Biden: “I Can Hardly Wait” To Debate Trump, “I Am Looking Forward To It”

Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden speaks to CNN’s Anderson Cooper ahead of Super Tuesday voting. Biden criticized Bloomberg as not a real Democrat and said he can spend a billion dollars but can’t move away from his record.

COOPER: Michael Bloomberg spoke to CNN’s Don Lemon about you. And I wanted to play just a bit of what he said so you can respond.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL BLOOMBERG (D), FORMER MAYOR OF NEW YORK, PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: He is a legislator. And the job requires a manager, an executive. And I feel very strongly about that.

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: He was the vice president. Obama thought he was ready. You don’t think he’s ready?

BLOOMBERG: Obama thought he was ready for what?

LEMON: He was his vice president. He was ready to be president. That’s the next job.

BLOOMBERG: I don’t know, you’d have to talk to President Obama about that. All I know is we keep putting legislators in the job that requires a manager.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER: Is he right? Is this a job that requires a manager and are you manager?

BIDEN: It requires somebody who has gotten things done. It requires someone who understands how to bring people together. It requires a Democrat, by the way, to be a Democratic president. And it requires someone who has a track record. And the president handed me significant responsibility and presidential authority when I was the vice president.

I’m the guy that managed the $900 billion Recovery Act. I got the votes for it and I got it passed as well as then I managed it day-to-day. I did the same thing on a number of foreign policy issues. It needs someone who knows something about foreign policy.

I like Mike, but he knows zero about foreign policy, zero about foreign policy. The next president day one has to be ready to stand up and command the world stage and unite this country. They have not been things that I — and Mike is a good guy, but, look, you can spend billions of dollars, you can spend a billion dollars, but you can’t move away from what your record is.

COOPER: Do you believe Mike Bloomberg is not a Democrat? I mean, he’s running now obviously as a Democrat.

BIDEN: He’s not a Democrat. Well, he hasn’t been a Democrat. And, look, I think what the folks are looking for is someone who can produce things, who’s ready on day one, and is a Democrat. I am an Obama-Biden Democrat. I’ve been a Democrat all my life. I never had any qualms or concerns about what my views were. And I’ve stuck to it. It’s all about raising people up in a big way. It’s about — but it’s not about making sure you’re able to put together — and I compliment Mike. He put together a heck of a corporation.

But the way he dealt with the people allegedly in his corporation has not been — at least not past vet yet. And, you know, everybody’s now look at his record and what kind of record he had as mayor. I was one of the people who, along with the president, moved to see to it that the Justice Department said cease and desist from throwing 5 million people up against the wall kinds of things.

I mean, so, look, I don’t want to get into criticizing Mike. I think he’s a decent guy. But I don’t think he is a Democrat with a capital D. It’s not where he has been. He has a different view on a whole range of things, including the role of what built this country. This country was built by the middle class and unions built the middle class. That’s how it got there. It wasn’t Wall Street. It was ordinary people given an exceptional opportunity. And they’re not getting it now.

###

COOPER: This morning, one of the president’s sons, Eric Trump, said that his father would destroy you on the debate stage. I’m wondering what you would say to that.

BIDEN: Come on, Mr. President. I can hardly wait.

COOPER: You’re looking forward to it.

BIDEN: I am looking forward to it.