Former vice president Joe Biden is set to formally accept the Democratic party’s nomination this week during the Democratic convention. In an interview with rapper Cardi B, Biden talks about health care as well as racial equality.
Speaking to Cardi B in Elle Magazine, Biden said that there is no reason for the US not to have “Medicare for All,” a proposal touted by his former rival, Senator Bernie Sanders, who is known for his progressive stance in politics. Cardi B shared what she wants to see changed in the country, including free college and university education. The singer, who previously endorsed Sanders and has appeared alongside him at times during his campaign, also laid out that she hopes that a possible Biden administration could make significant changes against police brutality while also forming laws that would be fair for law enforcement as well.
Biden then responded that there’s “no reason why we can’t have all of that” as well as noting the singer’s favorite president, Franklin D. Roosevelt. “Roosevelt said the American people can take anything if you tell them the truth. Sometimes the truth is hard. But right now, we’re in a position where we have the opportunity to make so much progress. The American public has had its blinders taken off,” said the former vice president.
Their discussion also touched on racial equality, where Cardi B aired her grievances about police brutality that Black Americans face. Biden praised her and expressed that it is because of their generation, millennials, that made him optimistic about the future of the country because of the strong desire for change. The interview with Cardi B also appears to be the only interview Biden has done so far where he faced questioning, something that Fox News’ Chris Wallace has noted.
During the opening night of the Democratic convention, several top Democrats, including former first lady Michelle Obama gave out their remarks in support of Biden, including four Republicans who have chosen to speak out. Among those Republicans was Cindy McCain, the wife of the late Senator John McCain, a prominent Republican and one of Biden’s closest friends. In a pre-recorded video teasing her appearance in the DNC, she talks about the friendship between the two politicians that go all the way back to when Biden was still a Senator from Delaware and McCain was his Navy aide.