President Joe Biden made a visit to New York City on Wednesday, attending a fundraising event in Manhattan. This marked his second event of the day, during which he engaged in discussions concerning topics such as Trump, immigration, gun laws, and abortion.
Biden made a new inaccurate reference to a 2021 conversation with the late Helmut Kohl of Germany, who died in 2017.
“When I first got elected president, I went to a G7 meeting with the seven heads of state in Europe and Great Britain. I sat down and I said, ‘Well, America’s back’ and the president of France looked at me and said, ‘for how long.’ I never thought of it this way. Then Helmut Kohl of Germany looked at me and said, ‘what would you say Mr. President, if you picked up the London Times tomorrow morning and learned that 1,000 people had broken down the doors, the doors of the British Parliament and killed some [people] on the way in [to] deny the prime minister to take office.”
He made a very similar reference to Kohl in the third fundraiser today.
The fundraiser occurred on the 35th floor of the Mandarin Oriental, drawing in approximately 200 attendees, including physicians catering to underserved populations. Among the notable guests were Governor Kathy Hochul and House Representative Gregory Meeks.
During his 25-minute speech, Biden initially grappled with a scratchy voice, swiftly relieved by the use of a cough drop. As he continued speaking, his voice grew stronger, capturing the attention of the room. He commenced his address by acknowledging the Governor in the room.
“You are an incredible governor,” said Biden. “She has absolute total integrity… incredible leader.”
Then, Biden briefly spoke to Rep. Meeks.
“We’re going to get you back at chairman, man,” said Meeks. Biden was referring to Meeks former position as Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
Biden proceeded to speak to the crowd.
“You’re the reason Donald Trump is a defeated former president,” said Biden. “And you’re the reason we’ll make Donald Trump a loser again.”
One of the major topics of the evening was the US economy.
“We’re seeing real evidence that consumers are feeling real confidence in their economy,” said Biden.
Biden continued to ridicule Trump about a comment he made about the economy in early January in a statement.
“How can anyone, especially a former president, wish for an economic crash that would devastate millions of people?” said Biden. “He didn’t want to be Herbert Hoover. I got bad news. It’s too late. There are two presidents in American history who left office with fewer jobs than when they came into office. Herbert Hoover and, yes, Donald ‘Herbert Hoover’ Trump.”
Immigration was also discussed. Biden stated that Trump was calling Republicans to tell them to oppose the border deal, referring to the National Security Agreement, and suggested that Republicans should ask themselves an important question.
“Who do they serve? Donald Trump or the American people?,” Biden said. “The only reason the border isn’t secure… is Donald Trump and Republican Party.”
Biden also presented his policy goals on guns for his next presidency.
“I’m not going to stop until I ban assault weapons,” said Biden. He reminded attendees the “nightmare” Trump would be in reference to gun laws if he were to return as president, and spoke about how Trump responded to a school shooting in Iowa.
“He said ‘just get over it.’ What the hell is he doing-just get over it?” Biden shouted. “We’re not going to get over it. We’re going to stop it.”
After the roll back of abortion rights in this country, Biden reminded the crowd where he stood on the topic
“I’m a practicing Catholic. I don’t want abortion on demand but I thought Roe v Wade was right,” said Biden.
This story has been updated with the new information.
