Joe Biden Says He Will ‘Probably Not’ Be Able To Reach Donald Trump Supporters

On Wednesday, former Vice President Joe Biden discussed the 2020 presidential election, providing insight about his electoral strategy against President Donald Trump.

Per The Hill, speaking at a fundraiser hosted by founders of the Masimo Corporation, Joe and Sarah Kiani, Biden explained that he does not expect to win over Trump supporters.

“His base? Probably not,” the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee said, explaining that he believes Trump supporters back the president because he is “engaged in the politics of division.”

“They really support the notion that, you know, all Mexicans are rapists and all Muslims are bad and… dividing this nation based on ethnicity, race.”

Biden said that he is supported by “white working-class, high school-educated people,” but acknowledged that Trump won that demographic in 2016. The former vice president offered an analysis of the 2016 presidential election, arguing that Trump managed to beat Hillary Clinton by campaigning on taking care of ordinary Americans.

Nevertheless, the former vice president suggested that some of those who voted Republican in 2016 can be won over.

According to Biden, in 2016, Trump depicted the Democratic Party as the party that failed the “forgotten man,” but “as soon as he got elected” he abandoned those same voters. Furthermore, the former vice president argued, health care is one of the top issues for most Americans, which is why Trump’s attempts to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act could backfire in November.

“That’s why I think the Democratic Party will be able to win those folks back,” Biden said, arguing that a number of those who backed Trump over Clinton in 2016 can be won over. Biden said that those voters are “looking for an alternative and I think, I hope to God, I can provide that alternative.”

“I really mean it. I think there’s a chance,” he said.

Biden managed to best a slew of other Democratic White House hopefuls, and he has consistently polled well against Trump. According to the RealClearPolitics average of polling data, Biden is beating Trump in nearly every national poll. But, as in all presidential elections, a handful of swing states will determine the outcome.

The apparent lack of enthusiasm among Democrats could be a worrying sign for Biden. According to an ABC News/Washington Post poll released in late March, 53 percent of Trump supporters are highly enthusiastic about backing him in November. In comparison, only 24 percent of Biden supporters say they are highly enthusiastic about voting for him, which is the lowest number on record for a Democrat.