Biden jabs at Trump in Cornell commencement speech

Former Vice President Biden ripped President Trump’s policies and political populism while speaking at Cornell University’s Convocation ceremony Saturday.

“I thought we had passed the days when it was acceptable for political leaders at local and national levels to bestow legitimacy on hate speech and fringe ideologies. But the world is changing so rapidly,” Biden said to Cornell’s graduating class.

The former vice president went on to address political populism seen recently in the U.S. and around the world.

{mosads}“There are a lot of folks out there who are both afraid and susceptible to this kind of negative appeal. We saw the forces of populism not only here but around the world call to close our nation’s gates against the challenges of a rapidly changing world,” he said.

The political veteran took a direct jab at the Trump administration’s policies on LGBT rights and immigration.  

“The immigrant, the minority, the transgender, anyone not like me became a scapegoat,” Biden said. “Just build a wall, keep Muslims from coming into the United States.”

Biden went on to label recent anti-immigrant sentiment seen in the U.S. as a “scapegoat” for individuals unable to find work in the U.S.

“They’re the reason I can’t compete, that’s why I don’t have a job. That’s why I worry about my safety,” he said. “And I imagine, like me, many of you have seen this unfold. (It) was incredibly disorienting and disheartening.”

Biden gave the commencement speeches at two other universities. He called for national unity and purpose at Colby College’s graduation ceremony last week, saying “it’s time for American to get up.”

His speech at Cornell University comes a day after former presidential nominee Hillary Clinton ripped President Trump in her commencement speech at Wellesley College, comparing him to former President Richard Nixon.