During a campaign event in Arizona on Tuesday, President Biden abruptly wandered off the stage after he noticed a baby in the crowd.
The seemingly awkward moment in Phoenix came as Biden was standing behind his campaign manager, Julie Chávez Rodríguez, who was sharing her brief opening remarks during the Latinos for President Biden rally.
As she was speaking, Biden noticed the baby and a brief moment later, he walked off and sat down with the baby and its mother.
“Well, folks, I have to tell you straight up,” Biden said at the Mexican restaurant called El Portal, returning to the stage. “I like you all, but I couldn’t resist that little baby.”
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On Tuesday, the Democratic presumptive presidential nominee urged the Latino voters at the event to support him in November, when he is likely to square off in a rematch with former President Trump in the 2024 general election.
“You’re the reason why in large part I beat Donald Trump [in 2020],” Biden said. “I need you badly.”
U.S. President Joe Biden greets his supporters during a campaign event at a Mexican restaurant in the Phoenix area, Arizona, U.S., March 19, 2024, (REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque)
The comment was met with cheers, then he said he liked his chances going into the 2024 rematch.
“I’m optimistic,” Biden said. “There’s nothing beyond our capacity.”
Rodríguez was the first to speak at the event, where she urged Latino voters to support the Biden-Harris ticket.
“Latinos proved in 2020 what we are capable of in Arizona and in so many critical states throughout this country, and we sent Joe Biden and Kamala Harris to the White House the first time, and we’re gonna do it again in 2024,” she said.
Biden said he noticed a baby in the crowd at the El Portal Mexican restaurant in Phoenix that he could not resist. (Fox News)
Luis Reyes, a junior at Arizona State University, was then called to the stage and formally introduced the President.
He shared that he voted for the first time in a presidential election on Tuesday, driven in part by his fear that Trump would deport migrants from the country. He said this fear was shared across the Latino community in Arizona.
President Biden then exited the stage to sit at a table with the baby and its mother. (REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque)
After Biden initially left the stage, he was seen touching the baby and speaking with his mother.
“How old?” Biden appeared to whisper to her.
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Tuesday’s event in Phoenix officially kicked off the Biden campaign’s efforts to reach Hispanic voters – a key Democratic voting bloc that the president is losing the support of.
U.S. President Joe Biden greets a supporter during a campaign event at a Mexican restaurant in the Phoenix area, Arizona, U.S., March 19, 2024. (REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque)
Arizona Democratic Party chairwoman Yolanda Bejarano spoke with reporters after the event, where she took a swipe at Trump.
“He’s a businessman, she said of Trump, “but we’re seeing with all of his, you know, the juries that are coming out with all the convictions, everything that he’s doing.”
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She continued: “He’s not a smart businessman. He is underwater. He, you know, lies and cheats his way to this position that he’s in and I think sometimes people like, you know, they think that he’s a businessman, but we’re calling him out and they’re seeing the truth now.”
Biden ultimately won the state of Arizona in the 2020 presidential election.