on the Republican attacks. From there Harris went on to talk about her selection saying she felt Biden was the right person “for this moment.”
6) President Trump – “No president has said people coming out of fields with torches and spewing anti-Semitic bile and met by people who oppose them, and someone dies, and he says they’re good people on both sides. No president of the united states has ever said anything like that ever,” Biden said, referring to the protests in Charlottesville, Virginia in 2017. Later on Biden said, “A president’s job is to heal. This country needs healing.”
Truth Test: Joe Biden campaign ad in Central Florida, coronavirus impact on seniors
7) Map – With only about 70 days left, the question is if the Biden/Harris ticket can win without traveling in a traditional campaign. Biden called the decision to campaign remotely a “responsible decision,” saying in any state where there are “competitive people running for the Senate and the House and the legislature, it’s important the Democratic Party invest there.” Biden continues, “So what I want to do is make sure when this is over we have a new Senate, we won back statehouses, and we’re in a position where we transition to a period of bringing people up to the visibility that they need to get to be able to lead nationally.”
8) Taxes - “Anyone making over $400,000 will pay more,” said Biden pledging that he will not raise taxes on those making under $400,000. This has been an issue in campaign ads where Biden has talked about the 2017 TCJA and said he’d undo parts of that law. The pair said they will defend the Affordable Care Act in an effort to make sure every American has access to health care.
9) 2020 Race – The Democratic National Convention is finished, and the Republican National Convention is this week. Traditionally, from here until Labor Day is the last time voters get to decide how they feel about the candidates. However, in this time of distanced conventions and scaled-back campaign events it’s unclear how many voters are persuadable.
Cox Media Group
