SCRANTON, Pa. – Vice President Joe Biden excoriated Donald Trump here on Monday, saying his “shame has no limits” and arguing that “he can’t be trusted” with America’s national security during his first appearance on the campaign trail with Hillary Clinton.
Biden stressed, “without hesitation,” that no major party nominee “has known less or been less prepared” to lead than Trump.
“What actually amazes me is that he doesn’t seem to want to learn it,” the vice president said to a hometown crowd. “Even confronted with the facts, he doesn’t want to learn them."
He slammed Trump for recently claiming that President Obama “founded” ISIS and said his charged rhetoric has caused threats to American troops overseas to go “up a couple clicks.”
"Ladies and gentlemen, does he have any idea the adverse consequence these outlandish comments have on our allies, our friends, and the physical safety of our troops? Trump is already making our country less safe,” Biden declared.
On foreign policy, Biden also hit Trump for his ties to Russia and Vladimir Putin, adding that “he would have loved Stalin.”
"This guy's shame has no limits. He's even gone so far as to ask Putin and Russia to conduct cyber attacks against the United States of America,” Biden said. "He's even showered praise on Saddam Hussein, one of the vilest dictators of dictators of the 20th century.”
Biden emphasized that Clinton “gets it,” in sharp contrast to the Republican nominee. “She has always been there. That’s her life story. Let’s state the obvious. That is not Donald Trump’s life story,” he said.
Speaking at a podium featuring the vice presidential seal, Clinton used her remarks as a prebuttal to Trump’s national security speech in Ohio
“Donald has been all over the place on ISIS,” she said. “We will wait and see what he says today. Sometimes he says he won’t tell anyone what he will do because he wants his plan to be, quote, secret. Then it turns out the secret is he has no plan.”
But she also acknowledged that some in attendance might know someone who is considering voting for Trump in November.
“Friends should not let friends vote for Donald Trump!” she said to cheers and laughter.
Clinton also called Trump out for not releasing his tax returns. She released her 2015 tax return at the end of last week, along with 10 years worth of her running mate, Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine’s, taxes.
Monday’s joint appearance adds to the list of heavy-hitting Democrats who have now campaigned by Clinton’s side since she became the nominee, including President Barack Obama and Elizabeth Warren.
The Scranton rally was originally slated for earlier this summer, but the Dallas police shooting that left five officers dead caused it to be rescheduled for after the conventions.
And the event was a return home for more than just the vice president. Clinton’s family used to spend summers in the area during her childhood, and noted that her two brothers were in the audience on Monday. “Welcome home” signs dotted the crowd – 3,000 people attended, according to the campaign.
If elected, Clinton vowed to ask the vice president “to continue the important work” he has done on the “Cancer Moonshot” initiative.
In a statement released ahead of the rally, Clinton affirmed her support for the vice president’s passion project.
“I could not be prouder to stand with Vice President Biden in this fight, and as president, I will take up the charge. My administration will carry out the mission the vice president has set, and continue to call on his advice, leadership, compassion, and sheer strength of will,” she wrote. “Together, we will seize this moment. Together, we will make cancer as we know it a disease of the past.”
