Biden spoke in this capital at a United Auto Workers event (the UAW auto union that gave him its support for re-election) and in the middle of his speech he had to stop until the protesters were removed from the venue.
A day earlier, Biden also had to stop a campaign event in Virginia when he was asked to cease fire more than a dozen times.
The demonstrators chanted slogans such as “Joe, genocide, how many boys and girls did he kill today?”, prompting the president to deliver a staccato speech.
Some observers believe that these protests – which are actually a constant in American politics generally – now risk undermining a central message of Biden's campaign: that he brings unity and stability to the country, in contrast to his expected Republican opponent, former President Donald Trump.
In his candidacy for re-election, the current occupant of the Oval Office is clinging to his promise that he will be the savior and protector of American democracy, which will be in danger with Trump.
In praising the support of the important union, Biden expressed his permanent belief “that the union movement in the United States is important because it produces the best qualified workers in the world.”
Moreover, he took the opportunity to criticize his predecessor, because – he said – during his term jobs were lost and car factories were closed.
Biden stressed that “tens of thousands of auto jobs were lost across the country during Trump's presidency,” and compared that to the fact that during his time in office, “we opened 20 auto plants, with more to come.” We have created more than 250,000 automotive jobs across the United States.
He also alluded to his experience last fall when he became the first president to join a picket line when he visited auto workers outside Detroit who were striking for better wages and against rising manufacturing costs.
During the union's convention in Washington, D.C., UAW President Sean Fine publicly declared that “if we want to earn our support, Joe Biden has earned it!”
The union leader attacked Trump and his record, arguing that the former president did not have the support of union members.
A day earlier, Democrats and Republicans scored victories in the New Hampshire primary, results that could mark a quick end to the process leading up to the Nov. 5 general election.
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