Joe Biden stopped himself from dropping the f-bomb while discussing President Trump at a roundtable in Philadelphia.
The Democratic presidential nominee, 77, was caught on camera almost uttering the profanity Thursday, when the commander-in-chief’s record on race came up as a topic of discussion.
‘When a president speaks, no matter how good or bad he is, people listen. And when he [Trump] speaks, he gives credibility to these racist f…,’ Biden stated, before suddenly catching himself.
‘I have to watch my language!’ he then added.
Joe Biden was forced to stop himself from dropping the f-bomb while discussing President Trump at a roundtable in Philadelphia on Thursday (pictured)
Biden went on to use another f-word – ‘folks’ – to describe the people to whom he was referring.
‘Trump gives credibility to these racist folks. They come out from under the rocks,’ Biden continued.
The former vice president has stepped up his attacks on Trump in recent weeks amid widespread protests demanding police reform and an end to systemic racism in the wake of George Floyd’s death.
At the roundtable on Thursday, he accused the POTUS of making racists feel empowered – while stopping short of calling the commander-in-chief a racist himself.
‘From the moment he came down that escalator in his golden building, when he started off saying “I’m going to see to it that we get rid of all those Mexican rapists,”‘ Biden said.
‘Secondly, what did he do? He decided that he was going to pit us all against each other based on race.’
‘You saw those people at [2017 Unite The Right rally in] Charlottesville, coming out of the fields carrying those torches, their veins are bulging and screeching that anti-Semitic hate and bile… he [Trump] says there were “very fine people on both sides”‘.
Biden has stepped up his attacks on Trump in recent weeks amid widespread protests demanding police reform and an end to systemic racism. The pair will face off in the November election
A Black Lives Matter rally is pictured in New York City Friday. Widespread demonstrations have been taking place across the country
However, Biden’s new combative campaign style has not come without gaffes.
Last week, the former vice president stated that ‘there are probably anywhere from 10 to 15 percent of the people out there that are just not very good people.’
His remarks echoed the ‘deplorables’ comment made by Hillary Clinton during her 2016 run for president. Many believe the remark may have contributed to her election loss.
Meanwhile, last month, Biden garnered backlash for an appearance on Charlamagne Tha God’s radio program, during which he stated: ‘If you have a problem figuring out whether you’re for me or Trump, then you ain’t black.’
One critic called it ‘condescending racial essentialism’, while black Republican Senator Tim Scott stated: ‘1.3 million black Americans already voted for Trump in 2016. This morning, Joe Biden told every single one of us we ‘ain’t black.’ I’d say I’m surprised, but it’s sadly par for the course for Democrats to take the black community for granted and brow beat those that don’t agree.’
Biden has become a prominent voice in recent weeks calling on Americans to do more to address racism as demonstrations continue
However, Biden still performs strongly among black voters in polls, and has become a prominent voice in recent weeks calling on Americans to do more to address racism.
He delivered a video address Tuesday to those attending the funeral for George Floyd, the black Minneapolis man who was killed by a white police officer on Memorial Day.
‘Ladies and gentlemen, you can’t turn away, we must not turn away, we cannot leave this moment thinking we can once again turn away from racism that stings at our very soul,’ Biden implored from a large video screen that played to those gathered at the funeral in Houston.
Floyd’s death inspired two weeks of ‘Black Lives Matter‘ protests around the nation and have become part of the 2020 presidential campaign, with Biden meeting with Floyd’s family in Houston Monday.
President Trump has instead doubled down on a pro-policing ‘law and order’ message.
Joe Biden, the Democrats’ presumptive nominee, addressed the family and friends of George Floyd Tuesday via video screen from Delaware, after meeting with Floyd’s daughter and other family members Monday in Houston
During the former vice president’s trip to Texas, Biden spent time with Floyd’s six-year-old daughter Gianna, and was applauded by the audience Tuesday when he talked of her.
‘I know you have a lot of questions, honey,’ Biden said.
‘No child should have to ask questions too many black children have had to ask for generations: why is daddy gone?’ he said, as clapping could be heard in the background.
‘Looking through your eyes we should also be asking ourselves why the answer is so often too cruel and painful,’ he continued.
‘Why in this nation do too many black Americans wake up knowing that they could lose their life in the course of just living their life?’
‘Now is the time for racial justice. That’s the answer we must give to our children when they ask why,’ Biden said.
‘Because when there is justice for George Floyd, we will truly be on our way to racial justice in America.’
Joe Biden (center left) met with George Floyd’s six-year-old daughter Gianna (center right) and her mother Roxie Washington (left). He expressed his sympathies to Gianna and ‘promised to push for changes in policing,’ according to Washington’s attorney Chris Stewart (right)