President Joe Biden on Friday again spoke fondly of the old days when he served with segregationists in the United States Senate.
“Things have kind of changed since the days when I first got there,” he mused, recalling he was first elected at the age of 29.
The president spoke fondly of his early career during an event in Ohio to promote jobs.
“We always used to fight like hell, even back in the old days when we had real segregationists like Eastland and Thurmond and all those guys,” Biden said. “But at least we ended up eating lunch together.”
Biden was referring to known segregationist Democrats such as Mississippi Sen. James Eastland and South Carolina Sen. Strom Thurmond.
The president indicated it was time to bring back the good old days of both parties working together in the Senate.
“Things have changed, we gotta bring it back,” he said.
Biden frequently talks about the good old days when he worked with segregationists in the Senate, which has gotten him into trouble.
The president’s left-wing critics raised the alarm after he spoke on the campaign trail about working with segregationists, praising them for their “civility.”
“He never called me ‘boy,’ Biden said about Eastland, dropping into an imitation Southern accent. “He always called me ‘son.’”
“Well guess what?” Biden continued. “At least there was some civility. We got things done. We didn’t agree on much of anything. We got things done. We got it finished. But today you look at the other side and you’re the enemy. Not the opposition, the enemy. We don’t talk to each other anymore.”
He ultimately expressed regret about his statements after criticism of his remarks alarmed his struggling campaign.
“Was I wrong a few weeks ago to somehow give the impression to people that I was praising those men who I successfully opposed time and again? Yes, I was,” he said afterward at a campiagn speech. “I regret it. And I’m sorry for any of the pain or misconception they may have caused anybody.”