MANCHESTER, N.H. – On Monday night Vice President Joe Biden implored the assembled crowd at St. George Greek Orthodox Cathedral to help him take down President Donald Trump in November.
The rally provided one last opportunity for Biden to rebound from recent comments that he expected to do poorly in New Hampshire after several months of confidence about expectations in the Granite State.
Introduced by New Hampshire Senate President Donna Soucy (D-Manchester) as well as attorney William Shaheen, former New Hampshire Governor John Lynch and his wife Dr. Jill Biden, the Delaware Democrat threw shade on Trump, whose rally was happening almost simultaneously across town at SNHU Arena.
“What a coincidence, it seems like he’s following me around! I wonder why he’s so interested in who the Democratic nominee is? I guess I’ve been the object of his affection for so long,” said Biden. “Well, it doesn’t matter how many times he visits New Hampshire, he’s not going to win New Hampshire.”
He also harangued Trump as a tool of Russian President Vladimir Putin, also stating that Republicans did not want their children to act like Trump despite their support of him.
Alongside the attacks, Biden peppered the audience with a series pledges he’d undertake if elected, including restoring America’s image among its allies, addressing climate change, stopping gun violence and rebuilding the nation’s unions.
David Pecoraro traveled all the way from New York State to see Biden, with Monday’s event marking the first time he has been to New Hampshire.
For Pecoraro, if Biden is not named as the Democratic Party’s nominee, Trump will be re-elected and Republicans will gain majorities in both houses of Congress.
“I’m just hopeful that the Democratic Party doesn’t commit suicide,” he said. “I’m old enough to remember 1972 and I don’t want to see us relive it. The nation then survived the re-election of Richard Nixon because then we had a Senate to hold him accountable. We don’t have that now.”
Other members of the audience, such as Patricia Helbig of Manchester, were still undecided about who they would support.
Helbig said she was leaning toward former South Bend, IN, Mayor Pete Buttigieg and or U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), but could still consider Biden when she casts her ballot and appreciated the chance to see him.
“I wanted to hear what he had to say. I hadn’t gotten a chance to see him until tonight,” she said. “I think it’s really neat that we get such access to the candidates, we get to see behind the veil. I really respect him and I’d consider anybody at this point.”