By Raul Castillo
Jun 27, 2024, 8:39 PM EDT
In a notable shift in tone, Mitch McConnell, the Senate Republican leader, has described Joe Biden as a good person, marking a significant departure from repeated criticism by former President Donald Trump, who has sought to portray Biden as a corrupt villain.
McConnell, despite having supported Trump, says there are compelling political reasons to challenge Biden’s presidency. During an event in Louisville, McConnell noted: “I know Joe Biden pretty well. He’s a good guy; I personally like him,” according to The Hill.
This claim is based on the more than 20 years they shared in the Senate and the agreements they negotiated during Biden’s vice presidency.
However, McConnell clarified that he does not support Biden’s policies and never believed he was a moderate, even though Biden presented himself as such in his 2020 campaign. “But as soon as he was elected, he joined the far left of the Democratic Party, which has created a series of regulatory problems,” he argued.
McConnell emphasized that there are strong arguments not to re-elect Biden without resorting to personal attacks. This strategy contrasts with the rhetoric of Trump, who regularly calls Biden “Corrupt Joe” and accuses him of various crimes and illicit behavior, from stealing the 2020 election to using drugs before important speeches.
Economy and immigration
The Senate Republican leader, known for his debate prowess, argues that Biden could be challenged on his handling of the economy and immigration.
McConnell recalled that former Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers warned Biden in 2021 about inflationary risks by proposing massive spending. However, he said, Biden failed to heed this warning, resulting in significant inflation.
“The president was asking for an enormous amount of money, far beyond what most of us thought made sense,” McConnell said, according to The Hill. “Summers warned: ‘If you do this, you’ll have a 40-year inflation.’ They did it, and here we are.”
In addition to the economy, McConnell highlighted Biden’s handling of the southern border as another flashpoint. Since Biden took office, the Department of Homeland Security has recorded more than 6.3 million encounters with migrants at the border, a dramatic shift McConnell calls disastrous.
“There was clearly a change of direction from the day Biden took office, and you look at the outcome,” he said, according to the outlet.
McConnell concluded that these two unforced errors, mismanagement of the economy and immigration, are the main reasons why Biden could be defeated in the next election. “If Joe Biden is defeated this fall, it will be those two mistakes that will have contributed greatly,” he said.
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