Biden and Trump both spoke at the border. Only one looked presidential
President Joe Biden and Republican front-runner Donald Trump treated the country to a split-screen lesson in presidential politicking as they both descended on Texas to address the vexing issue of immigration.
For Biden, the trip to the border town of Brownsville was an opportunity to combat Republican criticism that he hasn't done enough to stop the flow of migrants into the U.S. Biden used his platform to both educate viewers about the bipartisan border deal that Republicans tanked and revive a call to pass it.
Biden explained that he wanted people to understand "clearly" what happened to that bipartisan border deal. The bill, he said, was on its way to passage when it was "derailed" by partisan politics.
“The U.S. Senate needs to reconsider this bill," Biden said, "and those senators who oppose it need to set politics aside and pass it on the merits—not on whether it's going to benefit one party or benefit the other party."
Biden chided congressional Republicans to "show a little spine."
"Let’s remember who we work for, for God's sake," he added, "We work for the American people."
Biden also took particular issue with Trump for telling his Republican allies in Congress to reject the border measure, which Biden hailed as "the toughest, most efficient, most effective border security bill this country has ever seen."
"So here's what I would say to Mr. Trump," Biden said. "Instead of playing politics with this issue, instead of telling members of Congress to block this legislation, join me—or I’ll join you—in telling the Congress to pass this bipartisan border security bill. We can do it together."
Biden reiterated that instead of politicizing the issue, "why don't we just get together and get it done."
Trump, for his part, chose to go down the rabbit hole less taken.