Trump slams Biden as a ‘reclamation project’ who won’t win in 2020

President Trump took aim at former Vice President Joe Biden on Saturday, lambasting the Democratic presidential front-runner as a “reclamation project” and accusing him of deserting the U.S. military, law enforcement and health care.

Trump tweeted Saturday morning that “some things are just not salvageable,” before criticizing former President Obama for his administration’s trade policy toward China and for the deficits and debt it created.

“Joe Biden is a reclamation project. Some things are just not salvageable,” Trump tweeted.{mosads}

“China and other countries that ripped us off for years are begging for him. He deserted our military, our law enforcement and our healthcare. Added more debt than all other Presidents combined. Won’t win!” he added.

Joe Biden is a reclamation project. Some things are just not salvageable. China and other countries that ripped us off for years are begging for him. He deserted our military, our law enforcement and our healthcare. Added more debt than all other Presidents combined. Won’t win!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 6, 2019

The president has attacked Biden frequently since the former vice president officially announced his bid for the presidency earlier this year, often resorting to derisive nicknames such as “Sleepy Joe.”

Biden, meanwhile, has characterized Trump as a schoolyard bully, telling CNN this week that he relished the chance to go toe-to-toe with the president on the debate stage.

“He’s the bully that I knew my whole life. He’s the bully that I’ve always stood up to. He’s the bully that used to make fun when I was a kid and had a stutter, and I’d smack him in the mouth,” Biden told CNN in an interview that aired Friday.

“I’m looking forward to this man. You walk behind me in the debate. Come here, man,” he added, referring to Trump’s looming physical presence behind Hillary Clinton during a presidential debate in 2016.

Trump later responded to Biden’s remarks, telling reporters outside the White House, “I don’t think I’m a bully at all.”

Recent polling indicates that Biden and other top-tier Democratic hopefuls, including Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) lead Trump in hypothetical head-to-head match-ups. Head-to-head polling shows Biden besting Trump in hypothetical general election match-ups. 

Trump’s remarks on Saturday come as Biden’s campaign seeks to defend his past comments and policies on race since the first Democratic presidential primary debates, which saw Harris get a boost in the polls.

Updated 9:17 a.m.