NORTH MIAMI, Fla. — Former President Barack Obama campaigned for Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden during a drive-in rally Saturday afternoon in North Miami.
Obama encouraged voters to cast their ballots for his former vice president and Biden's running mate, Kamala Harris.
"The presidency doesn't change who you are," Obama told supporters. "It just reveals who you are. It amplifies who you are, and for eight years I saw Joe up close. He was the last one in the room whenever I faced a big decision. He made me a better president. He's got the character and experience to make us a better country, and he and Kamala are going to be in the fight not for themselves, but for every single one of us."
Obama said current President Donald Trump, who voted in person earlier in the day in West Palm Beach, wants to take credit for the economy he inherited and pass the blame on the coronavirus pandemic to China. He said Biden is tough in a way that Trump is not.
"Let me tell you something else about Joe Biden," Obama said. "Joe Biden's tough. You know, something that you can't say about this president. He likes to act tough and talk tough. He thinks scowling and being mean is tough, and being rude is tough. But when '60 Minutes' and (CBS journalist) Leslie Stahl are too tough for you, you ain't all that tough."
Obama was referring to Trump walking out on his "60 Minutes" interview with Stahl. He also took a shot at Trump's antics and barrage of retweets on Twitter.
With Biden and Harris, Obama said, "it won't be so exhausting just having a normal president."
Obama said Americans will be able to go about their lives "knowing that the president's not going to suggest injecting bleach or retweet conspiracy theories about secret cabals running the world."
"That's not normal behavior, Florida," Obama said. "You wouldn't tolerate it from a co-worker. You wouldn't tolerate from a high school principal. You wouldn't tolerate it from a coach. You wouldn't tolerate it from a family member. 'Florida man' wouldn't even do this stuff. Why are we accepting it from the president of the United States?"
About 400 people in 228 vehicles attended the invite-only rally.
Other high-profile Florida Democrats to attend were Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried and U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz, who represents portions of Broward and Miami-Dade counties.
