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| Guam Gov. Eddie Baza Calvo, left, who represented Donald Trump, and Joe Biden took part in a town hall directed at Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. |
Former Vice President Joe Biden and former Guam Gov. Eddie Baza Calvo, a surrogate for Donald Trump, met with AAPI leaders in a virtual town hall Saturday. The stark difference between the two campaigns was never more clear.
While Biden Zoomed in for the event watched by AAPI leaders, Trump was golfing in Virginia.Both presidential campaigns covered topics the Asian American Pacific Islander community during the fourth APIAVote Town Hall event
Spurred by moderators by Vicky Nguyen from NBC News and Amna Nawaz of PBS, Biden and Calvo covered topics as wide-ranging as the economy, immigration and race relations.
'Kung Flu'
On the topic of Asian Americans being targeted by racists and blamed for the coronavirus, Biden jumped in first.
“We’ve all heard about the horrible acts against Asian Americans blamed for the coronavirus," Biden said. "Harassment. Violence. Conspiracy Theories. Blaming Asian Americans for COVID. Dangerous smears, including by Donald Trump."
“Asian Americans are being targeted with violence in subject to xenophobic rhetoric from the mouth of the president himself,” said the presumptive Democratic nominee for president. “This is the president who, instead of bringing our country together, does everything he can to fan the flames of hate and division in this country.”
Just like Trump, with no proper explanation, Calvo instead tried to shift the blame on President Barack Obama. “Take a look at history," he said. "That Kung Flu comment even came from the Obama administration. I’m here as an Asian American and Pacific Islander to represent the Trump campaign.”
(Although a couple of VA hospitals used the term Kung Flu but no one in the Obama administration, including the President, used the term to describe the N1H1 flu.)
Calvo defended Trump's attempts to limit immigration saying his policies are meant to help the American worker.
“It's not about the immigrants, they're important,” Calvo said. “But his first and foremost priority is getting Americans back to work.”
On Day One, Biden said he would send Congress an immigration reform bill that would include a roadmap for citizenship for 11 million undocumented immigrants who contribute so much to this country, including 1.7 million AAPI.”
“It's not about the immigrants, they're important,” Calvo said. “But his first and foremost priority is getting Americans back to work.”
On Day One, Biden said he would send Congress an immigration reform bill that would include a roadmap for citizenship for 11 million undocumented immigrants who contribute so much to this country, including 1.7 million AAPI.”
He also expressed his opposition to Trump's recently implemented pause on foreign workers.
During the town hall, both men were asked about the diversity of their campaign staffs. Neither Biden or Calvo could answer that questioned but promised to give the numbers later in the day.
Hours after the town hall, Biden's staff released the information about the diversity of its campaign staff.
People of color accounting for 35% of his full-time staff. The figures given by staff included consulted consultant. It showed a staff -- including part-timers -- that’s 53% female and a senior staff that is 36% nonwhite and 58% female.
Trump's reelection campaign also released figures that showed his senior staff is 25% people of color and 56% female, according to the campaign, with 52% of the full-time staff female.
The 2-hour virtual Presidential town hall was the marquee event of the National AAPI Leadership Summit that started June 22 and continue through Thursday, July 2.
The 2-hour virtual Presidential town hall was the marquee event of the National AAPI Leadership Summit that started June 22 and continue through Thursday, July 2.
REGISTER for the remainder of the Summit, click here.
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