Speaking softly, but firmly, former Vice President Joe Biden brought his Presidential campaign to Ottumwa Tuesday (6/11).  The front-runner for the 2020 Democratic nomination spent most of his 30 minute speech criticizing President Donald Trump and his policies.  Saying he “wanted to make America America again”, Biden said the President is an existential threat to America’s core values and went on to say Trump “makes the wrong choices.”

“Iowa farmers have been crushed by his tariff war with China. He thinks that being tough is great.  Well, it’s really easy to be tough when someone else absorbs the pain.”

Biden also laughed at the idea that anyone benefited from the Trump tax cuts and went on to say that he would raise taxes, while complaining about tax loopholes.  As for his current lead in the polls for the Democratic nomination, Biden said that means nothing right now.

“Iowa is a critical, critical state.  I see all these polls; they don’t mean a thing right now.  This is a marathon and the marathon is just beginning.  But at the end of the day, if you can’t cross the line in Iowa, you don’t win the marathon.”

Meanwhile, President Trump was also in Iowa Tuesday.  He visited an ethanol plant in Council Bluffs and spoke about his administration’s move to allow year-round sale of E-15, that’s gas with 15 percent ethanol.

“America must never again be held hostage to foreign suppliers of energy as we were under the Obama/Biden….Sleepy Joe…group.  Sleepy Joe.”

Then last night the President spoke at the Republican Party of Iowa’s annual dinner in West Des Moines.

“Make America great again.  (applause)  Keep America great.  (applause)  I tell you, it slightly beats it out, huh?   You know polls don’t mean a damn thing.  We proved that, didn’t we prove that?  Did anybody ever prove it like we proved it?”

Trump said of Biden, “People don’t respect him. Even the people that he’s running against, they’re saying: ‘Where is he? What happened?'”.