Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden appeared at a town hall hosted by NBC Monday night in a last-ditch effort to appeal to Florida's moderate Democrats.
At the event, Biden claimed that he is far from being a socialist and reminded the audience that he defeated one in the primaries.
"I look like a socialist?” Biden said. “I’m the guy that ran against the socialist, remember? I got in trouble through the whole campaign, 20-some candidates — ‘Joe Biden was too centrist, too moderate, too straightforward.’ That was Joe Biden.”
He did not mention Bernie Sanders, the only democrat socialist to run in the primaries, by name.
Sanders' supporters are fiercely loyal and are a critical component to Biden's potential victory in November. Democratic leadership has been sensitive to any sign of a political fault between the far left and moderates of the party.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez caused an uproar on her Twitter when in August she nominated Sanders for president at the Democratic National Convention, which the media speculated to be a slight toward Biden but was simply misinterpreted as it was just a "procedural requirement of the convention."
It is widely believed by President Trump and many of his supporters that Biden will act as a puppet for the left-wing extremists if elected.
Biden also discussed his plan for a "national mask mandate" at the town hall.
The former vice president said he doesn't believe a president has the power to impose a national mandate nationwide, but as president, he said he would require masks to be worn on federal property, this executive action would reach all the way across the country.
Biden claims he would use his authority as president to urge all governors, mayors, and country executives to use their positions of power to require their citizens to wear masks.
He added, "I’m no more a socialist or communist than Donald Trump is—well, I won’t say it. They need not worry. Look at the record. There’s not one syllable I have ever said that could lead you to believe I was a socialist or communist.”
