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Biden Hits Back At Ernst After Caucus Comment

Katie Peikes
/
IPR
Former Vice President Joe Biden takes a picture with a voter after he spoke in Sioux City Wednesday.

During a stop in Sioux City Wednesday, Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden responded to a comment Iowa Republican U.S. Senator Joni Ernst made about him this week.
President Donald Trump’s lawyers laid out their arguments in the Senate impeachment trial Monday, focusing on former Vice President Biden and his son Hunter Biden. Later, Ernst told reporters she’s interested to see how their discussion “informs and influences” Iowa caucusgoers.

“Iowa caucuses, folks. Iowa caucuses are this next Monday evening,” Ernst said. “And I’m really interested to see how  this discussion today informs and influences the Iowa caucus voters, those Democratic caucusgoers, will they be supporting [Vice President] Biden at this point?” 

During a campaign stop at Western Iowa Tech Community College in Sioux City Wednesday, Biden responded to Ernst’s comment with the same phrase he used a day earlier in Muscatine.

“She spilled the beans, didn’t she? said Biden, with a chuckle.

Biden swung back at Ernst: "Kind of subtle, huh?" he said.

“Look. It’s simple,” Biden said. “They’re smearing me to try to stop me and they know if I’m the nominee, I’m going to beat Donald Trump like a drum.”

He continued, “So now all caucusgoers can have a two-fer … You cannot only ruin Donald Trump’s night if I win the caucus. You can ruin Joni Ernst’s night as well.”

Biden has been talking about Ernst’s comment on the campaign trail this week. Ernst responded to him on Twitter, saying arguments have shown Biden and his son Hunter were “knee deep in corruption.” Senators are expected to resume questioning in the impeachment trial Thursday at noon, Central Time.

During his event in Sioux City, Biden frequently criticized President Trump and made his case to Iowans of the importance of the Feb. 3 caucuses and the 2020 election. “We need a president who is going to bring us together. A leader who is going to unite our party as well as unite the country,” he said.

Connie Wiemole, a Democrat from Cherokee, gave Biden a hug after his event. She said she is definitely caucusing for him.

“Basically I said ‘please, let’s win this. We’ve got to do something for our country’. And he goes ‘you bet’,” Wiemole said.

She added, “He’s trustworthy, he’s got integrity, and I just think he’s kind of what we need right now."

Polls are putting Biden near the top of the Democratic presidential candidate field. But many caucusgoers are still undecided, according to a recent Des Moines Register, CNN and Mediacom Iowa Poll. They’ll release a new Iowa Poll on Saturday.

Katie Peikes was a reporter for Iowa Public Radio from 2018 to 2023. She joined IPR as its first-ever Western Iowa reporter, and then served as the agricultural reporter.