In a call-back to simpler times—before the unprecedented global pandemic and nationwide civil unrest—supporters of Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden have co-opted a notorious joke made by President Trump four years ago on the campaign trail.
The year was 2016, and there were just two weeks until the Iowa caucuses. Reality-TV star and real-estate mogul Donald Trump was the Republican frontrunner, and he was, well, confident about his chances.
“I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody, and I wouldn't lose any voters, OK?” Trump said, mimicking firing a gun with his fingers, at a campaign stop in Iowa. “It’s, like, incredible.” Afterward, Trump tweeted: “My speech was very well received. Truly great people! Packed house—overflow!”
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“His audiences love it,” NPR reporter Don Gonyea wrote at the time: “They say, ‘Yeah, sometimes he makes me cringe, but I still like him and I still think he’s the right thing for America.’”
But now Biden supporters are co-opting the joke on Twitter, for their own amusement, even jokingly offering to take a bullet themselves in a sign of just how passionate the November election is shaping up to be.
“Joe Biden could shoot me in the middle of 5th Avenue& I would apologize to him for using up one of his bullets and then I would crawl on my hands & knees thru invected proven class to the polling place to vote for him on Nov. 3 [sic],” wrote @rmertel.
In reply, @PattysYorkie tweeted, “I may have a hard time doing all of that, I’m a little old. But I’ll be damned if I wouldn’t try!”
“Joe Biden could shoot me on 5th Avenue & I would ask the ambulance to drop me off at the polls,” wrote @maryruthedk.
“Joe Biden could stand in the middle of 5th Avenue and shoot Joe Biden and I’d still vote for him,” added @if_you_see_kaye.
“Joe Biden can stand in the middle of 5th Avenue and shoot one hundred people and we’re still voting against Trump,” tweeted @FrankXMjr. “The con is up.”
“Joe Biden could shoot me on 5th avenue and if I survived I would vote for him, if I didn't my last words would be...he did it in self-defense so vote for Joe,” @Hamsteronstilts wrote.
