Obama and Joe Biden mock Trump’s ‘responsibility’ comments

Joe Biden is teasing a new video of a socially-distanced ‘conversation’ with former President Barack Obama where the two men diss President Trump for saying he takes ‘no responsibility’ for the coronavirus.

The slick video released by Biden’s campaign shows the two men joining in Obama’s sleek Washington, D.C. office – a taxpayer perk that former presidents enjoy. 

‘Can you imagine standing up when you were President and saying ‘it’s not my responsibility. I take no responsibility’ Literally. Literally,’ Biden says in the short clip, which is accompanied by music.

‘Those words didn’t come out of our mouths while we were in office,’ responds Obama, who put Obama on his ticket in 2008 after defeating him in the Democratic primary.

‘No. I don’t understand his inability to get a sense of what people are going through,’ Biden responds. ‘He just can’t, he can’t relate in any way.’ 

The two men are filmed entering the building separately – Obama through the basement, and Biden through the front, after getting deposited by a black Chevy Suburban. Both men wore black masks on arrival.

One shot shows them entering through separate elevators simultaneously and strolling down a hallway, before engaging in their seated conversation, where both men spoke, tieless and mask-less.

The two men regularly met and lunched while serving during Obama’s two terms. 

The campaign released the video – the remainder will be posted Thursday – a day after Trump rebooted his press briefings, held out a mask he says he carried, and acknowledged things would ‘get worse’ before they get better.

Obama briefly bows his head to greet Biden while the two men are standing, several feet apart.

He lauds his former sidekick, after staying neutral through the primary fight this year.

‘I don’t understand his inability to get a sense of what people are going through. He just can’t relate in any way,’ Biden says of Trump. 

‘Well, and one of the things I have always known about you, Joe – it’s the reason why I wanted you to be my vice president, and the reason why you were so effective … it all starts with being able to relate,’ Obama said.

Before the coronavirus upended campaigning, Biden had a reputation for glad-handing and snapping countless selfies at his events. 

‘If you can sit down with a family and see your own family in them and the struggles that you’ve gone through or your parents went through or your kids are going through,’ Obama gushed. ‘If you can connect those struggles to somebody else’s struggles, then you’re going to work hard for them. And that’s always what’s motivated you to get into public service.’   

Polling shows Biden with a consistent lead over President Trump but less enthusiasm among his supporters. Even a new Economist / YouGov poll released Wednesday showing Biden with a 7-point lead over Trump had the longtime Democrat at just 48 per cent, short of an outright majority.

Trump in a Sunday Fox News interview crowed about an enthusiasm gap – even as he consistently trails Biden in national and battleground polls. He also has ripped Biden for frequent appearances from his basement amid the coronavirus. Both men have now scrapped campaign rallies due to the virus, after the debacle that surrounded Trump’s rally in Tulsa. 

CNN reported the two men did not discuss Biden’s vice presidential selection during their talk.

Trump told Fox News Sunday last weekend after being asked whether he takes responsibility for not having a national plan: ‘I take responsibility always for everything because it’s ultimately my job, too. I have to get everybody in line,’ Trump responded.