Biden hits Trump on foreign dirt comments: ‘Dead wrong’

Former Vice President Joe Biden doubled down Friday on his criticism of President Trump’s suggestion that he would listen if a foreign entity offered negative information on a political opponent, saying the president is “dead wrong.”

“This is simple. American elections should be decided by the American people and not by Russian or any other foreign power,” Biden, the 2020 Democratic front-runner, said in a statement released by his campaign.

{mosads}”Donald Trump doesn’t think it matters if candidates accept damaging intel on their opponent from a foreign government. He’s dead wrong,” he continued. 

Biden also announced that he signed a candidate pledge, formed earlier this year as part of his work with European leaders in the Transatlantic Commission on Election Integrity, vowing not to use disinformation in his campaign or tolerate outside information.

Donald Trump doesn’t think it matters if candidates accept damaging intel on their opponent from a foreign government. He’s dead wrong.

That’s why I’m signing the Pledge for Election Integrity. I refuse to help those who seek to undermine our democracy. https://t.co/Zw7DKYXc1h pic.twitter.com/3NGezt58hx

— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) June 14, 2019

The former vice president first hit Trump on the comments in a tweet on Wednesday evening. 

Trump told the network that he would listen if a foreign entity offered damaging information on a political opponent. 

“I think you might want to listen. There’s nothing wrong with listening,” Trump said in the interview. “It’s not an interference. They have information. I think I’d take it. If I thought there was something wrong, I’d go maybe to the FBI.”

The president defended the comments on Twitter on Thursday, citing his contacts with foreign governments as a part of his job. 

“I meet and talk to ‘foreign governments’ every day. I just met with the Queen of England (U.K.), the Prince of Whales, the P.M. of the United Kingdom, the P.M. of Ireland, the President of France and the President of Poland. We talked about ‘Everything!'” Trump said in a tweet. 

“Should I immediately call the FBI about these calls and meetings?” he continued. “How ridiculous! I would never be trusted again.”

Republicans were left shaking their heads over what many of them saw as a sloppy gaffe by the president, who didn’t appear to understand that what he was suggesting was against the law. The comment has drawn opposition from members of both parties, and a harsh rebuke from chair of the Federal Election Commission. 

Biden’s firing back marks the latest in an ongoing war of words with the president. Both were on the campaign trail in Iowa earlier this week and took jabs at each other in speeches and on Twitter. 

Despite being one of the numerous Democratic presidential hopefuls, Biden has focused on Trump throughout the campaign instead of his Democratic rivals.

Meanwhile, the president’s apparent focus on Biden has led many to believe he is worried about the former vice president’s front-runner status in the Democratic primary.

Updated on June 14 at 8:17 a.m.