At the Debate Last Night, Biden Finally Distanced Himself From the GOP’s Austerity Talking Points
After pushback, at the presidential debate last night, Biden thankfully dropped his deficit hawkery and made a strong statement in favor of public investment. Will he be held to his new position if he wins?
Joe Biden answers a question as Donald Trump listens during the second and final presidential debate at Belmont University on October 22, 2020 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Morry Gash-Pool / Getty Images)
A few months ago, our reporting team spotlighted how Joe Biden’s campaign was suggesting that if Donald Trump is defeated, a new Democratic administration may not even try to fulfill its campaign promises because of deficit concerns. When our story went viral, Biden’s campaign frantically — and rightly — backtracked, which was a huge win for accountability journalism.
At the final 2020 presidential debate last night, that success culminated in one of the most important moments in the entire campaign.
During a discussion about the budget, Biden brushed off his old deficit hawk buddies, outright rejected GOP talking points, and instead made the point that the federal government must spend what it takes to rescue cities and states.
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