Biden: Trump 'Has No Clue, Period'
PHILADELPHIA (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Coming out to the "Rocky" theme song, Vice President Joe Biden said at the Democratic National Convention Wednesday night that Donald Trump will not look out for middle-class Americans.
Biden said Trump "doesn't have a clue about the middle class."
COMPLETE CAMPAIGN 2016 COVERAGE
"How can there be pleasure in saying, 'You're fired?' He's trying to tell us he cares about the middle class? Give me a break, that's a bunch of malarkey," Biden said to a rousing ovation.
He continued, "When the middle class does well, the rich do very well and the poor have hope. He has no clue what makes America great. Actually, he has no clue, period."
The DNC filled with "Not a clue" chants following that line.
Biden said that in the "complicated and uncertain world we live in," Trump is the first major party nominee to have known less or be less prepared to deal with national security.
"The times are too certain to elect Donald Trump as president of the United States," he stated.
Biden added that Trump offers policies that are more in line with the United States' adversaries, saying that the Republican nominee backs "torture" and "religious intolerance." Biden said that "betrays our values" and makes it harder for the United States to defeat the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria.
Biden talked about the legacy President Barack Obama will leave behind.
"The's the embodiment of honor, resolve and character -- one of the finest presidents we have ever had," Biden said.
Biden touted Hillary Clinton during his speech, saying she will be a role model for women and girls across the nation as the first female president.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we all understand what it will mean for our daughters and our granddaughters when Hillary Clinton walks in to the Oval Office as president of the United States of America," Biden said. "It will change our lives."
The vice president said he would have breakfast with her in his home once a week while she was secretary of state.
"Everybody knows she's smart, everybody knows she's tough, but I know what she's passionate about. I know Hillary," Biden said.
Biden wrapped up his speech by making a forceful case for American exceptionalism.
He said the United States "does not scare easily," and when confronted with crisis, "we endure, we overcome and we always move forward."
"The 21st century is going to be the American century," Biden exclaimed.
He said that will happen because the U.S. leads "not only by the example of our power but by the power of our example."
"We are America. We are second to none and we own the finish line," Biden said.
(TM and © Copyright 2016 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2016 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
