Biden says he's worried about Trump's 'insurrection' talk in Spanish-language interview
On his chances of winning the Hispanic vote, Biden said: 'I don't take anything for granted'
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Joe Biden said he’s worried about President Trump’s talk of “insurrection” after President Trump threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act to quell racial injustice protests across the country.
"What is worrying is the way he talks about 'insurrection' and people taking up arms. Have you ever heard a Democratic president of the United States speak like this?" Biden said during an interview with Telemundo's José Díaz Balart.
Trump in June controversially threatened to use the Insurrection Act to send the military to cities that do not control rioting.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}But in the case of intense rioting in Portland, the “law and order” White House cited 40 U.S. Code 1315, which gives DHS the ability to deputize officers in any department or agency “in connection with the protection of property owned or occupied by the federal government and persons on that property.”
In the Telemundo interview, Biden said "I don't take anything for granted,” on his chances of winning the Hispanic vote. "I'm going to work really hard for every vote."
Biden told reporters as he headed to Florida this week that his mission in the state would be to court Spanish-speaking voters.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“I will talk about how I am going to work like the devil to make sure I turn every Latino and Hispanic vote,” Biden said when asked by reporters what his message would be in the country’s largest traditional general election battleground state.
Polls in Florida have tightened up to a virtual tie between Biden and President Trump as Biden plans his trip to the Sunshine State. Recent surveys have indicated that Biden is underperforming with Latino voters amid a bunch of negative headlines regarding his outreach to Spanish-speaking voters in the state.
When asked about his poll numbers among Hispanic voters, Biden said they were “much higher than [Trump's]. But they gotta go higher.”
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A month ago, Biden held a four-point advantage over the president in an average of the latest surveys in the state compiled by Real Clear Politics. Now it’s down to 1.6 points.
BIDEN BLASTS TRUMP, TOUTS VETERANS ISSUES IN BATTLEGROUND FLORIDA
And among likely Latino voters in Florida, recent polls from NBC News/Marist and Quinnipiac University indicate the president with a slight edge over Biden. (A Monmouth University survey of Florida released on Tuesday indicated Biden with a large lead over Trump among Latino voters). That’s a significant switch from four years ago, when 2016 Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton crushed Trump by more than 25 points among Florida’s Latino voters, according to exit polls. The exit polls indicated that Latinos made up 19% of the state’s electorate.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}But Trump narrowly carried the state, winning Florida’s prized 29 electoral votes, helping him capture the White House.
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Jennifer Molina, Biden campaign’s Latino outreach director, emphasized that "the Hispanic vote will be a deciding factor and we are not taking it for granted."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Fox News' Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.