Biden spoke in this capital at an event organized by the United Auto Workers (UAW automobile union that supported his re-election) and had to stop in the middle of his speech until the protesters were cleared from the square.
A day earlier, Biden also had to abandon a campaign rally in Virginia when he was asked more than a dozen times for a ceasefire.
Protesters chanted chants such as “Joe the genocider, how many boys and girls did he kill today?”, leading to the president giving a staccato speech.
Some observers believe that these protests – which are actually a constant in US politics in general – now risk undermining a central message of Biden's campaign: that, unlike his expected Republican opponent, former President Donald Trump, Brings unity and stability to the country.
The current occupant of the Oval Office is sticking to his promise in his re-election bid that he will be the savior and protector of American democracy, which would be in danger with Trump.
Biden praised the important union's support and expressed that he always believes “that the union movement in the United States is important because it produces the best-skilled workforce in the world.”
He also took the opportunity to criticize his predecessor because, as he said, jobs were lost and car factories closed during his time in office.
“During the Trump presidency, tens of thousands of automotive jobs were lost across the country,” Biden emphasized, drawing the comparison that during his term “we have opened 20 auto factories, with more to come.” We have more than 250,000 in the United States Jobs created in the automotive industry.
He also pointed to his experience last fall when he became the first sitting president to join a picket line while visiting auto workers outside Detroit who were striking to demand better wages and protest high production costs.
During the union conference in Washington DC, UAW President Shawn Fain publicly proclaimed, “If our support is to be earned, then 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.
The day before, Democrats and Republicans scored victories in the New Hampshire primary, results that could mark a quick end to the process ahead of the Nov. 5 general election.
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