In a conversation about decorum between the two presidential candidates, Biden campaign co-chair Cedric Richmond expressed his reluctance to shake former President Trump’s hand on stage. Richmond shared his thoughts during an interview on CNN ahead of the CNN Presidential Debate scheduled for Thursday night.
“I don‘t think I would [shake Trump’s hand], but President Biden consistently rises above pettiness, unlike Donald Trump,” Richmond stated. He emphasized that while he personally wouldn’t shake Trump’s hand due to past experiences, he left the decision to President Biden. “So I would leave that up to him, but with what I‘ve been through with the former president, I certainly would not.”
This upcoming debate marks the first time Trump and Biden will share the stage since their meetings during the 2020 election cycle. Their third debate was canceled, making this encounter highly anticipated. When CNN’s Kasie Hunt asked Richmond whether President Biden should shake Trump’s hand and if Trump deserved that gesture, Richmond replied, “That’s up to President Biden. I’m sure there’s no love lost there. I wouldn’t shake his hand.”
Richmond vividly recalled the Capitol insurrection on January 6, 2021, and its impact on his perspective. “I was in the Capitol when [Trump] sent insurrectionists, the Proud Boys and others to the Capitol, chanting ‘Hang Mike Pence’, looking for Leader Pelosi, I was there that day,” he recounted. “Because of that, I don’t think I would.”
During the interview, Richmond also discussed whether Biden might label Trump a “convicted felon” during the debate. This follows Trump’s conviction on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in May. Richmond did not confirm Biden’s stance but made his own view clear. “If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it‘s a duck,” he remarked. “He‘s a convicted felon, and that‘s just who he is. And by the way, he‘s a twice-impeached convicted felon.”
Richmond emphasized that Trump’s conviction was the result of a unanimous jury decision, not a political maneuver. “It wasn’t Joe Biden that did that, it was 12 American patriots who served as jurors that found him guilty unanimously on 34 counts and so I‘m not sure if the president will or not, but I certainly will,” he said firmly. “He’s a convicted felon.”
As the debate approaches, the tension between the two candidates and their campaigns is palpable, promising a dramatic and possibly contentious encounter on stage.
