Former Vice President Joe Biden’s campaign trail pulled to Sunday morning service at Bethlehem Baptist Church in South Carolina where he condemned President Donald Trump and the hatred that has split the country.
“This president and his — the Ku Klux Klans and the rest of them, they think they’ve beaten us again. But they have no idea — we’re just coming back,” Biden said on Sunday morning, The Chicago Tribune reports.
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“I thought you could defeat hate,” he said. “But hate only hides. It never fully goes away.”
Biden would also point out the President’s “There were very fine people on both sides” statement when discussing Charlottesville.
Biden feels the country has reached a similar state as the 1960s, which saw police aiming fire hoses at civil rights activists in Birmingham, Ala., among other cities.
During his time with the congregation, Biden stated he is putting himself in a position to be the challenge to Trump in 2020. A goal that is highlighted by his current battles with Sen. Bernie Sanders over their stances on social security.
The Los Angeles Times notes a struggle between voters on which of the two to vote for. Biden’s moderate approach opposing Sanders’ liberal demeanor is believed to appeal to the same voters.
“There are a lot of working-class voters who are up for grabs, and it is increasingly Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders who they are deciding between,” said Ro Khanna, a co-chair for the Sanders campaign. “The more working class, the better Bernie does. And that is where we run into contention with Biden.”
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In the latest Morning Consult/Politico Poll, 29% of Biden voters would pick Sanders as their second choice. The Sanders campaign has acknowledged the ability to take voters away from Biden as opposed to other candidates like Elizabeth Warren.
“The Sanders folks realize the progressives with Warren are with her and there is no point in trying to out-progressive her,” said Patrick Murray, director of the Monmouth University Polling Institute. “They need to find voters making a decision on a dimension other than ideology.”