IOWA – There are still 17 months left before the 2020 presidential election, but in Iowa, it may seem that the vote is not far off: on Tuesday, the state is holding election campaigns, President Donald Trump and one of his Democratic rivals, former Vice President Joe Biden.
Trump and Biden in recent weeks actively criticized the characters, policies, and behavior of each other. The time of their visits to Iowa seems to have coincided by accident, and the candidates will be at a distance of 160 km from each other, but mutual attacks can fly across the state.
Trump, who announced his intention to run for a second term immediately after the inauguration in 2017, will go to the Western part of the state, where he will make a speech on renewable energy. He will then travel to Iowa’s largest city, Des Moines, which has a population of over 200,000 and hold a reception and fundraising event with local Republicans. Biden will visit three cities in the East: Ottumwa, Mount Pleasant, and Davenport.
According to the aides, the President is concerned about Biden’s popularity among the working class: he fears that in the upcoming elections, the opponent may take away his segment of the electorate, which in 2016 helped him win over Hillary Clinton.
Trump often calls the Democrat “sleepy Joe Biden,” and recently called him “a man with a low IQ.”
Biden, who served as Vice President under Barack Obama for eight years, recently said that he did not intend to engage in “mud wrestling” with the President. He added: “There are so many nicknames that I could give this person. I can start with “clown.”
Democratic presidential nomination Biden is not guaranteed, but six months before the first primaries he confidently ahead of the other 22 Democratic candidates.
“You know, today Donald Trump and I are both performing in Iowa, – the prepared text of Biden’s speech says. – It wasn’t planned, but I hope Trump’s presence will serve as a clarifying factor.”
Biden’s speech mentions the President’s name 44 times. One example: “Trump doesn’t understand the basics. He believes that China pays for the duties. Any aspiring student economist in Iowa will tell you that American citizens pay the fees. Supermarket cashiers can see what’s going on. They understand the economy more than Trump.”
In the end, Biden summarizes: “I think that Trump is an existential threat to America.”
