President Joe Biden hosted a White House reception to commemorate Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, and he did not shy away from attacks on former President Donald Trump.
Biden recalled Trump’s time in office during the COVID-19 pandemic, recounting the hundreds of thousands who died and the sharp spike in anti-Asian hate crimes. Biden entered office at a turning point in the pandemic in which vaccines were set to become widely available.
“I’ll never forget him lying about the pandemic,” Biden said at the event. “I’ll never forget the rise of anti-Asian hate crimes during the pandemic.”
Reports of hate crimes against Asian Americans rose 76% in 2020. During the first year of his presidency, Biden signed legislation in an attempt to address it.
“I’m proud to have signed this COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act with your support,” Biden said at the event.
He also slammed Trump for his efforts to overturn the Affordable Care Act and his comments about immigrants.
“While we fight for comprehensive immigration reform, he calls immigrants rapists and murderers. He says they are not people,” Biden said. “He says immigrants are ‘poisoning the blood of our country.’ Folks, my predecessor wants a country just for some of us. We want a country for all of us.”
The Washington Examiner reached out to the Trump campaign for comment on Biden’s remarks.
Biden also praised his right-hand woman, Vice President Kamala Harris, who is the first South Asian American to hold the position.
“My name is Joe Biden, and I work for Kamala Harris,” Biden said, using a line he typically saves for his wife, Jill. “I asked her to be my vice president because I knew I needed someone smarter than me.”
Harris gave colorful advice to other minority lawmakers earlier on Monday.
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“We have to know that sometimes people will open the door for you and leave it open. Sometimes they won’t, and then you need to kick that f***ing door down,” Harris said Monday.
Asian Americans are the fastest-growing group of eligible voters in the United States, according to the Pew Research Center. The demographic has increased by 15% since 2020.
